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- Reconstructing formation processes at the Canary Islands indigenous site of Belmaco Cave (La Palma, Spain) through a multiproxy geoarchaeological approachPublication . Fernández‐Palacios, Enrique; Jambrina‐Enríquez, Margarita; Mentzer, Susan M.; Rodríguez de Vera, Caterina; Dinckal, Ada; Égüez, Natalia; Herrera‐Herrera, Antonio V.; Navarro Mederos, Juan Francisco; Marrero Salas, Efraín; Miller, Christopher E.; Mallol, CarolinaThe indigenous populations of La Palma (Canary Islands), who arrived on the island from Northwest Africa ca. 2000 years B.P., were predominantly pastoralists. Yet, many aspects of their subsistence economy such as the procurement, management, and use of wild plant resources remain largely unknown. To explore this, we studied the 600-1100-year-old archaeological site of Belmaco Cave, which comprises a stratified sedimentary deposit representative of a fumier. Here, we present a highresolution, multiproxy geoarchaeological study combining soil micromorphology, lipid biomarker analysis, X-ray diffraction, mu-X-ray diffraction, mu-X-ray fluorescence, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and mu-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, to characterize formation processes and explore plant sources. Recurrent goat/sheep habitation and maintenance activities are represented by interstratified layers of unburned dung, charcoal-rich sediment, and dung ash. Lipid biomarker data show a herd diet mainly composed of herbaceous plants, which is key to understanding the mobility of indigenous shepherds. Our results also revealed an unusual suite of authigenic minerals including hazenite, aragonite, and sylvite, possibly formed through diagenetic processes involving interaction between ash, dung, urine, volcanogenic components, and bacterial activity, coupled with arid and alkaline conditions. Our study shows the potential of a multiproxy approach to a fumier deposit in a volcanogenic sedimentary context.
- Searching for traces of human activity in earthen floor sequences: high-resolution geoarchaeological analyses at an Early Iron Age village in Central IberiaPublication . Tomé, Laura; Iriarte, Eneko; Blanco-González, Antonio; Jambrina-Enríquez, Margarita; Égüez, Natalia; Herrera-Herrera, Antonio V.; Mallol, CarolinaThe Northern Iberian Plateau during the Early Iron Age witnessed the proliferation of villages, showcasing wellpreserved earthen architectural remains that offer valuable insights into past daily life practices. However, the application of high-resolution geoarchaeological approaches to these contexts has been largely overlooked, despite their significance in assessing complex sedimentary sequences predominantly composed of earth-based construction materials. This paper presents the outcomes of a microcontextual geoarchaeological study conducted on earthen dwellings from the Early Iron Age village of Cerro de San Vicente (Salamanca, Northern Iberia). Our study employed soil micromorphology, lipid biomarker analysis, XRD, and XRF analyses to investigate site formation processes, characterize construction materials and techniques, and explore aspects of daily life practices, functionality, and dwelling life histories. Our results have enabled the identification of three distinct construction layers within the dwellings, shedding light on recurrent events of floor use, maintenance, and repaving. Additionally, we have detected periods of abandonment and decay of the earth-based construction material that inform on the dynamics of abandonment and reuse within the village. Furthermore, our analysis has revealed the presence of well-preserved lipid biomarkers throughout the sequences, possibly associated with the past functionality of the dwellings. Ongoing and future analyses will further contribute to our understanding of ancient construction practices and the utilization of domestic spaces at Cerro de San Vicente. This study significantly enhances the limited availability of high-resolution, microcontextual data sets concerning Iron Age contexts in Iberia, underscoring the potential of our approach for future consolidation and advancement. By combining different geoarchaeological methodologies, we demonstrate the importance of integrating diverse analytical techniques to gain comprehensive insights into the socio-cultural dynamics of the Early Iron Age settlements.
- Fuel sources, natural vegetation and subsistence at a high-altitude aboriginal settlement in Tenerife, Canary Islands: Microcontextual geoarchaeological data from Roques de García RockshelterPublication . Tomé, Laura; Jambrina-Enríquez, Margarita; Égüez, Natalia; Herrera-Herrera, Antonio V.; Davara, Javier; Marrero Salas, Efraín; Arnay de la Rosa, Matilde; Mallol, CarolinaHigh-altitude island environments, with their characteristic strong seasonal contrast and limited resources, are challenging contexts for human subsistence. However, although archaeological contexts in this kind of setting hold great potential to explore the diversity of human biological and cultural adaptations, such sites are rare. In this paper, we present the results of a microcontextual geoarchaeological study carried out at Rogues de Garcia Rockshelter, the highest altitude cave archaeological site in the Canary Islands (Spain). The site was inhabited by the aboriginal population of the island and has yielded a rich archaeological context derived from combustion activity. We carried out soil micromorphology to characterize site function and lipid biomarker analysis to investigate the natural and anthropogenic organic record. Our data indicate that the aboriginal groups that occupied the site kept goats with them (in the rockshelter) and probably used Juniperus turbinata (sabina) wood, a current distant fuel source. These results suggest that the aboriginal societies of Tenerife occupied the highlands regularly, taking their herds and firewood with them. Further research is necessary to explore the use and exploitation of fuel sources, the seasonality of these occupations and their differences with lowland sites.
- Fire use and waste management in an Iberian iron age village: geoarchaeological insights into midden formation processesPublication . Tomé, Laura; Iriarte, Eneko; Blanco-González, Antonio; Fernández-Palacios, Enrique; Martín-Seijo, María; Carrancho, Ángel; Herrera-Herrera, Antonio V.; Mallol, CarolinaMiddens, commonly found in archaeological sites across different chronologies, serve as rich sedimentary archives of daily life by capturing the refuse and discarded artifacts of past human groups. This study focuses on the midden deposits of the Early Iron Age settlement site of Cerro de San Vicente (Central Iberia). We applied a high- resolution, microcontextual geoarchaeological approach, integrating soil micromorphology -including phytolith and charcoal analyses on thin sections-, sedimentary lipid biomarker analysis, X-Ray fluorescence (XRF), XRay diffraction (XRD) and magnetic properties analysis to investigate the formation processes and past functionality of the site's midden deposits. Our findings reveal that the targeted sequences are primarily composed of wood ash and charred plant refuse, as well as trampled and disintegrated earth-based construction materials. These deposits are interpreted as the result of multiple hearth rake-out events, maintenance and construction activities, and possible spatially-related communal storage practices within the village. Stratigraphic connections between deposits from inside and outside the dwellings are proposed, linking the middens to an intermediate phase (ca. 600 BCE) of the village's history. These results offer relevant insights into the spatial and temporal dynamics of refuse disposal, maintenance practices and space use at Cerro de San Vicente, highlighting the value of microcontextual geoarchaeological methods in unveiling domestic practices. This study contributes to enhancing our understanding of Early Iron Age socio-cultural and daily life practices in Central Iberia.