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Las cavidades han sido lugares utilizados reiteradamente a lo largo de la historia y con distintas funcionalidades tal y como evidencia la tipología de los restos arqueológicos hallados. Así, la presencia de materiales arqueológicos en cuevas y abrigos desde la protohistoria hasta la actualidad está documentada en un buen número de yacimientos, pero pocos han sido objeto de estudio específico. La baja tasa de sedimentación y la escasez del registro pueden haber sido el principal factor de su poco interés, así como por el hecho que el estudio en cronologías históricas se ha centrado en la excavación de estructuras, ya sean poblados, ciudades, necrópolis, construcciones militares, entre otras. Las cavidades, como parte del territorio que las integran, deben tenerse en consideración en los estudios de reconstrucción histórica. En este caso, presentamos los niveles con materiales arqueológicos (cerámica, metales, industria ósea, monedas, carbones, vidrios y fauna) de cova del Gegant (Sitges, Barcelona) procedentes de tres momentos distintos: épocas ibérica, romana y ocupaciones modernas. A lo largo de la secuencia, la cueva ha tenido distintas funcionalidades, desde cobijo y espacio utilitario en época moderna y altoimperial a un posible uso relacionado con la ritualidad en época ibérica. De este momento destacan los objetos metálicos de carácter singular, especialmente de bronce, relacionados con ornamentos personales y posiblemente relacionados con rituales en un momento en que la cueva podría haber sido utilizada como cueva-santuario. Esta diversidad de funciones y su uso reiterado a lo largo de los dos últimos milenios indican la importancia de las cuevas como parte del hinterland territorial que forman parte en cada uno de los momentos históricos., Cavities have been repeatedly used throughout history for various purposes as evidenced by the remains found in them. Evidence of artifacts in cave and rock-shelters have been well-documented in a good number of sites from the Protohistory to present day, however the archaeological investigations are limited. The low sedimentation rate and the scarcity of records may have been the primary factors for their limited interest and study in historical chronologies, which have focused on the excavation of structures such as settlements, cities, necropolis, military constructions, among others. Archaeological and historical studies should take in consideration the caves as an import geographical features and milestones in the territory. Here we present the archaeological record (ceramics, metals, bone tools, coins, charcoal, glass and faunal remains) recovered at cova del Gegant site (Sitges, Barcelona) including three different chronologies: iberian and roman times and modern occupations. The site presents different functions along time, i) shelter and utility space in modern times and early roman empire, ii) possible use related to rituality in Iberian times. During this period, notable are the singular metal objects, mainly made of bronze, associated with personal ornaments and possibly linked to rituals in which the cave may have been used as a sanctuary cave. Function and repeated frequency over the last 2,500 years show the important played-role of cave as part of the territorial hinterland.

La red Conexión-Arqueología / ArchaeologyHub, puso en marcha tres Encuentros de Reflexión Estratégica con el objetivo de favorecer un entorno de prospectiva, planificación y posicionamiento para pensar colectivamente sobre aspectos estratégicos en la Arqueología del CSIC, estos encuentros han constituido una oportunidad única para llevar a cabo una reflexión colectiva sobre la arqueología en el CSIC, en España y su proyección internacional.

1. El día 11 de mayo de 2023 tuvo lugar en el Salón de Actos del CCHS un evento convocado por Isabel Díaz, Vicepresidenta Adjunta de Internacionalización y Cooperación del CSIC. El acto tenía un doble objetivo: (a) informar a todos los investigadores y técnicos de Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales del CSIC sobre DARIAH y CLARIN, las dos grandes infraestructuras europeas en HHDD y CCSS en las que próximamente se integrará España, y (b) ofrecer un escaparate de algunos de los proyectos en Humanidades Digitales y Ciencias Sociales que actualmente se están desarrollando en el CSIC. EL acto fue coordinado por Daniel Riaño Rufilanchas (científico titular del ILC) y estuvo presidido por Marina Villegas (directora del CCHS), 2. Después de un largo periodo de preparación, a mediados de 2023 finalmente se habían perfilado suficientemente los instrumentos legales que permiten la integración de nuestro país en estas dos ERICs, de las que de forma casi inexplicable estábamos ausentes. CLARIN (Common Language Resources and Technology Infrastructure) comenzó a funcionar con 9 países miembros en 2012 y en 2016 recibió el status de landmark en el European Research Infrastructures Roadmap. Se describe como una infraestructura digital que ofrece datos, herramientas y servicios para sostener la investigación basada en recursos lingüísticos. De forma semejante DARIAH (Digital Research Infrastructure for the Arts and Humanities) entró en el ESFRI Roadmap en 2006 y se estableció como ERIC 2014. En 2016 obtuvo también el estatus de Landmark y fue oficialmente ungido como pan-European hub of scientific excellence. De forma genérica DARIAH describe su misión como la de impulsar y dar apoyo a la investigación y la enseñanza dirigida a las artes y las Humanidades (en un sentido extenso) basada en recursos digitales. Orgánicamente se describe DARIAH como una red de personas, expertizaje, información, conocimiento, contenido, métodos, herramientas y tecnologías de sus países miembros. Isabel Díaz comentó los retos y oportunidades que suponía para el CSIC su participación destacada en ambas infraeestructuras, y la necesidad de conseguir la implicación activa de un número suficiente de investigadores y técnicos. Daniel Riaño resumió algunas de las características de la organización y funcionamiento de ambos ERICS, y qué forma iba tomando la participación de los nodos españoles en ella. En la primera parte del acto participó igualmente Emilio Cano, investigador del CENIM y coordinador Nacional de E-RIHS, quien explicó su experiencia en la incorporación de España a tal infraestructura., 3. En la segunda parte del acto se llevó a cabo la presentación, por parte de 35 investigadores de casi todos los institutos del CSIC dedicados a las HHDD y las CCSS, de unos 50 proyectos actualmente en curso o recién finalizados dentro de estas especialidades que dedican una especial atención a las herramientas o los desarrollos digitales. Fueron presentaciones de solo cinco minutos cada una, la mayoría de carácter presencial, en las que con un estilo directo y dinámico los investigadores y técnicos ofrecieron un resumen de su proyecto y los recursos tecnológicos implicados en ellos. Sin llegar a ser un panel exhaustivo de todos los proyectos en marcha con tales características en todos los centros e institutos del CSIC, se trata de un impresionante escaparate de la actividad que nuestra institución viene llevando a cabo para la aplicación de las más recientes técnicas, recursos, estándares y procedimientos tecnológicos a la investigación en Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales.

This study uses faunal and epigraphic evidence from the valley of Cabrera de Mar in present-day Catalonia (Spain) as proxies for understanding complex processes and dynamics of cultural change between the late Iron Age and early Roman times. The faunal remains indicate significant dietary change, although the epigraphic evidence implies that language—in contrast—changed at a slower pace, as shown by the use of indigenous onomastics and the continued use of the Iberian script, coin legends included. To ensure an interdisciplinary analysis, the study also discusses change as perceptible in architectural remains, ceramics and funerary practices. Our study shows that cultural change can take place at different levels and according to different rhythms, not only on regional and settlement planes but also at neighbourhood and household scales. Finally, our results highlight the value of archaeology as a tool for studying and understanding colonial encounters.

Equids played an important role in the development of communication in past societies, and were part of the exchanges between populations. The multi-isotopic study (strontium, carbon and oxygen isotopes) conducted on equid teeth from Bronze and Early Iron Age Can Roqueta suggests that animals originate from diverse locations and their diet was carefully managed. The enriched oxygen and carbon isotopic ratios in equid teeth compared with other taxa from the same site suggest that equids may have drunk from water troughs, thus creating a C and O isotopic enrichment and partial covariance, similar to a “lake” effect. This is the most comprehensive study on equid mobility in Iberia so far.

Log Size Indexes (LSI) allow the increase of the number of data and have been used in a number of zooarchaeological studies since 1950. However, some standards to calculate the log ratios remain unpublished, the calculation of the indexes can be tedious, and it is further hindered by the diversity of data recording practices. The R package ‘zoolog’ enables calculation of thousands of log-ratios in seconds, with the advantage that the users can choose between different public references, which increases the repeatability and comparability of the results, allowing the smooth integration of references and databases with heterogeneous nomenclatures. Alternatively, the users may use their own references. This paper presents the main functionalities and procedures enabled by the package ‘zoolog’, together with some examples of use. A real dataset and several examples with R code are provided with the aim of facilitating osteometrical analyses in zooarchaeology.

In this paper, measurements of 2.012 bone remains from four different domestic species (sheep, goats, cattle and pigs) originating from 33 Bronze Age archaeological sites from the Balearic Islands, mainland Iberia, southern France and Sardinia, and spanning about 2500 years (3700-700 cal. BCE) have been compared. The results show that a decrease in animal size occurred in the Balearic Islands during the Bronze Age. It was not a local phenomenon but rather was a general pattern that happened in different territories. Yet it was more marked on the islands. The evidence shows that the four analyzed species were not affected in the same way and it was a nonlinear phenomenon. Indeed, during the Late Bronze Age some archaeological sites from the Balearics had taller caprines compared with the other contemporaneous places, also on the continent. A multi-factor explanation for these fluctuations is proposed in this paper, showing that animal sizes generally decreased during late prehistory -especially cattle- and this process could reflect different factors such as a combination of limited feeding, increased human pressure and endogamy.

Zooarchaeological analyses of the skeletal remains of 52 animals unearthed in the courtyard of an Iron Age Tartessian building known as Casas del Turuñuelo (Badajoz, Spain) shed light on a massive sacrifice forming part of a series of rituals linked to the site’s last period of activity and final abandonment. The rites took place towards the end of the 5th century BCE when both the building (intentionally destroyed) and the sacrificed animals were intentionally buried under a tumulus 90 m in diameter and 6 m high. The main objective of the zooarchaeological and microstratigraphic analyses was to determine the phasing of the sacrificial depositions. Evidence gathered from taphonomic assessments and a series of radiocarbon datings indicate that the sacrifices fall into three consecutive phases spanning several years. The findings of the zooarchaeological analyses clearly point to a selection of equid and cattle males. Adult equids predominate (MNI = 41) followed by adult and sub-adult cattle (MNI = 6). Pigs, in turn, are only represented by a few adults and sub-adult females (MNI = 4). Among the animals is a single dog of undetermined sex between 3 and 4 years of age. The fact that the animals are mostly adults discards the likelihood that they died from natural causes or an epidemic. In addition, the scenographic deposition of certain equids in pairs, as well as evidence of the burning of plant offerings, suggest an intentional ritualistic sacrifice. Nine of the initial depositions of Phase 1 in the SE quadrant were scattered and certain of their bones bear marks characteristic of both prolonged open air exposure and scavengers. Another 31 animals from Phases 1 and 2 are represented by almost complete, articulated skeletons, indicating they were promptly covered. Phase 3, by contrast, reveals both almost complete and partial animals bearing clear signs of processing for human consumption. This study thus sheds light on both the sequence of the animal sacrifices and t

[ES] La investigación arqueológica ha experimentado un gran desarrollo en el CSIC en las últimas décadas. Su crecimiento se explica tanto por el alto nivel de internacionalización de sus investigadores y de los proyectos que desarrollan, como por su carácter interdisciplinar y colaborativo. El libro recoge el amplio panorama que cubren estos proyectos con presencia en la mayoría de los ámbitos temáticos que pueden ser investigados con el fin de conocer y comprender nuestro pasado desde los orígenes de la humanidad. La arqueología estudia los restos materiales, las únicas evidencias disponibles para los periodos prehistóricos, pero también puede abordar el estudio de procesos históricos más recientes complementando y contrastando los documentos escritos. La compresión diacrónica de la construcción del paisaje y organización de los territorios, el aprovechamiento de los recursos naturales, los factores económicos y los cambios en la organización social y política son abordados a través de intervenciones arqueológicas con metodologías punteras para la obtención de datos. Estos se estudian e interpretan aprovechando la variedad de técnicas de análisis disponibles hoy día para obtener las respuestas a las preguntas clave sobre nuestro pasado: qué, cómo, cuándo y por qué ocurrieron los hechos que han marcado nuestra historia y configura quienes somos.

The Maghreb is a key region for understanding the dynamics of cattle dispersal and admixture with local aurochs following their earliest domestication in the Fertile Crescent more than 10,000 years ago. Here, we present data on autosomal genomes and mitogenomes obtained for four archaeological specimens of Iron Age (∼2,800 cal BP–2,000 cal BP) domestic cattle from the Eastern Maghreb, i.e. Althiburos (El Kef, Tunisia). D-loop sequences were obtained for an additional eight cattle specimens from this site. Maternal lineages were assigned to the elusive R and ubiquitous African-T1 haplogroups found in two and ten Althiburos specimens, respectively. Our results can be explained by post-domestication hybridization of Althiburos cattle with local aurochs. However, we cannot rule out an independent domestication in North Africa considering the shared ancestry of Althiburos cattle with the pre-domestic Moroccan aurochs and present-day African taurine cattle.

Geometric morphometrics can effectively distinguish isolated third lower molars of present-day sheep and goat, but its applicability to archaeological specimens has yet to be established. Using a modern reference collection of 743 sheep and goats and a two-dimensional landmark-based geometric morphometric (GMM) protocol, this study aimed to morphometrically identify 109 archaeological specimens, used as case studies, dating from the Late Neolithic to the modern period/era. These morphometric identifications were then compared to molecular identifications via collagen peptide mass fingerprinting, known as Zooarcheology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS). ZooMS confirmed the morphometric identifications for 104 specimens, with the five misidentified specimens all morphometrically identified as goat. Modern sheep and goats have larger teeth and distinct shapes compared to their archaeological counterparts, suggesting strong differences between archaeological and modern specimens potentially linked with recent breed improvement or geographical origin of the specimens. In addition, for both species, some of the archaeological dental morphologies do not match with any of our modern references. This study validates the applicability of geometric morphometrics for identifying isolated archaeological sheep and goat teeth. It represents a stepping stone for future, non-destructive, bioarchaeological studies of the two species.

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Animal management is shaped by its environmental and landscape context, but these factors are rarely investigated quantitatively in zooarchaeological studies. Here we aim to examine the relationship between trends in zooarchaeological data and environmental and climatic dynamics between the Middle Bronze Age and Late Antiquity in lowland northern Italy (Po–Friulian Plain). This region provides an ideal test case to investigate the impact of landscape variables (precipitation, solar irradiance, elevation, soil characteristics) and climate evolution due to the area's relatively homogenous topography and climatic conditions. This study presents a new elaboration and visualisation of zooarchaeological data from northern Italy, investigates correlations between these data and landscape variables, and contextualises trends in relation to regional environmental and climate proxies at two scales. This analysis reveals a shift towards more heterogeneous livestock on a regional level during the Late Iron Age and Roman period, and strong evidence for a correlation between cattle representation and local soil characteristics at a site-level during the Bronze Age. Consideration of climate data shows little relationship between species representation, livestock body size, and climate proxies, indicating that human social dynamics rather than climate change were the primary driver to changes in animal management on the regional macro-scale.