Niccolò Mazzucco

Dear Colleagues, We are pleased to invite you to participate to our recently accepted session called: "Approaches to Early Farming Systems: diffusion and development of agricultural practices into the Mediterranean-SESSION #285" within the "23th Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists" which will be held in Maastricht (The Netherlands), 30 August-3 September 2017. We invite you to submit your participation abstract on http://www.eaa2017maastricht.nl from 31st of January 2017. All contributions approaching ancient farming system from different perspectives and methodological points of view will be welcomed. Our aim is to organize an interdisciplinary session of a half-day duration (about 4 hours) with a maximum of 14/15 15-minute presentations. A space of discussion and exchange, with contributions from different disciplines. Our best efforts will be made to ensure a high quality publication of all the session's contributions.

SESSION ABSTRACT The emergence of agricultural economies is a defining factor in Neolithic societies not only because a relevant part of subsistence depended on domesticated plants, but also because crop-husbandry practices strongly affected the lifestyle of farming groups in many different aspects.. Therefore, it is not a surprise that the study of farming systems can be addressed from a variety of angles using different approaches, eg. by directly analysing seeds and fruits or, indirectly, by assessing its impact on the environment and the subsequent landscape modifications. It is also possible to explore the influence of crop-husbandry practices in the technological system; new knowledge and novel tools were developed while existing technologies were adapted to new tasks. In this session, we aim at bringing together scientists working on different issues related to Neolithic farming systems of the Mediterranean: crop and weed assemblages, agricultural tools and techniques, field manuring, animal feeding practices, storage techniques, by-product uses, dietary patterns, social aspects of agricultural production and its environmental impact, etc. Our objective is to approach agriculture as a non-divisible system, in which domesticated plants and animals, environment, human techniques and cultural practices continuously and reciprocally interact. To that end, we invite contributions focusing on the origins, diffusion and development of agricultural systems from an array of viewpoints, trying to integrate discipline-specific knowledge into an interdisciplinary framework. Comparative studies about interregional dynamics between different areas of the Mediterranean are welcome as well.

The reconstruction of the economy of an archaeological site is a matter of major importance within prehistoric research. In this paper, this issue is tackled from the perspective of the Traceological, or Use-Wear, analysis, showing how the lithic record can be used to approach a palaeoeconomic approximation. The principles, perspectives and limits of such method are detailed discussed into the text. As a case-study, a sample of Early Neolithic sites of the N–NE of the Iberian Peninsula has been considered, all of them ranging between the mid-Sixth and mid-Fifth millennium cal BC. As result of the analysis, sites with different status have been identified; more stable and larger settlements have been differentiated from temporary and more specialized occupations on the basis of the economic process inferred through the microscopic observation. Several subsistence and craft processes, such as wood and plant crafting tasks or hide working activities, that otherwise would be difficult to detect in the archaeological record have been highlighted. Obtained results provide fresh data on the Neolithic economic organization, integrating zooarchaeological, archaeobotanical and palaeoenvironmental studies.

Cueva de Chaves represents a paradigm of a fully Neolithic ex-novo occupation. However, despite its importance within the chrono-cultural framework of the Iberian Prehistory, there is a lack of empirical evidences about the site's economic organization. While the herding of domesticated animals has been well-documented, agricultural and crafting activities have not been fully characterized. In this paper, we advance a socioeconomic interpretation of the flaked stone assemblage to identify the production processes in which lithic tools were involved. The results of the traceological analysis indicate that both animal and vegetal resources were exploited; food and craft production activities, which could not otherwise have emerged from the archaeological record, have been recognized. A mixed farming economy was practised at Cueva de Chaves, the ‘functional spectrum’ of which can be compared to the one of other open-air stable settlements of the western Mediterranean.

The excavations carried out from 1983 to 1985 on an Andorran hillside by the former Andorra National Artistic Heritage Archaeological Research Service revealed one of the most important Neolithic sites in the Pyrenees. Directed by Xavier Llovera and Pere Canturri, the excavations uncovered a settlement with two interesting features: 1) it was located in a high mountain area, and 2) the same place possessed numerous domestic and funerary structures. Both factors have made La Feixa del Moro a key site in the prehistory of both the Pyrenees and the western Mediterranean in general. Three decades later, a pluridisciplinary team has begun a careful review of the documentation, studied the human remains and artefacts in the graves, carried out several forms of biochemical analysis and obtained new radiocarbon determinations for the individuals exhumed in two of the three burials in stone boxes (or cists). The objective is a better understanding of the first farming communities that settled in the Pyrenees.

RESUMEN En este trabajo se presentan y evalúan las 10 datacio-nes disponibles para los niveles neolíticos de la Balma Margineda (Andorra). Después de analizar la naturaleza de las muestras y sus contextos arqueoestratigráficos de procedencia, consideramos que únicamente tres de ellas, realizadas recientemente, son aceptables. Éstas confieren una horquilla mucho más rejuvenecida de la ocupación de la que se proponía en base a las dataciones antiguas. En este nuevo escenario se analiza el material cerámico y lítico de los niveles in situ, para situar adecuadamente el yacimiento en el marco actual del conocimiento del Neolítico antiguo en esta región pirenaica. ABSTRACT This work discusses the radiocarbon evidence from the Neolithic layers of the Balma Margineda (Andorra). Since the last excavation campaigns during the '90s, a total of ten 14C dates has been obtained. We discuss their stratigraphic provenance and suggest that only three of the ten 14C dates should be considered reliable. The new dates assign the Neolithic occupations to a more recent chronology. Moreover, we also present a brief revision of the ceramic and lithic materials from the in situ Neolithic layers, in order reinterpret the site using the most recent data on the Early Neolithic of Pyrenean region.

Until now, a comprehensive study of the entire toolkit used for pottery production has been never attempted. In this paper, we present the first results of an ongoing study focused on both the experimental replication and the analysis of the archaeological materials used for pottery production and repairing from a series of Neolithic sites of the NE of the Iberian Peninsula.

Este trabajo presenta los resultados preliminares obtenidos en la excavación de la Cova de Els
Trocs, desarrollada dentro del proyecto de investigación "Los caminos del Neolítico". La minuciosa labor
de excavación y de registro ha permitido establecer una compleja secuencia estratigráfica en la que, gracias
a una veintena de dataciones radiocarbónicas sobre eventos singulares de vida corta (semillas de cereal, huesos humanos y fauna doméstica), se han podido diferenciar cuatro momentos de ocupación distintos de
la cueva. Con estos datos y algunos análisis, también preliminares, de parte del registro (cerámica, sílex y
restos faunísticos), se ha podido definir, en una época muy temprana (inicios del último tercio del VI milenio
cal. BC.), la presencia en los pastos de montaña del Pirineo axial de un grupo humano que desarrolla
una actividad pastoril trashumante. Una población plenamente neolitizada, que conoce el trigo y la cebada,
aunque no los cultive en el entorno de la cueva, y que, a tenor de ciertas evidencias, practica complejos
rituales tanatológicos.

This paper presents the preliminary results of the excavation of the Valmayor xi rock shelter, in
the context of the research project ‘The pathways of the Neolithic’. Through the analysis of the radiocarbon dates
and a detailed stratigraphic interpretation three occupations have been established with chronologies within
different periods of the vith millennium cal bc. A general description of the archaeological events documented
in each phase, and of most of the recovered material –pottery, lithic artefacts, bone industry and ornaments,
faunal and carpological remains– is offered. Moreover, in the light of the new dates presented, a review of the
Neolithisation process in the Lower Aragón region, and also in the Ebro valley, is proposed. Also the identification
of archaeological sites as Neolithic ones only on the basis of the presence of some elements considered
as ‘Neolithic markers’, without any consideration of the subsistence strategies or territorial exploitation, is
questioned.

In this paper, we present the latest results and current on-going analysis of the Neolithic grave godos associated with the communities that lived in the north-eastern Iberian Peninsula between the 5th and 4th millennia cal BC. Aspects such as raw materials, tool morphologies, artefact distributions, production techniques and the degree of tool degree are addressed from a multidisciplinary point of view.

This paper presents the results of the archaeological and palaeoecological research conducted between 2000 and 2014 in the Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park (PNAESM). This included the systematic survey of the most of the National Park territory, included at altitudes between 1500 and 3000 m a.s.l. During the surveys, 350 archaeological sites have been detected and 78 radiocarbon dates have been realized, providing a sequence of human occupation from 10700 cal BP to modern times. In addition, three archaeological sites with stratified deposits have been fully excavated: Cova del Sardo de Boí, Abric de l’Estany de la Coveta I and Dolmen de la Font dels Coms. In parallel, 5 sedimentary cores have been extracted from lakes and one pigbog, from the Natural Park of Alt Pirineu (PNAP) and National Park (PNAESM) areas, providing a full palaeoecological sequence from the last 17.000 years cal BP. This archaeological and palaeoecological dataset (e.g. soil-sites and lake records) allowed advancing new models about the anthropization of the high-altitude areas and the social construction of pastoral landscapes.

At the current state of research, the first signs of an anthropic input on the mountain landscape in the Pyrenees date back to ca. 5000 cal
BC. The last 15 years of survey and research in the area have demonstrated that first human presence is mainly related to the development of an agro-pastoral economic system, also known as ‘Neolithic’. In this context, mid- and high-altitude areas do not appear to be isolated spaces. In contrast, the latest archaeological data suggests a strong connection between mountains, plains and coastal areas of the NE of the Iberian Peninsula. This area is transitional between the relatively arid inland plains and the alpine landscapes. Here, during a period of 3000 yrs, the palaeoecological and archaeological data shows an increase of anthropic pressure. In this paper we discuss the results of a multidisciplinary research project carried out in the Sant Nicolau valley, a glacial valley located in the western Catalan Pyrenees at altitudes between 1500 to 3000 m a.s.l., and in the rest of the Nacional Park (PNAESM). Our research involves several complementary approaches and disciplines: 1) an extensive survey of the area and the integration of all types of archaeological evidences on a regional GIS; 2) a diachronic study of all the excavated sites, which includes an economic approximation of the archaeological materials and integrated archaeobotanical analyses; 3) an analysis of the landscape evolution through palaeosols and lacustrine sedimentary cores.
The first results of this integrated approach are encouraging, showing dynamics in the occupation of the mountains that otherwise would be
impossible to detect. In the Nacional Park area human presence seems to be sporadic until the first half of the V millennium cal BC. The first
signs of anthropogenic fires, dated between 5200 and 4940 cal BC, seem to anticipate of only a few hundred years the appearance of a major archaeological record at Sant Nicolau button valley. A clear human occupation is dated between 4802 and 4368 cal AC at Cova del Sardo site, and is mainly associated with the exploitation of the subalpine stage for pastoral purposes by groups of southern provenance. Successively, the human presence becomes more discontinuous between 4229 and 3375 cal AC. Gradually moves toward higher altitudes. Indeed an increasing number of sites are established above 2000 m a.s.l., between 3484 and 2345 cal AC. The analysis of the archaeological artefacts suggests that the catchment area of these Neolithic pastoral groups goes from the Ebro Basin to the alpine areas of the Axial Pyrenees. We suggest that the modern landscape, far from being a ‘natural’ environment, is the result of a long-term process of anthropic transformation, starting VII millennia ago.

In this paper, we present a review of the available information about the first agro-pastoral communities which occupied the Central Pyrenees,
between the 6th and the 5th millennium cal BC. Our aim is to discuss some aspects related to the paleoeconomical behaviours of such
first settlers, with particular attention to two relevant productive activities: hunting and crop-husbandry. Both are frequently claimed to be used in mountainous areas in integration to domestic animal herding. However, to which extent both economic processes were carried out at midand high-altitudes? Do were they intensively or marginally practiced? Which was their role within the overall economic system? In this review,
we will take in consideration all the available information in the Pyrenean sites; however, most of them have been only partially or fragmentarily
published.
Our results suggest that both activities were only marginally practiced in the mountainous areas of the Pyrenees. Despite both hunting and
crop-husbandry can be considered everyday activities, commonly represented within the archaeological records of the period, they do not
appear to be intensively carried in at higher altitudes. Hunting appears only occasionally practiced as a secondary source of food gathering.
Neolithic groups occupying the mid- and high-altitude of the Pyrenees do not seem to rely on hunting more than the communities settled at
lower altitude; on the contrary the consumption of wild games appears, generally, lower. For what concern crop-husbandry, on the basis of the
available data, we must conclude that there are no clear evidences that cereal cultivation has been carried out at mountain altitude, at least
during Early Neolithic. Despite that, the archaeological record testifies the consumption of agricultural provisions –carried into the site from
elsewhere and not produced or processed locally– in several cave-sites located at mountain and subalpine altitudes. This pattern suggests
that, in the mountainous areas of the Central Pyrenees, crops were mainly exploited as integrative alimentary sources.

No nos podíamos imaginar a finales de junio de 2009 que aquellos rebaños que veíamos aparecer por el paso de las Aras y se diseminaban como mancha de aceite por los claros de las montañas, primero hacia las crestas de los “dosmiles” para bajar paulatinamente a las planicies de mil quinientos metros, podrían ser los herederos directos de una tradición ancestral que nos disponíamos, sin ser conscientes todavía de ello, a descubrir.
Iniciábamos entonces la primera campaña de excavación en la Cova de
Els Trocs bajo los auspicios del Gobierno de Aragón y el Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (HAR 2009-09027) que nos habían concedido financiación para un proyecto pluridisciplinar, que intentaba profundizar en el conocimiento de la introducción de la economía de rendimientos diferidos en las tierras del Interior peninsular y que llevaba por título “Los Caminos del Neolítico” (Rojo y otros, 2012).
No pretendemos en este trabajo realizar una descripción pormenorizada
de la arqueología de la cueva con sus estratos, sedimentos, estructuras y demás artefactos y ecofactos que, a lo largo ya de cinco campañas, se acumulan en nuestras bases de datos y que han sido objeto de una reciente publicación (Rojo y otros, 2013). Nuestra intención aquí es, simplemente, utilizar una serie de argumentos arqueológicos y arqueobiológicos que nos permitan plantear la hipótesis de que quienes ocuparon la Cova de Els Trocs desde el último cuarto del VI mileno cal ANE hasta finales del IV (ibídem, Tab. I) eran unos grupos humanos
poco numerosos que practicaban una economía primordialmente pastoril.

The archaeological explorations realized inside the National Park have discovered more than three hundred points of archaeological interest a good part of which correspond to architectural structures in open air linked provisionally to pastoral activities. In this work we want to describe the enormous variability that we can observe in this type of deposits, expose the methodology that has followed for the study of this type of remains and to present the empirical documentation obtained in 4 deposits that consist of big sets of architectural structures.

Current archaeological data show that Pyrenean mountain areas were peopled since Neolithic times. This hypothesis is sustained, among others sites, by the Cova del Sardo sequence. This little rock shelter, located in the bottom of the valley of Sant Nicolau at 1790 meters of altitude, has an archaeological sequence which begins at the Fifth millennium BC and finishes during the half of the Third millennium. The study of prehistoric lithic raw materials found in the settlement seems to indicate the existence of a number of different procurement strategies, on the basis of the geographical position of the various catchment areas and of the prehistoric mobility patterns

Archaeological survey and test excavations were conducted
at high altitude in the western Catalan Pyrenees
since 2001 to 2010. Together with palaeoecological studies
of lake cores and peat bogs, these studies (including
a series of 27 radiocarbon dates) permit one to discuss
human occupations of the high mountains from Mesolithic
times to the early Bronze Age. We evaluate the role
played by mountain areas in the development of prehistoric
communities with particular attention to the process
of postglacial colonization, the introduction and development
of farming and other agricultural practices, as well
as complementary economic activities like mining, charcoal-
burning and lumber production, with particular attention
to the relation of mountain communities to those
of other regions.

In this report we assess the results of the microwear study of the Cova del Sardo (Catalan Pyrenees). The site is located at an altitude of 1780 m.a.s.l and presents a sequence of prehistoric occupations with radiocarbon dates from the VI millennium to III millennium cal BC. Our data indicate that lithic resources were used for both subsistence and crafting activities. Pastoralism was not the only economic activity practiced by local populations.

with a chronological density, diversity and breadth that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago. This fact has opened the door to understanding the processes of ocupation and settlement in mountain areas above 1,500 m. Combining archaeological research with other paleoenvironmental studies has also enabled correlating the sequences of human occupation with the climatic dynamics and evolution of paleovegetation. The excavation of a small cave at Lake Coveta and the dolmen at Font dels Coms and, in recent years, the cave in Sardo complete the dataset currently available for this area, illustrating the main vectors that could have guided the Neolithic occupation of these high mountain areas.

KEYWORDS: Landscape archaeology, paleoecology, high mountains, livestock.

La historia de las zonas de montaña en nuestro Pirineo
no empezó con el termalismo, a principios del siglo XX,
ni se corresponde solo con las anotaciones de las primeras
ascensiones a sus cimas o los relatos de los
grandes rebaños recorriendo las cabañeras arriba y
abajo: es más bien la historia de las personas que las
poblaron. Pero estas zonas altas han sido muy poco exploradas
en busca de vestigios arqueológicos, más allá
de manifestaciones puntuales como castillos e iglesias
medievales, y particularmente Sobrarbe. En los últimos
diez años, no obstante, se han realizado en la comarca
nuevas excavaciones y prospecciones arqueológicas
cuyos resultados intenta compilar este libro, a partir
de los trabajos presentados en 2013 en las jornadas
Sobrarbe antes de Sobrarbe, en su contexto geográfico
de alta montaña.

During the last decade, surveys and researches in the high-altitude areas 01 Catalan Western Pyrenees, in the territories 01 the Pare Nacional d'Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici (PNAESM), lead to the discover of an extensive archaeological record above 1500 m. For the Middle and Late Holocene, the observed pattern of human settlement seem to favour the occupation 01 natural cavities, however, during the last 2500 yr. mountain areas were characterized by an increasing number 01 open-air site. This tendency is interrupted only between 2300 and 300 calAN E, a moment in which we register a gap in the archaeological record. Nevertheless, even if there is a lack of evidences for human settlements, other data suggest that human populations
were still living in the Pyrenees high-altitude zones. Pottery deposits dated to the 11 millennium have been lound hidden in stony areas, while a wide series 01 burial evidences, dated alter the I lllillenniulll calAN E, have been lound at high-altitudes. Palaeoecological records lram lakes
and peats also show that human impact on mountain environment was still strang between II and I millennium caIANE. In our opinion, this discrepancy could be explained as a consequence as a change in the settlement pattern, due to the introduction as a new economic model lor the
exploitation of the high-altitude areas, more systematic and intensive.

During the last decade, surveys and researches in the high-altitude areas of Catalan Western Pyrenees, in the territories of the Parc Nacional d’Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici (PNAESM), lead to the discover of an extensive archaeological record above 1500 m. For the Middle and Late Holocene, the observed pattern of human settlement seem to favour the occupation of natural cavities, however, during the last 2500 yr. mountain areas were characterized by an increasing number of open-air site. This tendency is interrupted only between 2300 and 300 calANE, a moment in which we register a gap in the archaeological record. Nevertheless, even if there is a lack of evidences for human settlements, other data suggest that human populations were still living in the Pyrenees high-altitude zones. Pottery deposits dated to the II millennium have been found hidden in stony areas, while a wide series of burial evidences, dated after the I millennium calANE, have been found at high-altitudes. Palaeoecological records from lakes and peats also show that human impact on mountain environment was still strong between III and I millennium calANE. In our opinion, this discrepancy could be explained as a consequence of a change in the settlement pattern, due to the introduction of a new economic model for the exploitation of the high-altitude areas, more systematic and intensive.

Micro-wear analysis has been applied to one of the characteristic flint tools types (foicinhas) of the III millennium cal BC in Portuguese Estremadura. Foicinhas have a specific technological and typological character and their function has been discussed long time ago without any positive results. The present use-wear study makes clear that they are sickles. This provides information about the agricultural practices of the Portuguese Chalcolithic and gives new insights as to the biography of the foicinhas. This paper highlights the contribution of micro-wear analysis for an integrated socioeconomic approach to chipped stone tools.

During the 7th and 6th millenniums BC, major changes occurred over a widespread area in the lithic industries of the late Mesolithic. We focused our research on notched blades and bladelets knapped by pressure or indirect percussion. We managed to define this technical process by Late Mesolithic Notched Blades from Western Europe and North Africa showing that these notches result from voluntary retouch, with variability in retouch modes and in uses (different operating processes and worked materials). It is a simple technical concept, connected to the recurring mode of operation, but with varied functional purposes that comes out as a result of this survey carried out in France, Belgium, Spain, Morocco and Tunisia.

The functionality of Cova da Baleia (Mafra, Portugal) is hereby presented and discussed in this paper. In an excavated area of 500 m2 was identified a large concentration of structures (128), of which 104 were in clay, with two phases of occupation. The absolute chronology indicates a majority occupation of the second half of the 8th millennium cal BCE (Early Mesolithic) and a second phase towards the end of the 7th millennium (Late Mesolithic). Despite the excellent state of conservation of the site, the osteological remains are practically absent, possibly due to taphonomic factors.

Cova da Baleia is clearly a distinctive site of the reference framework known of the Early Mesolithic times in Portugal, given the large size of the site (about 1 ha) and its structural complexity.

It was clear that an interdisciplinary approach was mandatory in order to fully guarantee the site interpretation, namely regarding its functionality. The results of the use-wear and archaeobotanical studies show the relevance of wood and other hard materials, whereas the need for fire for these activities remains to be understood.

This article explores the changes that occurred in harvesting technology during the dispersal of the Neolithic in the Mediterranean basin. It does so through technological and use-wear analysis of flaked stone tools from archaeological sites dated between ca. 7000 and 5000 cal BCE, from the Aegean Sea to the westernmost coasts of Portugal. The main goal is to analyse the transformations that occurred in the harvesting toolkit. Our study reveals dynamics of continuity and change in sickles at a Mediterranean scale, resulting from adaptations of the migrant groups to the newly occupied territories and from processes of technological innovation. Adaptations in the production system of the inserts and in their use-pattern occurred in relation to lithic raw material availability and knappers' skills, but also in relation to the scale of production and farming techniques. A major shift took place in the northwestern Mediterranean arc with the diffusion of parallel-hafted inserts, probably as a result of heterogeneous phenomena including the diffusion of new groups, technical transfers , establishment of new interaction networks and new systems of lithic production.

The Dalmatian coast has been occupied by Neolithic seafaring communities since the beginning of the 6th millennium BC. On the basis of pottery styles, a transition between the Impressed Ware and Danilo culture is defined, around 5300 cal BC. Nevertheless, bioarchaeological and archaeological data indicate general continuity between the two periods. In the current paper, we present an integrated technological and use-wear study of a large selection of lithics from several sites of both inland and insular Dalmatia. The results provide strong evidence for a change in harvesting techniques between the Impressed Ware and Danilo cultural phases. This change can be related to the pursuit of better performing inserts that could be used for longer periods and would be quicker to resharpen. Such a switch may have been associated with an initial increase in agricultural production during the Middle Neolithic.

The lakeshore settlement of ‘La Marmotta’ represents one of the earliest evidence for seafaring farmers in Italy (ca. 5900-5600 cal BC) and one of the earliest wetland sites of the entire Central Mediterranean Basin. The site is unique for the richness and variety of organic materials preserved (i.e. foodstuff, wood and plant crafts, house remains, pirogues, etc.), especially if compared with the rest of Early Neolithic sites in the Italian Peninsula. Nevertheless, due to several reasons, the site has still been little integrated within the debate on the Neolithization process. How can the huge amount of data obtained from ‘La Marmotta’ be transposed to the surroundings, contemporaneous, dryland sites? This is a compelling challenge, especially considering that often no comparable records exist in sites characterized by drier preservation conditions. In this presentation we will focus on the lithic assemblage and on the several wooden sickles recovered from this site. The integration of both records can help us understanding the harvesting techniques adopted during Early Neolithic and provide a fundamental reference for the rest of Impressed Ware sites of the Central and Western Mediterranean.

This paper discusses the current state of research on harvesting technologies of the first farming communities of the central and western Mediterranean area between ca. 6000–5900 cal BC and 4800–4700 cal BC. New data obtained from the analysis of almost 40 sites from the Italian Peninsula is compared with data previously collected from the Iberian Peninsula and southern France. Results indicate the existence of at least two different harvesting traditions, one characterized by curved sickles used for harvesting at a low or middle height; the other characterized by reaping knives with parallel hafted blades, probably mainly used for ear harvesting. Processes of innovation and change have been highlighted, suggesting that harvesting techniques changed and evolved through time. Besides, the mechanism and pace of diffusion of curved sickles have been explored, too.

The functionality of Cova da Baleia (Mafra, Portugal) is hereby presented and discussed in this paper. In an excavated area of 500 m 2 was identified a large concentration of structures (128), of which 104 were in clay, with two phases of occupation. The absolute chronology indicates a majority occupation of the second half of the 8th millennium cal BCE (Early Mesolithic) and a second phase towards the end of the 7th millennium (Late Mesolithic). Despite the excellent state of conservation of the site, the osteological remains are practically absent, possibly due to taphonomic factors. Cova da Baleia is clearly a distinctive site of the reference framework known of the Early Mesolithic times in Portugal, given the large size of the site (about 1 ha) and its structural complexity. It was clear that an interdisciplinary approach was mandatory in order to fully guarantee the site interpretation , namely regarding its functionality. The results of the use-wear and archaeobotanical studies show the relevance of wood and other hard materials, whereas the need for fire for these activities remains to be understood .

The Po Valley is one of the major physiographic units of northern Italy. It can be considered as a key area for the interpretation of long-term historical events and processes because of its location midway between the Mediterranean world and continental Europe. This paper is an updated summary of our knowledge of the Early Neolithic farming communities of the region. In particular it discusses data derived from radiocarbon dated sites. Its aim is to provide the international audience with an updated view of the topic, based on the discussion of a new series of AMS radiocarbon results, to frame the earliest producing communities of the Po Valley into the more general picture of the Neolithization of Italy. To achieve the goal, apart from radiocarbon assays, we have taken into consideration material culture remains, subsistence economy, environmental resources, and data gathered from archaeometric analyses and technology.

During the last two decades, the archaeological research carried out in the Pyrenees challenged the traditional images of the past in this mountain area. The archaeological sequence of the range goes back and sites like Balma Margineda, treated until recently as an exception, now are seen as part of more global process. Actual data suggest that main valleys of the Pyrenean frequented by humans at the end of the last glacial period, with sites slightly over 1000 o.s.l. After the Younger Dryas, the human presence ascended to alpine and subalpine areas, in accordance with current archaeological data. The Neolisitation process was early in some hillsides, with intense remains of farming and pastoralism in many sites from dated in the second half of the 6th millennia cal BC. Human settlements like Coro Tracito, Els Trocs and El Sardo confirm the full introduction of agrarian activity in the central part of the Pyrenees between 5300 and 4600 cal BC. After 3500/3300 cal BC the indices oh sheepherding rises to alpine areas, with an abrupt increase of known archaeological sites in alpine areas, above the current timberline. This phenomena, as well as the signs of anthropic disturbance of the alpine environment in sedimentary sequences, suggests a more stable and ubiquitous human presence, probably largely associated with the development of mobile herding practices.

[EN] Although scientific dissemination programmes related to Archaeology seem prepared for all
types of audiences, the reality is clearly different. Museums, archaeological parks, guided visits to archaeological sites usually have a “captive” or faithful audience, such as children and young people from primary or high schools, and families with resources that usually participate in scientific events, such as Science Week or Museum’s Night. In this sense, other target groups are ignored by these programmes and even they are not considered in their design. Among them are included the elderly people, those who have some physical or intellectual disabilities, people in risk of social exclusion or newly immigrants without economic resources. In this paper, we present our experience with elderly people, some of whom are in a difficult economic situation due to the pension they receive or present physical and mental difficulties. This situation become even more critical when, being interested, they cannot afford the payment of a bus or they have difficulties to move alone. The model and methodology employed in our activities can be a reference for other research groups or educators who work or pretend to begin a scientific dissemination program with elderly people.
[ES] Aunque los programas de divulgación científica relacionados con la arqueología parecen preparados para todo tipo de públicos, la realidad es muy diferente. Los museos, los parques
arqueológicos, las visitas a yacimientos, suelen tener un público “cautivo” o fiel como son los niños y jóvenes de escuelas e institutos, y las familias con ciertos recursos que suelen participar en las Semanas de la Ciencia, la Noche de los Museos, etc. En este sentido, muchos otros colectivos quedan al margen de tales programas y ni siquiera se piensa en ellos a la hora de diseñarlos. Entre ellos estarían, por ejemplo, las personas de la Tercera Edad, las que tienen alguna discapacidad física e intelectual, las que por distintos motivos están en riesgo de exclusión social o los inmigrantes recién llegados que no tienen los mínimos recursos económicos. En el presente artículo queremos detenernos en nuestra experiencia con personas de la Tercera Edad, algunas de las cuales se encuentran en una situación económica complicada por la pensión que reciben o presentan ciertas dificultades físicas y psíquicas. Esta situación, evidentemente, se hace aún más crítica cuando, estando interesados, les es imposible costearse un autobús o tienen dificultades para trasladarse solos. El modelo y metodología empleada en las actividades que organizamos pueden servir de referencia para otros grupos de investigación o educadores que trabajan o pretenden iniciar un programa de divulgación científica con nuestros mayores.

In this paper, we provide new data on fish resource exploitation during the Mesolithic and Neolithic period on the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula. Evidence from four different sites is presented: Vale Marim I (end of the seventh/beginning of the sixth millennium cal BCE) and Vale Pincel I (2nd and 3rd quarters of the sixth millennium cal BCE), both located on the southwestern Portuguese coast, and La Esparragosa and
SET Parralejos (fourth-third millennia cal BCE), both located on the southern Spanish coast. The analysis of the lithic assemblages by means of use-wear analysis provided evidence of fish-processing activities. The analysis of the archaeological tools has been based on a renewed experimental framework for fish-related use-wear traces. Despite data being still scarce and fragmentary, this study points out the necessity of a more integrating approach, including traceological analysis in the framework of a broader research on prehistoric fishing.

Les sépultures à dalles néolithiques sont connues depuis le début du xx e siècle, tout particulièrement grâce au travail débuté par J. Vilaró et poursuivi par M. Cura, J. Castany et Ll. Guerrero. Cependant, elles ont reçu de la part des archéologues moins d'attention que d'autres structures funéraires (même si elles sont souvent mentionnées dans la littérature archéologique), ce qui est surprenant. En effet, les tombes découvertes sont nombreuses, ainsi que les parallèles avec d'autres manifestations néolithiques contemporaines ou proches dans le temps du sud de la France, du nord de l'Italie ou de la Suisse. Il s'est donc avéré nécessaire d'effectuer une série d'analyses pour améliorer nos connaissances à leur sujet. La faible visibilité de ces tombes (ou l'absence de visibilité), leur mauvais état de conservation, le manque de prospections et les dégradations dues aux remaniements des sols des zones agropastorales dans lesquels elles se trouvent, peuvent être les causes du nombre peu élevé de découvertes réalisées ces dernières décennies. L'objectif de cet article est de présenter les derniers résultats obtenus par notre équipe de chercheurs réunie autour de l'étude de ces tombes. Nous présenterons l'état de la question sur leur historiographie, ainsi que les caractéristiques qui les définissent, en partant des structures pour arriver aux personnes inhumées et au mobilier funéraire associé. Il est important d'insister sur l'existence de nouvelles datations radiocarbone et sur les analyses statistiques effectuées, car elles nous ont permis d'évaluer la distribution chronologique des tombes et leur durée d'utilisation. Jusqu'à la réa-lisation de ce programme de datation, la chronologie des sépultures à dalles était assez incertaine en raison du nombre restreint de dates, dont certaines obtenues à partir d'échantillons de longue durée de vie. Ces données ont servi de trait d'union pour établir des liens avec d'autres manifestations funéraires du néolithique d'Europe centrale et occidentale.