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- Faunas mamalógicas do Neolítico antigo do Maciço Calcário Estremenho: análise preliminar de dados recentesPublication . Carvalho, António Faustino; Valente, Maria João; Haws, JonathanOs contextos arqueológicos em território português contam ainda com poucos estudos arqueozoológicos, situação que se torna muito evidente quando aplicada ao neolítico antigo. Mesmo no caso da Estremadura Portuguesa, região comummente considerada como objecto de ampla investigação arqueológica, apenas a Gruta do Caldeirão, em Tomar, e o Abrigo da Pena d’Água, em Torres Novas, revelaram restos faunísticos deste período em quantidades minimamente significativas (sobretudo o primeiro), tendo sido objecto de análise e publicação próprias (Rowley-Conwy, 1992 e Davis, 2002; e Valente, 1998, respectivamente). Dado o carácter ainda muito exíguo dos dados arqueozoológicos disponíveis para o estudo do processo de neolitização da Estremadura, os resultados de recentes intervenções arqueológicas em dois contextos do Neolítico antigo do Maciço Calcário Estremenho tornam-se importantes pelo seu contributo para esta questão, apesar das fortes limitações de ordem tafonómica que afectam as respectivas colecções faunísticas.
- SPIN enables high throughput species identification of archaeological bone by proteomicsPublication . Rüther, Patrick Leopold; Husic, Immanuel Mirnes; Bangsgaard, Pernille; Gregersen, Kristian Murphy; Pantmann, Pernille; Carvalho, Milena; Godinho, Ricardo Miguel; Friedl, Lukas; Cascalheira, João; Taurozzi, Alberto John; Jørkov, Marie Louise Schjellerup; Benedetti, Michael; Haws, Jonathan; Bicho, Nuno; Welker, Frido; Cappellini, Enrico; Olsen, Jesper VelgaardSpecies determination based on genetic evidence is an indispensable tool in archaeology, forensics, ecology, and food authentication. Most available analytical approaches involve compromises with regard to the number of detectable species, high cost due to low throughput, or a labor-intensive manual process. Here, we introduce “Species by Proteome INvestigation” (SPIN), a shotgun proteomics workflow for analyzing archaeological bone capable of querying over 150 mammalian species by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Rapid peptide chromatography and data-independent acquisition (DIA) with throughput of 200 samples per day reduce expensive MS time, whereas streamlined sample preparation and automated data interpretation save labor costs. We confirm the successful classification of known reference bones, including domestic species and great apes, beyond the taxonomic resolution of the conventional peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF)-based Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS) method. In a blinded study of degraded Iron-Age material from Scandinavia, SPIN produces reproducible results between replicates, which are consistent with morphological analysis. Finally, we demonstrate the high throughput capabilities of the method in a high-degradation context by analyzing more than two hundred Middle and Upper Palaeolithic bones from Southern European sites with late Neanderthal occupation. While this initial study is focused on modern and archaeological mammalian bone, SPIN will be open and expandable to other biological tissues and taxa.
- A stalagmite test of North Atlantic SST and Iberian hydroclimate linkages over the last two glacial cyclesPublication . Denniston, Rhawn F.; Houts, Amanda N.; Asmerom, Yemane; Wanamaker Jr., Alan D.; Haws, Jonathan; Polyak, Victor J.; Thatcher, Diana L.; Altan-Ochir, Setsen; Borowske, Alyssa C.; Breitenbach, Sebastian F. M.; Ummenhofer, Caroline C.; Regala, Frederico T.; Benedetti, Michael M.; Bicho, Nuno Gonçalo Viana Pereira FerreiraClose coupling of Iberian hydroclimate and North Atlantic sea surface temperature (SST) during recent glacial periods has been identified through the analysis of marine sediment and pollen grains co-deposited on the Portuguese continental margin. While offering precisely correlatable records, these time series have lacked a directly dated, site-specific record of continental Iberian climate spanning multiple glacial cycles as a point of comparison. Here we present a high-resolution, multi-proxy (growth dynamics and delta C-13, delta O-18, and delta U-234 values) composite stalagmite record of hydroclimate from two caves in western Portugal across the majority of the last two glacial cycles (similar to 220 ka). At orbital and millennial scales, stalagmite-based proxies for hydroclimate proxies covaried with SST, with elevated delta C-13, delta O-18, and delta U-234 values and/or growth hiatuses indicating re-duced effective moisture coincident with periods of lowered SST during major ice-rafted debris events, in agreement with changes in palynological reconstructions of continental climate. While in many cases the Portuguese stalagmite record can be scaled to SST, in some intervals the magnitudes of stalagmite isotopic shifts, and possibly hydroclimate, appear to have been somewhat decoupled from SST.
- Linking the karst record to atmospheric, precipitation, and vegetation dynamics in PortugalPublication . Thatcher, Diana L.; Wanamaker, Alan D.; Denniston, Rhawn F.; Ummenhofer, Caroline C.; Regala, Frederico T.; Jorge, Nuno; Haws, Jonathan; Chormann, Alaina; Gillikin, David P.Cave deposits can be valuable sources of paleoclimate data, especially when atmospheric circulation patterns, precipitation variability, vegetation changes, and the chemical evolution of waters moving through the karst environment can be mechanistically linked to speleothem proxies. In particular, an evaluation of the factors that control the isotopic composition of precipitation and the evolution of rainwater during migration from the land surface to the cave are needed to robustly develop speleothems as hydroclimate-sensitive proxies. One area in which precipitation and atmospheric variability are closely linked is western Iberia, where rainfall is strongly influenced by the Azores High, part of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) dipole. Therefore, in order to better characterize the factors that influence the isotopic composition of precipitation in Portugal and to evaluate the potential of using stalagmites from this region as hydroclimate (and NAO-sensitive) proxies, we investigated Global Network of Isotopes in Precipitation (GNIP) data from ten mainland Portugal sites spanning multiple decades. In addition, we use more than one hydrologic year of precipitation amount and isotope data from Buraca Gloriosa (BG), a cave in western Portugal, the site of on-going speleothem analyses, as well as six years of environmental monitoring from BG. We present an integrated analysis of rainfall and vegetation through the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) following extremely wet and dry winters. Summer vegetation density, related to the amount of precipitation in the preceding winter wet season, as well as prior calcite precipitation (PCP), would largely control the stable carbon isotopic signature (delta C-13) in stalagmites at BG. Cool season recharge is likely the dominant factor for the oxygen isotopic composition (delta O-18) of water percolating through the cave system, while amount effects exert the primary control on precipitation delta O-18 values. Based on HYSPLIT modeling, moisture sources overwhelmingly originate from the Atlantic Ocean as opposed to the Mediterranean or elsewhere
- First results of a Middle Stone Age survey in the Kerma region, northern SudanPublication . Bicho, Nuno Gonçalo Viana Pereira Ferreira; Haws, Jonathan; Honegger, MatthieuSudan is a vitally important region for understanding the migrations of Anatomically Modern Humans from the African continent. Here, the authors present the results of a preliminary survey in the Kerma region, during which, 16 new Middle Stone Age sites were discovered.
- Mapping the stone age of MozambiquePublication . Gonçalves, Célia; Raja, Mussa; Madime, Omar; Cascalheira, João; Haws, Jonathan; Matos, Daniela; Bicho, Nuno Gonçalo Viana Pereira FerreiraUnder the auspices of the Portuguese colonial government, Lereno Barradas and Santos Junior (coordinator of the Anthropological Mission of Mozambique) carried out several archaeological field surveys from 1936 to 1956 that resulted in a data set that includes a total of close to 90 sites, mostly attributed to the Stone Age. This early research added to the previous work of Van Riet Lowe in the Limpopo Valley of southern Mozambique. With the new millennium, Mozambique has emerged as a crucial geographic area in which to understand the various hypotheses about recent human evolution. Specifically, its coastal location between southern and eastern Africa is ideal for testing ideas about the link between early coastal adaptations and the appearance of anatomically modern humans (AMH). Except for the recent work by Mercader's team in northern Mozambique, the number of researchers and projects on this topic in Mozambique is still limited because of the general predominance of interest in later periods among archaeologists working in the country, mainly due to their focus on issues related to precolonial heritage and national identity. Based on the early maps from Santos Junior and more recent data acquired through various projects, we present a series of maps for the Stone Age prehistory of Mozambique. The maps are also based on a critical evaluation of the sites and a review of some of the materials that are presently curated at the Instituto de Investigacao Cientifica e Tropical (IICT) in Lisbon, Portugal, as well as the materials stored at the Department of Archaeology of Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Maputo. The sites are also presented in an online database with the information on all sites used in this study. This database is open to all and will be updated continuously. A preliminary interpretation of the regional distribution of the sites is also attempted, linking aspects that include region, topography and altitude, geomorphology, and cultural phase. These results will be the first step for research and knowledge in Mozambique on Stone Age prehistory and the emergence and settlement pattern of AMH.
- The Gravettian-Solutrean transition in westernmost Iberia: new data from the sites of Vale Boi and Lapa do PicareiroPublication . Belmiro, Joana; Bicho, Nuno; Haws, Jonathan; Cascalheira, JoãoThis study presents the analysis of the lithic assemblages from Layers 5 and 4E (Terrace) of the site of Vale Boi (southern Portugal) and Levels U and T from Lapa do Picareiro (central Portugal). We aimed to understand the technological patterns and raw material exploitation during the Gravettian-Solutrean transition in westernmost Iberia and test the traditional models with assemblages from recently excavated sites, while expanding the geographic range. Results show the existence of two discrete phases in each site. The first, with high frequency of quartz use for bladelet production, seems to reflect the presence of a Terminal Gravettian horizon, as defined by Almeida (2000). The second, with some significant differences between sites, attests the presence of Vale Comprido technology and lower quartz frequencies at Vale Boi, representing a Proto-Solutrean occupation; and the presence of a blade component in Lapa do Picareiro that, together with the respective absolute chronology, may be attributed to a Proto-Solutrean or an Early Solutrean horizon. In general terms, this study allowed to confirm that the Terminal Gravettian and the Proto-Solutrean are discrete phases across the transition, in agreement with the Three-Phase model presented by Zilh˜ao (1997). It further consolidates the expansion of similar techno-cultural patterns to southern Portugal, which may be explained by the significant changes in the dynamic of social networks (Cascalheira and Bicho, 2013).
- Lapa do Picareiro (Alcanede, Portugal): análisis traceológico de los materiales líticos de los niveles F/GPublication . Gibaja, Juan Francisco; Bicho, Nuno Gonçalo Viana Pereira Ferreira; Haws, Jonathan; Hockett, BryanLapa do Picareiro (Cueva de Picareiro) está situado al noroeste de Lisboa, cerca de la ciudad de Fátima, en la Serra d’Aire (Figura 1). La cueva, que se localiza a 540 metros de altitud, muestra una morfología triangular, un alto techo y una entrada de aproximadamente 10´8 metros (Figura 2). Debajo de la línea del goteo aparece un cono marcado por la presencia de grandes bloques de piedra caliza, formando uno pasillo abierto de entre 3 y 5 metros de ancho entre la línea del goteo y la boca de la cueva. La entrada se abre dirección norte-noreste y tiene cerca de 5 metros de anchura y un máximo de 1.2 metros de altura (Bicho et al. , 2003; 2006a). Las excavaciones arqueológicas se iniciaron en 1994 con la limpieza de un corte estratigráfico realizado por Gustavo Marques en los años 50 (Marques y Andrade, 1974). En 2001 finalizan los trabajos de campo iniciados en 1996 con motivo de los proyectos dirigidos por N. Bicho: “A Ocupação Humana Paleolítica do Algarve” y “ A importância dos recursos aquáticos no Paleolítico do Algarve (Portugal)” (Bicho et al. , 2003). Durante estos años se excavan unos 35 m2 con una profundidad de 4.5 metros.
- The early Aurignacian dispersal of modern humans into westernmost EurasiaPublication . Haws, Jonathan; Benedetti, Lucilla; Talamo, Sahra; Bicho, Nuno Gonçalo Viana Pereira Ferreira; Cascalheira, João; Ellis, M. Grace; Carvalho, Milena M.; Friedl, Lukas; Pereira, Telmo; Zinsious, Brandon K.Documenting the first appearance of modern humans in a given region is key to understanding the dispersal process and the replacement or assimilation of indigenous human populations such as the Neanderthals. The Iberian Peninsula was the last refuge of Neanderthal populations as modern humans advanced across Eurasia. Here we present evidence of an early Aurignacian occupation at Lapa do Picareiro in central Portugal. Diagnostic artifacts were found in a sealed stratigraphic layer dated 41.1 to 38.1 ka cal BP, documenting a modern human presence on the western margin of Iberia ∼5,000 years earlier than previously known. The data indicate a rapid modern human dispersal across southern Europe, reaching the westernmost edge where Neanderthals were thought to persist. The results support the notion of a mosaic process of modern human dispersal and replacement of indigenous Neanderthal populations.
- Human adaptive responses to climate and environmental change during the Gravettian of Lapa do Picareiro (Portugal)Publication . Haws, Jonathan; Benedetti, Michael; Carvalho, Milena; Ellis, Grace; Pereira, Telmo; Cascalheira, João; Bicho, Nuno; Friedl, LukasOn the Iberian Peninsula, abrupt climate shifts during the Late Pleistocene impacted human and natural systems. Our knowledge of human adaptive responses to these climatic perturbations has improved in recent years with the development of new radiocarbon techniques that have increased the temporal resolution of cultural chronologies. At the same time, new high-resolution paleoclimatic records from Greenland ice cores, deep-sea sediment cores, speleothems, and microfaunal assemblages have permitted detailed paleoenvironmental reconstructions. Combined with the archaeological record of culture change, these data sets allow for a better understanding of the nature of human socio-ecological systems during the Late Pleistocene. Here we present new data on the Gravettian occupations at Lapa do Picareiro, a cave site in Portugal with a long continuous stratigraphic sequence spanning MIS 3 and 2. The ongoing excavation of Lapa do Picareiro has revealed at least three Gravettian levels with very different patterns of raw material use and technological reduction. The Early Gravettian levels contain a quartzite flake assemblage with several refitting clusters and a small chert assemblage with nosed endscrapers and bladelet technology. The Late or Terminal Gravettian level contains carinated endscraper/core-bladelet technology, mainly quartz, with chert blade production, and a few bone tools. The faunal assemblages also have a different character. Both contain a similar range of medium and large ungulates but the earlier Gravettian has a much richer and more diverse assemblage of small animals. These combined archaeological data sets provide a new perspective on Gravettian human adaptations in response to climate shifts, especially Heinrich Event 3 and Greenland Interstadials 4 and 3.