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- Southern Portugal animal exploitation systems: trends and changes from Neolithic to Bronze Age. A follow-up overviewPublication . Valente, Maria João; Carvalho, AntónioZooarchaeological studies in Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age Portugal have witnessed important developments in recent years, even if still largely based on taxonomic analyses. Other approaches depend heavily on the abundance and preservation conditions of faunal collections, which are often inadequate
- Your horse is a donkey! Identifying domesticated equids from Western Iberia using collagen fingerprintingPublication . Paladugu, Roshan; Richter, Kristine Korzow; Valente, Maria João; Gabriel, Sónia; Detry, Cleia; Warinner, Christina; Dias, Cristina BarrocasSkeletal remains of two equid species, Equus caballus (horse) and Equus asinus (donkey), have been found in archaeological contexts throughout Iberia since the Palaeolithic and Chalcolithic periods, respectively. These two species play different economic and cultural roles, and therefore it is important to be able to distinguish between the two species to better understand their relative importance in the past human societies. The most reliable morphological features for distinguishing between the two domesticated equids are based on cranial measure-ments and tooth enamel folds, leading to only a small percentage of archaeological remains that can be identified to species. Ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis can be used to reliably distinguish the two equids, but it can be cost prohibitive to apply to large assemblages, and aDNA preservation of non-cranial elements is often low. Collagen peptide mass fingerprinting by matrix-assisted laser desorption time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry, also known as zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry (ZooMS), is a minimally destructive and cost-effective alternative to aDNA analysis for taxonomic determination. However, current ZooMS markers lack resolution below the genus level Equus. In this paper, we report a novel ZooMS peptide marker that reliably distinguishes between horses and donkeys using the enzyme chymotrypsin. We apply this peptide marker to taxonomically identify bones from the Iberian Peninsula ranging from the Iron Age to the Late Modern Period. The peptide biomarker has the potential to facilitate the collection of morphological data for zooarchaeological studies of equids in Iberia and throughout Eurasia and Africa.
- Multi-isotope approaches to the Neolithic cemetery-cave of Bom Santo (Lisbon): new data and comparisons with fourth millennium BC populations from central-southern PortugalPublication . Carvalho, AF; Gonçalves, David; Bonilla, Marta Diaz-Zorita; João Valente, MariaPrevious multi-isotopic research on the human remains of the Neolithic cave-cemetery of Bom Santo (Lisbon, Portuguese Estremadura) led to the conclusion that this fourth millennium BC population was very heterogeneous at several levels. Two in particular were subsistence habits and mobility: although consumption of terrestrial foods was the norm, aquatic food sources totalling > 20% of overall diets were detected in 60% of the population, and, surprisingly, 79% of the individuals were classed as non-local, having lived most of their life in geologically older regions. These figures were however obtained on a sample of 15 individuals. Further isotopic analyses have enlarged the original sample to 35 individuals (i.e., half of the exhumed population) and were also employed in the study of the coeval cave-cemeteries of Barrao and Mureta. This has permitted a sounder depiction of past behaviours, with a structural difference being observed at both levels between Bom Santo and the latter sites: at the former cave, 70% of the population consumed > 20% of aquatic foods and 34% were non-local (23% from outside Estremadura), whereas the latter were all local and showed no signals of aquatic diets. Comparison with other fourth millennium BC populations in central-southern Portugal suggests a model where the exploitation of locally available aquatic/marine food sources was not mandatory but optional and that human mobility represented an important socio-economic behavioural feature of these (presumably) segmentary societies. How both aspects related to the then-emerging megalithic phenomenon is a question that should be investigated in future research.
- Editorial / ApresentaçãoPublication . Oliveira, António Paulo; Valente, Maria João; Araujo, RenataO número 12 da revista promontoria é dedicado ao Algarve rural. Este constitui um tema que não é, no presente, fácil de delimitar, em especial, quando é considerado na sua expressão mais abrangente, conferindo especial relevância às atividades e às comunidades. Como a geografia ou o urbanismo não se têm cansado de enunciar, os limites entre o campo e a cidade tornaram-se gradualmente mais difusos. A contraposição tende cada vez mais a ser outra; entre as ‘regiões urbanas’ do litoral e os ‘territórios vagos’ do interior. É o que ocorre também no Algarve, sempre mais exposto à desertificação das áreas serranas, depois de restringido, durante décadas, aos discursos em torno à profunda transformação da orla costeira.
- Beyond faith: Biomolecular evidence for changing urban economies in multi‐faith medieval PortugalPublication . Toso, Alice; Schifano, Simona; Oxborough, Charlotte; McGrath, Krista; Spindler, Luke; Castro, Anabela; Evangelista, Lucy; Filipe, Vanessa; Gonçalves, Maria João; Marques, Antonio; Mendes da Silva, Inês; Santos, Raquel; Valente, Maria João; McCleery, Iona; Alexander, MichelleDuring the Middle Ages, Portugal witnessed unprecedented socioeconomic and religious changes under transitioning religious political rule. The implications of changing ruling powers for urban food systems and individual diets in medieval Portugal is poorly understood. This study aimed to elucidate the dietary impact of the Islamic and Christian conquests.
- The genomic history and global expansion of domestic donkeysPublication . Todd, Evelyn T.; Tonasso-Calvière, Laure; Chauvey, Loreleï; Schiavinato, Stéphanie; Fages, Antoine; Seguin-Orlando, Andaine; Clavel, Pierre; Khan, Naveed; Pérez Pardal, Lucía; Patterson Rosa, Laura; Librado, Pablo; Ringbauer, Harald; Verdugo, Marta; Southon, John; Aury, Jean-Marc; Perdereau, Aude; Vila, Emmanuelle; Marzullo, Matilde; Prato, Ornella; Tecchiati, Umberto; Bagnasco Gianni, Giovanna; Tagliacozzo, Antonio; Tinè, Vincenzo; Alhaique, Francesca; Luis Cardoso, João; Valente, Maria João; Telles Antunes, Miguel; Frantz, Laurent; Shapiro, Beth; Bradley, Daniel G.; Boulbes, Nicolas; Gardeisen, Armelle; Horwitz, Liora Kolska; Öztan, Aliye; Arbuckle, Benjamin S.; Onar, Vedat; Clavel, Benoît; Lepetz, Sébastien; Vahdati, Ali Akbar; Davoudi, Hossein; Mohaseb, Azadeh; Mashkour, Marjan; Bouchez, Olivier; Donnadieu, Cécile; Wincker, Patrick; Brooks, Samantha A.; Beja-Pereira, Albano; Wu, Dong-Dong; Orlando, LudovicDonkeys transformed human history as essential beasts of burden for long-distance movement, especially across semi-arid and upland environments. They remain insufficiently studied despite globally expanding and providing key support to low- to middle-income communities. To elucidate their domestication history, we constructed a comprehensive genome panel of 207 modern and 31 ancient donkeys, as well as 15 wild equids. We found a strong phylogeographic structure in modern donkeys that supports a single domestication in Africa similar to 5000 BCE, followed by further expansions in this continent and Eurasia and ultimately returning to Africa. We uncover a previously unknown genetic lineage in the Levant similar to 200 BCE, which contributed increasing ancestry toward Asia. Donkey management involved inbreeding and the production of giant bloodlines at a time when mules were essential to the Roman economy and military.
- The impact of social, economic and political change in linear and appositional growth of children from the medieval islamic and christian periods of the Algarve, PortugalPublication . Kors, Carmen; González-Ruiz, Ana; Gonçalves, Maria José; Valente, Maria João; Garcia, Cristina; Cardoso, Hugo F. V.Archaeological data and historical research suggest that the Medieval Islamic Period (711-1249 A.D.) in Iberia was associated with conditions more favourable for child growth than the post-Islamic Christian Period (1249-1650 A.D.). This is due to agricultural prosperity, greater medical knowledge, and better hygienic practices of the former. As child growth is a sensitive indicator of environmental insults, it can be used as a proxy for the stress experienced by the whole population. The linear and appositional bone growth of 29 children (under the age of 12 years) recovered from archaeological sites in Silves and Cacela Velha- dating from the Medieval Islamic and Christian Period in the Algarve, Portugal- were compared to determine whether the environmental changes associated with the transition between these periods impacted the health and well-being of the populations. Age was estimated from tooth length. Linear growth of all long bones and the appositional growth of the femur and humerus at the midshaft were compared between periods using z-scores. Bone growth deficits were found among the medieval children in all samples. Overall, Islamic Period children had slightly greater growth deficits than Christian Period children, although these differences were not statistically significant. This finding suggests that neither Medieval Period was more favourable for growth. Statistically significant differences in appositional growth were found between the Medieval Santarem and Algarve populations, suggesting these differences to be related to the local environment, rather than religious or temporal differences within the Algarve or other regions of Portugal.
- The genomic history of Iberian horses since the last Ice AgePublication . Garrido, Jaime Lira; Tressières, Gaétan; Chauvey, Lorelei; Schiavinato, Stéphanie; Calvière-Tonasso, Laure; Seguin-Orlando, Andaine; Southon, John; Shapiro, Beth; Bataille, Clément; Birgel, Julie; Wagner, Stefanie; Khan, Naveed; Liu, Xuexue; Rodanés, José María; Millán, Jesús V. Picazo; Giralt, Josep; Alonso, Natàlia; Aguilera, Isidro; Orsingher, Adriano; Trentacoste, Angela; Payà, Xavier; Morán, Marta; Eres, María Pilar Iborra; Albizuri, Silvia; Lamas, Silvia Valenzuela; Santandreu, Imma Mestres; Caixal, Montserrat Duran; Principal, Jordi; Huguet, Jordi Farré; Esteve, Xavier; Pasqual, Mireia Pedro; Sala, Nohemi; Pablos, Adrián; Martín, Patricia; Vergès, Josep Maria; Portero, Rodrigo; Arias, Pablo; Peredo, Roberto Ontañón; Detry, Cleia; Luís, Cristina; Cardoso, João Luis; Maeir, Aren M.; Valente, Maria João; Grau, Elena; Poles, Vicent Estall i; Llorens, Joaquín Alfonso; González, Ana Miguélez; Gardeisen, Armelle; Cupitò, Michele; Tecchiati, Umberto; Bradley, Daniel G.; Horwitz, Liora Kolska; González, Esther Rodríguez; Espinet, Ariadna Nieto; Bover, Pere; Entrecanales, Rosa Ruiz; Estallo, Ignasi Garcés; Fragoso, Joaquín Jiménez; Celestino, Sebastián; Orlando, LudovicHorses have inhabited Iberia (present-day Spain and Portugal) since the Middle Pleistocene, shaping a complex history in the region. Iberia has been proposed as a potential domestication centre and is renowned for producing world-class bloodlines. Here, we generate genome-wide sequence data from 87 ancient horse specimens (median coverage = 0.97X) from Iberia and the broader Mediterranean to reconstruct their genetic history over the last ~26,000 years. Here, we report that wild horses of the divergent IBE lineage inhabited Iberia from the Late Pleistocene, while domesticated DOM2 horses, native from the Pontic-Caspian steppes, already arrived ~1850 BCE. Admixture dating suggests breeding practices involving continued wild restocking until at least ~350 BCE, with IBE disappearing shortly after. Patterns of genetic affinity highlight the far-reaching influence of Iberian bloodlines across Europe and north Africa during the Iron Age and Antiquity, with continued impact extending thereafter, particularly during the colonization of the Americas.
- As últimas sociedades de caçadores-recolectores no Centro e Sul de Portugal (10.000 - 6.000 anos BP: aproveitamento dos recursos animaisPublication . Valente, Maria João; Valente, Maria João; Bicho, Nuno Gonçalo Viana Pereira FerreiraEsta dissertação tem como principal objectivo definir e problematizar as transformações nas estratégias de aproveitamento dos recursos animais entre as últimas sociedades humanas de caçadores-recolectores no território português (entre 10.000 e 6.000 anos BP). Para tal são analisados vários contextos do Sul de Portugal, nomeadamente os sítios do Barranco das Quebradas e o sítio da Rocha das Gaivotas (Vila do Bispo) e o sítio da Barca do Xerês de Baixo (Reguengos de Monsaraz). As condições ambientais do início do Holocénico parecem desencadear o aparecimento de novas estratégias de subsistência nas comunidades humanas, nas quais os alimentos de origem marinha são um suplemento de importância crescente. O presente estudo, a par da determinação dos restos faunísticos (essencial para o conhecimento da biocenose existente nas áreas em causa e das estratégias escolhidas na obtenção dos animais), desenvolve análises tafonómicas para observação dos fenómenos antrópicos modificadores dos restos animais. Também procede à mapificação e à caracterização dos sítios arqueológicos atribuídos a este período, dados importantes para a obtenção de informação sobre os territórios utilizados, a mobilidade das populações que os habitaram e a variabilidade de padrões na captação de recursos animais.
- A quantificação faunística: principais unidades, alguns parâmetros, regras e problemasPublication . Valente, Maria João; Valente, Maria JoãoA quantificação faunística que, de simples comparação das espécies animais presentes, passou a incluir a medição da abundância relativa das espécies em cada conjunto faunístico, tem sido nos últimos anos uma das áreas mais discutidas da arqueozoologia. Neste trabalho pretende-se demonstrar como a quantificação faunística (na vertente dos animais vertebrados) é actualmente realizada, que parâmetros e unidades utiliza, a que perguntas procura responder e, por fim, quais os problemas que minam este tipo de análise em geral e as suas diversas unidades em particular. São particularmente discutidas as unidades NRDt, NMI, NME, UAM e NMUS, bem como algumas estimativas e índices ("Meat Weight", Krantz, Chaplin, Lincoln/Petersen, entre outras). Em termos gerais concluí-se que (1) as unidades e os índices utilizados devem responder a perguntas concretas e seguir regras específicas, como tal (2) a utilização de uma unidade não pressupõe a exclusão de outras, ao invés a utilização de várias unidades e índices pode fornecer mais e melhor informação, e (3) a arqueozoologia quantitativa, essencialmente uma reordenação inteligível dos dados à nossa disposição, não invalida, pelo contrário obriga, a uma análise detalhada do contexto da colecção faunística em estudo.