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In 2018, a well-constructed cist-type grave was discovered at Ba`ja, a Neolithic village (7,400-6,800 BCE) in Southern Jordan. Underneath multiple grave layers, an 8-year-old child was buried in a fetal position. Over 2,500 beads were found on the chest and neck, along with a double perforated stone pendant and a delicately engraved mother-of-pearl ring discovered among the concentration of beads. The first was found behind the neck, and the second on the chest. The meticulous documentation of the bead distribution indicated that the assemblage was a composite ornament that had gradually collapsed, partly due to the burying position. Our aim was to challenge time degradation and to reimagine the initial composition in order to best explore the significance of this symbolic category of material culture, not as mere group of beads, but as an ornamental creation with further aesthetic, artisanal and socioeconomic implications. The reconstruction results exceeded our expectations as it revealed an imposing multi-row necklace of complex structure and attractive design. Through multiple lines of evidence, we suggest that the necklace was created at Ba`ja, although significant parts of beads were made from exotic shells and stones, including fossil amber, an unprecedented material never attested before for this period. The retrieval of such an ornament from life and its attribution to a young dead child highlights the significant social status of this individual. Beyond the symbolic functions related to identity, the necklace is believed to have played a key role in performing the inhumation rituals, understood as a public event gathering families, relatives, and people from other villages. In this sense, the necklace is not seen as belonging completely to the realm of death but rather to the world of the living, materializing a collective memory and shared moments of emotions and social cohesion.

Current evidence supports the idea that animal domestication occurred in multiple loci and at different time periods throughout the Near East rather than according to a single origin. In this scenario, the southern Levant is being increasingly considered as another presumed primary centre of goat domestication, alongside eastern Anatolia and the Zagros. Assessing the status (i.e. wild or domestic) of this animal in this region, however, is hampered by the difficulty of morphologically distinguishing domestic goats from their wild relatives. Diet reconstruction is a powerful approach to address this issue since the feeding of managed animals is partially controlled by their owners, unlike free-ranging wild populations. For the first time, we propose to contribute to this question through dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA) using confocal microscopy. Characterising how the dietary behaviour of extant wild and domestic goats is reflected in DMTA is critical. For this purpose, we constructed a reference collection composed of three wild goat species (19 Capra pyrenaica from the southern Iberian Peninsula, 12 Capra ibex from the Alps and 12 Capra nubiana from the Near East) and 15 domestic goats (Capra hircus) reared in an extensive system in Mediterranean scrubland areas. The preliminary results indicate that DMTA allows discrimination of the groups of extant goats. The results obtained were used to characterise the palaeodiet of 16 goats (Capra format aegagrus) from two key Early and Middle Pre-Pottery Neolithic B sites in the southern Levant: Kharaysin (Zarqa, Jordan, ca. 8800-7500 cal BC) and Qarassa (As-Suweyda, Syria, 8700-8200 cal BCE). The higher variability in archaeological goats could be an indicator of controlled feedings. It could also support the hypothesis about diverse and experimental management systems at the first steps of animal domestication. This paper shows the potential of this tool to address the process of early animal domestication. Follow

[EN] Nahal Efe is the largest and best preserved Middle PPNB site in the Negev (Israel), constituting a privileged data source for reconstructing the animal exploitation and subsistence strategies of the hunter-gatherer communities that inhabited the Negev 10,000 years ago. The preliminary results of the study of the faunal assemblage from excavation seasons 2015–2019 are presented in this paper. The zooarchaeological study indicates that during the Middle PPNB the community of hunter-gatherers at Nahal Efe exploited a wide spectrum of animal species, favoured by the great potential in terms of animal resources that the site’s surroundings offered, in a contact area between different eco-zones. Large and middle-sized ungulates, small carnivores, hares, and birds were captured, revealing the variability and adaptability of the hunting strategies of the community at Nahal Efe. Hunting, as a source of animal-based food, focused on the exploitation of ibex (C. nubiana) and gazelle (G. gazella) in similar proportions, which were most probably transported complete or almost complete to the site and intensively processed. Finally, another remarkable aspect of the faunal assemblage is the deposit of remains of at least three species of diurnal raptors inside a pit in one of the excavated residential buildings (Unit 10), evidencing the exploitation of birds of prey, most probably to acquire raw materials (e.g. feathers and talons). The presence of fox remains at the site also seems to be related to the procurement of raw materials, furs in this case, but its consumption is also suspected., [FR] Nahal Efe est le plus grand et le mieux préservé des sites du PPNB moyen du Néguev (Israël), constituant une source de données privilégiée pour reconstruire les stratégies d’exploitation animale et de subsistance des communautés de chasseurs-cueilleurs habitant le Néguev il y a 10 000 ans. Les résultats préliminaires de l’étude de l’assemblage faunique des saisons de fouilles 2015-2019 sont présentés dans cet article. L’étude zooarchéologique indique qu’au cours du PPNB moyen, la communauté de chasseurscueilleurs de Nahal Efe a exploité un large spectre d’espèces animales, favorisé par le grand potentiel en termes de ressources animales qu’offrait l’environnement du site, dans une zone de contact entre différentes écozones. Des ongulés de grande et moyenne taille, des petits carnivores, des lièvres et des oiseaux ont été capturés, révélant la variabilité et l’adaptabilité des stratégies de chasse de la communauté de Nahal Efe. La chasse, en tant que source d’aliments d’origine animale, s’est concentrée sur l’exploitation du bouquetin (C. nubiana) et de la gazelle (G. gazella) dans des proportions similaires, qui ont très probablement été transportés complets ou presque complets sur le site et transformés de manière intensive. Par ailleurs, un autre aspect remarquable de l’assemblage faunique est le dépôt de restes d’au moins trois espèces de rapaces diurnes à l’intérieur d’une fosse dans l’un des bâtiments résidentiels fouillés (unité 10), ce qui témoigne de l’exploitation des oiseaux de proie, très probablement pour acquérir des matières premières (par exemple des plumes et des serres). La présence de restes de renards sur le site semble également liée à l’acquisition de matières premières, en l’occurrence des fourrures, mais sa consommation est également suspectée.

[EN] Two major settlements were established in the Empordà region (north-easternIberian Peninsula) in the Iron Age (6 th-2nd centuries BC), 15 km from each other: the Greekcolony of Empúries and the Iberian city of Ullastret. This coexistence of two different ethnicentities in the same region ¿ and the same environment ¿ presents an opportunity to shed lighton the variability of livestock practices in these settlements, as well as their relationship withthe environment. For this purpose, in addition to traditional zooarchaeological approaches, wereconstructed the animal palaeodiet and seasonality of death using three different proxies: dentalmeso- and microwear analyses, and cementum analysis. The results of the study, conductedon caprine and bovine teeth from both sites, support the hypothesis proposed in previousworks, namely that the environment was exploited differently depending on livestock species.Caprinae (sheep and goats) were fed in marginal areas and less suitable areas for agriculturewhile, in contrast, cattle grazed on rich grassland and/or in wetland areas. The combination ofcementochronology and dental microwear suggests a lower consumption of grasses in summerfor Caprinae and cattle. Seasonality results show that Caprinae were mainly slaughtered duringspring and summer., [ES] En la región del Empordà (noreste de la Península Ibérica) se establecieron dos importantes asentamientos, situados a 15 km el uno del otro, en la Edad del Hierro (s. VI-II a.C): la colonia griega de Empúries y la ciudad ibérica de Ullastret. La coexistencia de dos entidades étnicas diferentes en la misma región –y en un mismo entorno– hace que nos preguntemos por la variabilidad de las prácticas ganaderas en estos asentamientos, así como su relación con el entorno. Para ello, además del análisis zooarqueológico tradicional, hemos reconstruido la paleodieta de los animales y la estacionalidad de muerte. Para ello, se han combinado tres proxies: el análisis del meso- y microdesgaste dental, y la cementocronología. Los análisis realizados en dientes de caprinos y bovinos de los yacimientos de Empúries y Ullastret (s. VI-IV a.C.) apoyan la hipótesis propuesta en trabajos anteriores sobre el uso diferente del medio según las especies: los caprinos (ovejas y cabras) se alimentaron en áreas marginales y menos aptas para la agricultura. Por el contrario, el ganado vacuno se alimentó en pastos y en zonas húmedas. La combinación entre la cementocronología y el microdesgaste sugiere un consumo menor de herbáceas en los meses de verano. Y en cuanto a la estacionalidad, los resultados han mostrado que los caprinos fueron principalmente sacrificados entre los meses de primavera y verano.

In 2018, a well-constructed cist-type grave was discovered at Ba'ja, a Neolithic village (7,400-6,800 BCE) in Southern Jordan. Underneath multiple grave layers, an 8-year-old child was buried in a fetal position. Over 2,500 beads were found on the chest and neck, along with a double perforated stone pendant and a delicately engraved mother-of-pearl ring discovered among the concentration of beads. The first was found behind the neck, and the second on the chest. The meticulous documentation of the bead distribution indicated that the assemblage was a composite ornament that had gradually collapsed, partly due to the burying position. Our aim was to challenge time degradation and to reimagine the initial composition in order to best explore the significance of this symbolic category of material culture, not as mere group of beads, but as an ornamental creation with further aesthetic, artisanal and socioeconomic implications. The reconstruction results exceeded our expectations as it revealed an imposing multi-row necklace of complex structure and attractive design. Through multiple lines of evidence, we suggest that the necklace was created at Ba'ja, although significant parts of beads were made from exotic shells and stones, including fossil amber, an unprecedented material never attested before for this period. The retrieval of such an ornament from life and its attribution to a young dead child highlights the significant social status of this individual. Beyond the symbolic functions related to identity, the necklace is believed to have played a key role in performing the inhumation rituals, understood as a public event gathering families, relatives, and people from other villages. In this sense, the necklace is not seen as belonging completely to the realm of death but rather to the world of the living, materializing a collective memory and shared moments of emotions and social cohesion.

In 2018, a well-constructed cist-type grave was discovered at Ba‘ja, a Neolithic village (7,400–6,800 BCE) in Southern Jordan. Underneath multiple grave layers, an 8-year-old child was buried in a fetal position. Over 2,500 beads were found on the chest and neck, along with a double perforated stone pendant and a delicately engraved mother-of-pearl ring discovered among the concentration of beads. The first was found behind the neck, and the second on the chest. The meticulous documentation of the bead distribution indicated that the assemblage was a composite ornament that had gradually collapsed, partly due to the burying position. Our aim was to challenge time degradation and to reimagine the initial composition in order to best explore the significance of this symbolic category of material culture, not as mere group of beads, but as an ornamental creation with further aesthetic, artisanal and socioeconomic implications. The reconstruction results exceeded our expectations as it revealed an imposing multi-row necklace of complex structure and attractive design. Through multiple lines of evidence, we suggest that the necklace was created at Ba‘ja, although significant parts of beads were made from exotic shells and stones, including fossil amber, an unprecedented material never attested before for this period. The retrieval of such an ornament from life and its attribution to a young dead child highlights the significant social status of this individual. Beyond the symbolic functions related to identity, the necklace is believed to have played a key role in performing the inhumation rituals, understood as a public event gathering families, relatives, and people from other villages. In this sense, the necklace is not seen as belonging completely to the realm of death but rather to the world of the living, materializing a collective memory and shared moments of emotions and social cohesion.

The burials at the Neolithic cemetery Kadruka 23 in Sudan have yielded adornments and bone and lithic artefacts that occur as distinct stages of the chaîne opératoire. This article reports on a hitherto unrecognised funerary practice that highlights the importance of craftsmanship for Neolithic communities in life and beyond.