Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Prehistory'

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Nevada, Reno, 2006.
"August, 2006." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 257-268). Library also has microfilm. Ann Arbor, Mich. : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [2006]. 1 microfilm reel ; 35 mm. Online version available on the World Wide Web.

Prehistoric archaeology has had major difficulties in identifying ritual practices. The history of archaeological approaches ranges from a total repudiation of the capability of the discipline to recognise and analyse ritual activities in the past, to absolute acceptance of all identified prehistoric patterns as ritual. Even within a postmodern apprehension of the world, where deconstruction of all established perceptions seems to have reached an end point, prehistoric archaeology has never successfully constructed a notion of ritual in prehistory. Acknowledging that ritual definition and identification is a problem of the modern western archaeologist, this thesis identifies the root of the problem in methods of thinking deeply rooted in western civilization, in our cultural schemata, and in approaches to archaeology that only superficially observe the problem rather than confront and resolve it. In seeking a resolution, this work proposes a structural dismantling of the problem and its recomposition from its basics. The thesis proposes a middle-range theory based on structuralism and pragmatics and a method of meticulous contextual and relational analysis for the identification and interpretation of ritual practices in prehistory. As a starting point, death is identified as the quintessential category for the exploration of a mytho-logic system and its subsequent definition. The treatment of the dead is recognised as the ideal starting point for an examination of the archaeological record in quest for ritual. Ritual structural elements identified in the context of burial are used subsequently for the identification of non-death ritual practices. The identification of religious practices in Early Prehistoric Cyprus reveals a vibrant ritualpracticing culture contrary to previous commonly accepted observations. Structured depositions in ritually empowered containers; ritual transport; hoarding; symbolic abandonment; ritual sealing; ritual burning; ritual use of burials for the creation of liminality; construction of highly symbolic structures and subsequent attribution of agency to them, all constitute religious practices attested by this thesis for the Cypriot PPNB and Aceramic Neolithic. This identification of ritual in Early Prehistoric Cyprus enables the exploration of this culture’s mytho-logic. The thesis demonstrates how early Cypriots viewed their world and their position in it. Finally, this research offers new perspectives in recognising past socio-cultural realities through the examination of ritual practices.

Laang Spean est la plus grande grotte préhistorique du nord-ouest du Cambodge, située au sud-ouest de la province de Battambang à environ 330 km de Phnom Penh. Nichée au sommet de la colline calcaire de Phnom Teak Trang, cette grotte a été découverte et fouillée dans les années 1960 par Cécile et Roland Mourer puis reprise en 2009 par la Mission préhistorique franco-cambodgienne (MNHN, Paris et le Ministère de la Culture du Cambodge). Les découvertes obtenues entre 2009 et 2015 constituent le matériel d’étude de cette thèse et ont permis d’enrichir la séquence archéologique connue sur une puissance stratigraphique de 5 mètres de profondeur. Les horizons culturels comprennent des artefacts lithiques (galets et silex), de la poterie, des os d'animaux et des sépultures humaines. Le résultat principal repose sur la mise en évidence de trois couches distinctes d'occupation comprise entre 71000 BP à 3000 BP : Néolithique, Hoabinhien, pré-hoabinhien. Un nouveau cadre chrono-culturel a été obtenu en croisant des méthodes modernes de datation (14C-AMS, OSL, U-Th et fraction minérale). Nous avons pu ainsi discuter de l'occupation Hoabinhienne (derniers chasseurs-cueilleurs du Sud-Est asiatique) et la replacer à la transition pléistocène-holocène. Antérieur au niveau Hoabinhien (11 à 71ka), une autre occupation de chasseurs-cueilleurs a été enregistrée avec des restes de faune et des éclats de silex, qui conduit à nous interroger sur la succession des activités humaines préhistoriques avant l’Holocène dans cette région calcaire du nord- ouest du Cambodge. Les résultats chronologiques et archéo-stratigraphiques nous permettent à présent de mieux comprendre la position du techno-complexe Hoabinhien dans son cadre culturel, environnemental et spatial à des fins de comparaisons futures avec d’autres sites de chasseurs-cueilleurs d’Asie du Sud-Est continentale. Enfin, l’étude du site de Laang Spean met en parallèle deux modèle inédits d’occupation ancienne et d’exploitation du territoire : un campement pour les chasseurs Hoabinhiens et une nécropole pour les gens du Néolithique
Laang Spean is the biggest prehistoric cave situated near the top of the limestone mountain known as Phnom Teak Treang, southwest of Battambang province, northwest of Cambodia, and approximately 330 km from Phnom Penh. The cave was discovered and initially excavated by Cécile and Roland Mourer in the 1960s. Since 2009, the site has been re-excavated by the Franco-Cambodian Prehistoric Mission (MNHN-Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, Cambodia). The abundant archaeological remains collected between 2009 and 2015 represent the database of this Ph.D. and have now been complemented the archaeological occupations on 5 meters of a long sequence. The cultural layers included lithic artefacts (pebbles and flint), pottery, animal bones, and human burials. The new results from seven years of excavation campaigns reveal three main occupation layers ranging from 71 000 BP to 3000 BP: Neolithic, Hoabinhian, and Pre- Hoabinhian levels. A new chronological framework was obtained using modern complementary methods (14C, OSL, U-Th dating and mineral fraction). We were able to discuss the Hoabinhian occupation (last hunter-gatherers of Southeast Asia) and replace the Pleistocene - Holocene transition. Previous Hoabinhian level (11 to 71ka), another hunter-gatherers occupation was registered with animal remains and flint flakes, which lead to question about the succession of prehistoric human activities before the Holocene in this limestone region of Northwestern Cambodia. The chronological and archaeo-stratigraphic results allow us now to better understanding the position of the Hoabinhian techno-complex in its cultural, environmental and spatial framework for the purpose of future comparisons with other hunter-gatherer sites in Mainland Southeast Asia. Finally, the Laang Spean study case shows an association of two kinds of occupation and territory exploitation: a living camp for Hoabinhian hunters and a burial site during the Neolithic period

Texte remanié de: Th. Ph. D.--Department of anthropology and sociology, Research school of Pacific studies--Canberra--Australian national university, 1971. Titre de soutenance : Collingwood Bay and the Trobriand Islands in recent prehistory : settlement and interaction in coastal and island Papua.
Bibliogr. p. 153-164.

What is the behavioral evidence of ritual prehistory? How can the development of new archaeological method and theory enable prehistorians to identify ritual deposits and reconstruct the ritual past? This dissertation addresses these questions in a case study of puebloan sites in the U.S. Southwest. Rather than attempting to identify prehistoric belief systems, it uses an artifact life-history approach to create expectations about how certain artifacts were made, used and especially disposed of in ritual contexts. Fill and floor deposits from ceremonial structures (kivas) at the ancestral Hopi pueblo of Homol'ovi II are interpreted using this approach. These deposits are then linked to a greater ritual disposal tradition whose roots extend into Basketmaker times. These findings are also applied to fragmentary skeletal remains that have previously been attributed to cannibalism and warfare. An alternative explanation, witchcraft persecution is offered.

This thesis initiates a diachronic reconsideration of the English literary title. Unlike previous critical studies of titling practices, which focus almost exclusively on modern printed works, the thesis turns to the titling practices of manuscripts, addressing the different forms, functions and meanings of premodern titling. The overlapping of theoretical and material concerns necessitates a new multidisciplinary approach which combines critical theories of titology with codicological and bibliographical modes of enquiry. The introductory chapter contrasts different titling practices of contemporary and premodern literary cultures. Chapter two identifies shortcomings in current titological theories. The third chapter opens with a consideration of the meanings and uses the word title specific to the premodern era and the possible influences ancient and early medieval approaches to identifying and defining texts may have had on later medieval titling. Chapter four considers the growth in external and internal forms of vernacular titling practice evident in selected manuscripts of the eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The fifth chapter moves the discussion into the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries as witnessed by three important codices from this time: Oxford, Bodleian Library, Digby 86; Scotland, National Library, Advocates 19. 2. 1 (Auchinleck); and Oxford, Bodleian Library, Eng. poet. a.1 (Vernon). The conclusion affirms that titling practices did have currency in premodernity though the identification of texts was a practice that exhibits great diversity, and in that feature, as well as in many others, what may appear superficially to be recognisable as titling stands a significant distance apart from modern concepts of the title and involves many other contemporary assumptions, about (para)texts, authors and readers, which are essential to an understanding of what medieval authors and scribes meant when they gave identity to texts.

This thesis studies the colonisation and abandonment of Mediterranean islands in prehistory by placing them within a comparative framework. The geographical scope is pan-Mediterranean and chronologically it encompasses prehistory from the time when the earliest-known human records are found on a few islands to the time when most Mediterranean islands had been colonised (approximately from the end of the Pleistocene to the end of the Iron Age). By questioning established geographical boundaries and chronological restrictions and by incorporating recent theoretical advances in island archaeology, this thesis provides alternative explanations to colonisation paradigms prevalent in the 1980s and 1990s, expanding these to include considerations of abandonment and recolonisation. After investigating leading theoretical approachesto colonisation and abandonment, the study reviews the bulk of available publications on Mediterranean islandbased projects from the past ten years, and presents a series of revised colonisation and abandonment dates and models for the islands. At a broader level') these new data indicate the need for clearer distinctions between different types of island-human interaction (e. g. visitation, utilisation, occupation, establishment, abandonment, and re-colonisation). The thesis therefore also analyses - through a series of case studies - how human activity on islands varied spatially and temporally and potential reasons behind different colonisation and abandonment processes. The resulting observations are placed against the backdrop of the changing palaeogeography of the prehistoric Mediterranean, by taking into account changes in sea levels and in the islands' environments, and contextualised within the broader scheme of reference of Mediterranean prehistory.

The prehistory of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta is poorly understood and the region today is home to the Yupiit, whose traditional lifeways revolve around animals. However, the fur trade and Christianity limit the use of ethnographic data to fully understand pre-contact human-animal relationships and subsistence in particular. The discovery of the prehistoric site of Nunalleq (15th-17th c. AD), therefore provides a unique opportunity to address this issue and opens a window to explore human responses to the Little Ice Age. In this research, a zooarchaeological analysis was undertaken to investigate animal exploitation at Nunallleq, potential changes in subsistence strategies and the nature of the faunal assemblage. Results suggest that people at Nunalleq focused primarily on salmon, marine mammals and caribou with migratory waterfowl possibly playing an important role at specific times of the year. This tripartite subsistence strategy appears to have provided the inhabitants of the site with the flexibility and necessary coping mechanisms to face potential environmental-related stress during the Little Ice Age by relying more on other resources, such as seals and caribou, when experiencing a reduced availability of salmon. The choice to settle at Nunalleq may have been strategic in order to have good access to multiple key resources simultaneously and it is suggested that perhaps the possible decline in salmon may be related to prehistoric warfare in the region. It is also highlighted that bone working and dog gnawing contributed to the formation the Nunalleq faunal assemblage. This raises further questions as to the nature and meaning of arctic and subarctic archaeofaunas and highlights the importance of multiple lines of evidence to document past human-animal relationships. This study better informs our understanding of Nunalleq forming a baseline for further subsistence studies in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.

Anthropology
Ph.D.
There are four goals to this study. The first is to investigate the diet of prehistoric dogs (Canis familiaris) in the Northeast region of North America using stable isotope analysis. The second goal of this study is to generate independent data concerning the presence or absence of C4 resources, such as maize, in the diets of dogs. Third, this study investigates the use of dog bone as a proxy for human bone in studies assessing the presence of C4 resources at archaeological sites. The fourth goal of this study is to provide a check on existing interpretations of the material, macro- and micro-botanical records as it concerns the presence or absence of C4 resources at the sites involved in this study. Stable isotope analysis is a science that allows the measuring of the abundance ratio of two stable isotopes of a particular element. Stable isotope analysis can differentiate C4 and C3 plants, as well as terrestrial and marine resources in material such as bone where the chemistry of diet becomes recorded. Given the importance of C4 plants to many prehistoric populations, in the absence of direct evidence identifying their presence at archaeological sites, an alternate method for identification is needed. Maize played an important role in changing human behaviors during prehistory including: decisions to increase sedentism, abuse of power structures, and stratification of gender roles within human populations. Additionally, an overall decrease in health is seen in prehistoric populations who focused their subsistence practices on maize. Dogs were chosen as the focus of this study because related research suggests that their diet tends to mimic human diet. Prehistoric dogs were scavengers, but they were also intentionally fed companions. The suggestion that dog diet in some way mimics human diet means that stable isotope ratios from their bone will reflect the type of resources available for consumption by their human counterparts. As such, this investigation may also indirectly inform on the diets of the American Indian inhabitants of the settlements in which these dog remains originate. Thirty samples of dog bone, dating from the Early Ceramic Period, ca. 3000 B.P. to the Late Woodland and Early Historic Period, were obtained from museum and personal collections, and from ongoing archaeological excavations throughout the Northeast region of North America. Stable isotope analysis was conducted at Notre Dame's Center for Environmental Science and Technology. The results of this analysis indicates that these prehistoric dogs consumed the types of resources represented in the archaeological record with one important exception: consumption of C4 resources, possibly maize, was occurring at several sites where no other evidence of C4 exploitation exists. Of the dogs sampled ten were from pre-agricultural sites in Maine and their stable isotope ratios indicated a diet of marine and terrestrial resources. Nineteen dogs were excavated from components dating to the Late Woodland or Historic Period. During the Late Woodland and Historic Period the C4 plant maize was exploited by many human groups in the study region. Interpretation based on stable isotopes from bone collagen indicates that six of these dogs had isotopic signatures within the range of significant C4 resource consumption. Stable isotope ratios from the remaining dogs indicate a smaller contribution of C4 resources to diet. According to 13C ratios from carbonate three dogs, two from New Jersey (DB2, DB8) and one from Maryland (DB11), had a significant C4 plant component to their diet. The remaining Late Woodland and Historic period dogs most likely consumed minor amounts of C4 resources. In addition to identifying C4 resources in the diet of dogs, the value of assessing isotope data from both collagen and carbonate is investigated. The sample size for this study was small in comparison to the size of the region assessed. Despite the small sample size, this analysis contributes to our knowledge of past dog and human subsistence patterns. Our understanding of the utility of stable isotope studies of human companion species has also expanded. In addition to investigating the presence of C4 resources in the diet of prehistoric dogs, this research provides an alternate line of inquiry to re-assess current interpretations, especially in areas where direct evidence of isotopically identifiable C4 plants, such as maize are currently lacking. The results of this study are applicable first and foremost to the consumption patterns of the individual animals sampled. However, that these dogs were consuming particular resources provides at least a clue of what was under consideration by their human counterparts.
Temple University--Theses

The starting point for this thesis is the juxtaposition of two works of art from the 1960s: Study for ‘Skin’ I, a print-drawing from 1962 by Jasper Johns, and the photograph Self-Portrait as a Fountain from 1966 by Bruce Nauman. Viewing these works in conjunction with Palaeolithic hand stencils, the marking of threshold events emerges as a theme. Resonant material is then assembled and studied: Surrealist texts and photography, or the use of photography, by André Breton, Claude Cahun and Man Ray; the medical theses of psychiatrists François Tosquelles and Jean Oury; and works on prehistoric art by Georges Bataille and André Leroi-Gourhan. The marking of threshold events at two nesting scales of analysis – the evolutionary emergence of the human species; and the psychotic onset of hallucination and delusion – is examined. Echoes are found to resound in a third register– in the neurological events that give rise to consciousness and dream experience. Consideration of the Johns drawing and Nauman photograph in these terms is proposed.

Beginning about A.D. 1250, the Zuni area of New Mexico witnessed a massive population aggregation in which the inhabitants of hundreds of widely dispersed villages relocated to a small number of large, architectecturally planned pueblos. Over the next century, 27 of these pueblos were constructed, occupied briefly, and then abandoned. Another dramatic settlement shift occurred about A. D. 1400, when the locus of population moved west to the "Cities of Cibola" discovered by Coronado in 1540. Keith Kintigh demonstrates how changing agricultural strategies and developing mechanisms of social integration contributed to these population shifts. In particular, he argues that occupants of the earliest large pueblos relied on runoff agriculture, but that gradually spring-and river-fed irrigation systems were adopted. Resultant strengthening of the mechanisms of social integration allowed the increased occupational stability of the protohistorical Zuni towns.

When European settlers first arrived in Australia in 1788, Aboriginal Australians, or Traditional Owners, spoke more than 250 languages. Indigenous Australian languages are now broadly categorised into two groups: Pama-Nyungan (PN) and Non-Pama-Nyungan (NPN) languages. PN speakers traditionally inhabited more than 90% of the land mass of mainland Australia, whereas NPN speakers traditionally occupied only 10% of the land area, and this was in the far northwest of the continent. The NPN language group in particular shows very high linguistic diversity. Studies of nuclear DNA variation can provide valuable information on population polymorphism, structure, and demographics such as expansion, settlement and to date, there have been no such studies on NPN populations. Hence, population genetic studies are important to understand the genetic structure and history of NPN speaking populations. To understand the settlement of NPN language speakers in Australia and their genetic relationship with PN speakers, I undertook a comprehensive population genetic analysis of Aboriginal Australians across the continent. I obtained 56 samples with approval of Aboriginal Australian Elders from six different regions of the country, including Groote Eylandt Island (Anindilyakwa language speaker; NPN), Mornington Island (where Lardil, Kaidal and Yangkaal language speaker; NPN), northeast Arnhem Land (Yolngu language speakers; PN) and Normanton (Gkuthaarn/Kukatj language), Cairns (Gunggandjii) and Stradbroke Island (Jandai language speakers; PN). I performed whole genome sequencing with coverage (30-60X) and population genetic analysis of individuals representing three PN-speakers from three locations and four NPN-speaking populations from two locations. The 56 new genomes reported here were combined with previously published whole genome sequences of contemporary (100) and high coverage (5X) ancient (4) individuals to understand maternal and paternal ancestry, as well as nuclear genetic diversity. Mitochondrial DNA analyses revealed that Aboriginal Australians comprise four major haplogroups. These comprised N and S haplogroups that are unique to Aboriginal Australians while P, M haplogroups are shared with their neighbours from Papua and South East Asia. Phylogenetic analysis of whole mitochondrial genomic sequences showed NPN and PN speakers have shared ancestry within Australia and outside Australia, prior to European settlement. Analysis of Y-Chromosome haplogroups showed that NPN language speakers from Gulf of Carpentaria Island regions and PN speakers (Yolngu) from northeast Arnhem land have experienced very little admixture with Europeans since they arrived. However, Y-Chromosome marker from individuals belong to Stradbroke Island and Normanton showed that 90-100% of samples have European and East Asian ancestry. In addition, Y-Chromosome sequences from the Arnhem Land region showed that members of the Yolngu speaking population have a higher level of shared male ancestry with NPN speakers from Groote Eylandt and Mornington Islands than with other PN populations. Analyses of nuclear whole genome data, including PCA, ADMIXTURE & Out-group F3-statistics, revealed that NPN have distinct ancestry shared among NPNs. In addition, genetic analysis shows that PNs are the closest population to NPNs. This suggests that Australia were likely colonised by a single founder population. Furthermore, Nuclear analysis of PN speaking Arnhem Land population show that they are more closely related to NPN speakers than any other PN speakers in Australia. This is owing to the geographical proximity between these populations than their linguistic relatedness. Finally, the above 56 Aboriginal Australians samples were used to address the intriguing hypothesis, first proposed by Thomas Henry Huxley in 1870, that a close genetic relationship exists between the Indigenous peoples of Australia and India. To investigate this hypothesis, I sampled 14 genomes from South Asia and sequenced these to 30X coverage. These were compared to 160 Aboriginal Australian genomes which comprised newly sequenced (56) and previously published modern (100) together with ancient (4) samples. Population genetic analysis revealed that Aboriginal Australians do have Indian ancestry, ranging from 1-7%. However, due to the low proportion of Indian ancestry in a very few individuals I could not further confirm the potential Holocene migration from India to Australia. Future studies based on more modern and ancient Aboriginal Australian genomes could help to confirm or reject the hypothesis. The datasets presented in this thesis provide new knowledge about Aboriginal Australians including insights into their uniparental sequence ancestry, as well as genetic structure and settlement of NPN language speakers. These results will be invaluable for future research on contemporary Aboriginal Australians and will provide important implications for the identification of unprovenanced remains from regions across Australia.
Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School of Environment and Sc
Science, Environment, Engineering and Technology
Full Text

Crystalline minerals such as fluorite have been recovered from numerous prehistoric sites in the Midcontinent yet little research had previously been conducted concerning who used it and what they used it for. Ethnohistorical accounts inform us that crystalline minerals were of importance to American Indians during the Historic Period. These accounts are used to provide a basis for exploring the possible significance of fluorite to prehistoric peoples living near outcrops located along the lower Ohio River valley. In this thesis I analyze mainly prehistoric fluorite personal adornment items as well as similar items made from other locally available raw materials such as cannel coal and clay to gain an understanding of the importance of this colorful crystalline mineral to prehistoric inhabitants of the midcontinent.

El jaciment de La Bastida (Totana, Murcia) s’emmarca en l’Edat del Bronze Argàrica. Habitat entre 2200 i 1600 cal ANE, fou un dels centres més importants d’aquella societat, arribant a assolir l’estatus d’urbà. Ocupava unes 4,5 hectàrees d’un turó escarpat i ben protegit per barrancs i una potent fortificació. En el seu interior s’han documentat restes arquitectòniques de diversa entitat durant tres fases d’ocupació. En el subsol de l’assentament s’han identificat nombroses tombes en urna, cista, fosa i, esporàdicament, covetes artificials (“covachas”), la majoria individuals. El registre funerari de La Bastida el conformen 236 tombes, excavades entre 1869 i 2013. La col·lecció antropològica analitzada en aquesta tesi doctoral correspon a 153 esquelets, en la seva major part procedents de les excavacions a càrrec del grup d’investigació Arqueocologia Social Mediterrània (ASOME-UAB). Això la converteix en una de les col·leccions osteològiques més amplies de la arqueologia argàrica. La recerca s’ha fonamentat en les dades obtingudes durant les excavacions (tractament i disposició dels cadàvers) i, de manera especial, en el registre informatiu que ha proporcionat l’anàlisi antropològic de les restes esquelètiques. Tot això ha permès identificar diferencies diacròniques en les pràctiques funeràries, així com aproximar-nos al perfil demogràfic i les condicions de vida de la població que va rebre sepultura en La Bastida. L’anàlisi antropològic ha considerat aspectes relatius a la conservació i representació esquelètica, abans d’emprendre la reconstrucció del perfil biològic i els indicadors d’activitat (processos degeneratius en les articulacions, marcadors musculoesquelètics i altres patologies). La recerca també ha generat aportacions metodològiques rellevants, entre les que destaca les fórmules discriminants que permetran determinar el sexe amb major fiabilitat altres col·leccions argàriques. La conjunció de diverses línies d’anàlisi ha proporcionat una imatge inèdita de les condicions de vida de la comunitat argàrica de La Bastida.
El yacimiento de La Bastida (Totana, Murcia) se enmarca en la Edad del Bronce Argárica. Habitado entre 2200 y 1600 cal ANE, fue uno de los centros más importantes de aquella sociedad, llegando a alcanzar un estatus urbano. Ocupó 4,5 hectáreas de extensión en un cerro muy bien protegido gracias a su topografía escarpada y a una potente fortificación. En su interior se han documentado restos arquitectónicos de diversa entidad a lo largo de tres fases de ocupación. En el subsuelo del asentamiento se han hallado numerosas tumbas en urna, cista, fosa y, esporádicamente, covacha, la mayoría individuales. El registro funerario de La Bastida consta de 236 tumbas, excavadas entre 1869 y 2013. La colección antropológica analizada en esta tesis doctoral corresponde a 153 esqueletos, en su mayor parte procedentes de las excavaciones a cargo del grupo de investigación Arqueoecología Social Mediterránea (ASOME-UAB). Ello la convierte en una de las colecciones osteológicas más amplias de la arqueología argárica. La investigación se ha basado en los datos obtenidos durante las excavaciones (tratamiento y disposición de los cadáveres) y, de forma especial, en el registro informativo que ha proporcionado el análisis antropológico de los restos esqueléticos. Todo ello ha permitido identificar diferencias diacrónicas en las prácticas funerarias, así como aproximarnos al perfil demográfico y las condiciones de vida de la población que recibió sepultura en La Bastida. El análisis antropológico ha considerado aspectos relativos a la conservación y representación esquelética, antes de abordar la reconstrucción del perfil biológico y los indicadores de actividad (procesos degenerativos en las articulaciones, marcadores musculoesqueléticos y otras patologías). La investigación también ha generado aportaciones metodológicas relevantes, entre las que destacan las fórmulas discriminantes que permitirán sexuar con mayor fiabilidad otras colecciones argáricas. La conjunción de diversas líneas de análisis ha proporcionado una imagen inédita de las condiciones de vida de la comunidad argárica de La Bastida.
La Bastida (Totana, Murcia) was one of key sites in southeast Iberia during the Argaric Early Bronze Age. With a continuous occupation from 2200 to 1600 cal BCE, this urban hilltop center occupied approximately 4,5 hectares, and was very well protected by means of its topography and complex ramparts. The settlement underwent major architectural remodeling all along its three occupation phases. A large number of burials have been found under the dwelling area either in large jars (pithos burials), cists, pits or, more rarely, rock-cut tombs. La Bastida funerary record is made up of 236 tombs excavated between 1869 and 2013. The anthropological sample that has been investigated in this dissertation comprises 153 skeletons, most of them recovered by the ASOME-UAB research group (Mediterranean Social Archeoecology). It is one of the largest osteological series in Argaric archaeology. The anthropological research of this dissertation relies on first-hand data gather directly both in the field and in the laboratory. This has made it possible to identify differences in the treatment of the bodies throughout the occupation of La Bastida and a demographic approach of who inhabited this settlement and the conditions in which they lived. The osteoarchaeological analysis has assessed the skeletal conservation and representation, before approaching the biological profile and different activity indicators such as degenerative joint disease, musculoskeletal markers and other pathologies. In the course of this research, relevant methodological contributions have also been made, as the discriminant functions that will enhance sex estimation in Argaric populations. The combination of all these studies have allowed us to approach the living conditions of the Argaric community of La Bastida.
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Programa de Doctorat en Arqueologia Prehistòrica

El treball de tesi ha tingut per objectiu estudiar les pintures rupestres del Zemmur, al Sahara Occidental. El Zemmur és una regió muntanyosa molt rica en abrics, que s'obren a les cingleres dels seus turons de gres baixos, aplanats i allargassats. Aquestes pintures foren descobertes al 1995, quan el personal del ministeri de Cultura de la República Àrab Sahrauí i Democràtica les va mostrar a un equip d'arqueòlegs i antropòlegs de la Universitat de Girona. Les campanyes d'estudi continuades que s'han realitzat en aquests jaciments de pintura rupestre prehistòrica des d'aleshores han proporcionat les dades per aquesta investigació. En total es tracta d'un conjunt de 2734 figures repartides en 130 abrics de 5 jaciments diferents: Uad Ymal, Uadi Kenta, Rekeiz Ajahfun, Rekeiz Lemgasem i Asako.
Les hipòtesis a contrastar eren dues. La primera que al Zemmur hi havia diversos estils de pintura rupestre. La segona que la majoria d'aquests estils dataven de la prehistòria. Ambdues han pogut ser verificades i s'han aportat arguments que demostren que eren certes.
El treball de tesi ha consistit en fotografiar les pintures, digitalitzar-les, reproduir-les i estudiar-les. Concretament l'estudi ha consistit en descriure-les, classificar-les estilísticament i datar-les. La classificació s'ha realitzat a partir d'una sèrie de criteris morfològics i tècnics. Posteriorment les imatges han estat atribuïdes a diversos estils, que també havien estat definits amb criteris morfotècnics a partir de l'observació de les imatges. La seva existència, i per tant la verificació de la primera hipòtesi, es dedueix de la presència de recurrències morfotècniques en les representacions. Més tard aquests estils han estat ordenats de manera relativa tot estudiant les seves superposicions. La seqüència dels cinc estils identificats, de més antic a més recent és: Balladors, Modelats, Tracejats, Figures Fosques i Linial.
Posteriorment s'ha intentat datar cadascun dels estils a partir de les representacions ja que les anàlisis efectuades indicaren que no era possible datar les imatges per tècniques radiomètriques a causa de la manca de matèria orgànica en les pintures. En qualsevol cas, gràcies a les representacions d'armes, d'animals i els textos escrits hem pogut verificar que la majoria d'elles són prehistòriques, tal com apuntàvem en la nostra segona hipòtesi. Finalment s'ha arribat a la conclusió que l'estil dels Balladors data, de manera molt aproximada, d'ara fa entre 3800 i 3200 anys tal com indiquen les representacions d'alabardes. L'estil Linial, el més recent, data d'entre ara fa 2400 i 2000 anys perquè és acompanyat de textos líbico-berbers però no de representacions de camells. Els estils Modelat, Tracejat i Figures Fosques es daten entremig.
A part de les conclusions obtingudes, un dels resultats més importants d'aquest treball ha estat la realització del corpus de pintura prehistòrica del Zemmur que consta, com ja hem dit, de milers d'imatges. Per tant aquesta recerca, a més de tractar sobre un material inèdit i d'un gran interès històric, hauria d'ésser útil per a la gestió de tot aquest patrimoni.
The goal of the PhD is to study the rock-paintings of the Zemmur (Western Sahara). The Zemmur is a hilly area with many rock-shelters, which are pierced in the slopes of his sedimentary, low, flat and long hills. These paintigs were discovered in 1995 when the staff of the Ministry of Culture of the Sahrawi Democratic and Arabic Republic show them to a team of archaeologists and antrophologists from the Girona's University. The continued research campaigns have provided the data for this research, that is, 2734 images found in 130 rock-shelters of 5 different sites: Uad Ymal, Wadi Kenta, Rekeiz Ajahfun, Rekeiz Lemgasem and Asako.
The hypothesis to contrast along this reserach were two. The first was that in the Zemmur several painting styles existed. The second was that most of these styles belong to prehistoric ages. Both have been verified as true and several arguments have been presented in order to support them.
The research developed in making photos to the paintings, scanning, reproduce and study them. The study consisted in describing the paintigs, classify them in styles and dating the styles. The classification has been done in basis a morphological an technical criteria. After that, the images have been assigned to several styles, which had also been defined by morphotechnical criteria. The existence of these styles, and so the verification of the first hypothesis, is deduced from the presence of morphotechnical recorrences in the representations. Later those styles have been arranged in basis to the superpositions of images. The sequence of the five indentified styles, from the most ancient to the most recent, is: Dancers', Shaped, Stroked, Dark Figures, and Linial.
At the end an attempt to date those styles has been done. Previous analisis had proven that radiometric datations were not possible due to the lack of organical remains in the paintigs. However the depictions of weapons, animal beings and texts have been useful in proving that most of these images belong to prehistoric ages, as our second hypothesis proposed. Finally we have reached the conclusion that the Dancers' style is dated, in a very aproximate way, between 3800 and 3200 years before us, as the depictions of hallebards prove. The Lineal style, the most recent, dates between 2400 and 2000 years before us because the presence of lybico-berber texts and the absence of camels. The Shaped, Stroked and Dark Figures styles should be between 3200 and 2400.
Besides those conclusions, one of the most important results from this research has been the creation of the corpus of prehistorical rock-paintigs of the Zemmur, with thousands of reproduced images. So this research, besides having a great historical interest and bringing new data, should be useful to manage this archeological heritage.

La presente tesis de doctorado está dedicada al estudio de las dinámicas del poblamiento, de la organización de la producción y de las expresiones de poder económico y político que han caracterizado la Meseta Sur y el Levante peninsular a lo largo de la Edad del Bronce Antiguo y Medio (c. 2200-1550 cal ANE). El objetivo es facilitar, a través de una perspectiva macroespacial y holística, la comprensión del proceso de cambio y ruptura ocurrido en la península ibérica entre el Calcolítico y la Edad del Bronce, considerando un marco geográfico unitario en un área donde la arqueología "culturalista" había creado fronteras basadas en criterios idealistas más que en la materialidad arqueológica. El planteamiento metodológico se inspira a la "teoría de las prácticas y de las producciones sociales", y se pone el objetivo de analizar las formas históricas de la distancia social, tanto económica (disimetría social) como sexual (diferenciación sexual). Para alcanzar estos objetivos, se han localizado e inventariado 1440 poblados de la Edad del Bronce en un área total de 117.000 km2. La creación de una base de datos específica, la recopilación bibliográfica, el acceso a las cartas arqueológicas de las comunidades autónomas, las prospecciones de superficie utilizando instrumentación GPS y dron, y finalmente la creación de un SIG han favorecido la creación de una red de conexiones entre los datos geo-espaciales y los materiales arqueológicos analizados. El capítulo 1 está dedicado a la definición de los objetivos de la investigación, del marco cronológico y geográfico examinado y de las metodologías interpretativas empleadas: estructura de la base de datos, fuentes bibliográficas y de archivo consultadas, los problemas y las variables tomadas en consideración, las técnicas de prospección empleadas, y el análisis geo-espacial realizado con el software QGIS. El capítulo 2 aborda las dinámicas de la formación del espacio social, analizando la densidad del poblamiento, las pautas de asentamiento, el tamaño y la ubicación de los poblados, las fortificaciones, el desnivel interpuesto entre los poblados de altura y los llanos circundantes, las estructuras antrópicas y el aprovechamiento hídrico. Después de estos análisis, se constata como la presencia de poblados de altura (tanto fortificados como sin fortificaciones) y más en general la protección del espacio social mediante la construcción de fortificaciones de piedra constituyen una absoluta discontinuidad con los patrones de asentamiento del Calcolítico, representando un clima de tensión social creciente y una incipiente jerarquización social. El capítulo 3 analiza las formas de la producción social y las contextualiza en cada pauta de asentamiento: la caza y la guerra (puntas de flecha de sílex, de hueso y de cobre), la agricultura (dientes de hoz, silos subterráneos, silos de mampostería, grandes contenedores cerámicos y molinos para la producción de harinas), el procesado de productos lácteos (queseras), la tejeduría (pesas de telar), la hilatura (fusayolas), el trabajo del marfil (materia prima, preformas y productos acabados), y la metalurgia (mineral, escorias, crisoles, moldes de fundición). El capítulo 4 pone en relación las ubicaciones y las formas de los espacios sociales con la gestión y el control de la producción, analizando las dinámicas socio-políticas que pueden haber generado las expresiones de poder y el clima de tensión que caracterizaban los territorios al norte del Argar durante la Edad del Bronce.
La presente tesi di dottorato è dedicata allo studio delle dinamiche del popolamento, dell'organizzazione della produzione e delle espressioni del potere economico e politico che hanno caratterizzato l'area della penisola iberica al nord di El Argar durante l'Età del Bronzo Antico e Medio (c. 2200-1550 avanti era comune). L'obiettivo è quello di favorire, attraverso una prospettiva macro-spaziale e olistica, la comprensione globale del cambiamento avvenuto nella Meseta Sur e nel Levante peninsulare tra Calcolitico e Bronzo, alla fine del III millennio AEC, considerando un quadro geografico unitario laddove le scuole archeologiche culturaliste hanno creato frontiere regionaliste basate su criteri idealisti più che su uno studio della materialità archeologica. L'approccio metodologico della presente ricerca è ispirato alla "teoria delle pratiche e delle produzioni sociali", e si pone l'obiettivo di analizzare le forme storiche della distanza sociale, tanto economica (dissimmetria sociale) come di genere (differenziazione sessuale). Per raggiungere questi obiettivi sono stati localizzati, analizzati ed inventariati 1440 abitati dell'Età del Bronzo in un'area totale di 117.000 km2. La creazione di un database specifico, la ricerca bibliografica, l'accesso agli archivi delle Soprintendenze, le prospezioni di superficie effettuate con l'uso di strumentazione GPS e drone, e finalmente la creazione di un GIS hanno favorito la creazione di una connessione analitica tra i dati spaziali e materiali dei siti archeologici presi in esame. Il capitolo 1 è dedicato alla definizione degli obiettivi della ricerca, del quadro cronologico e geografico preso in esame, e della metodologia interpretativa utilizzata: struttura del database, fonti bibliografiche e archivistiche consultate, i problemi e le variabili prese in esame, le tecniche di prospezione archeologica utilizzate, e l'analisi geo-spaziale realizzato con il software QGIS. Il capitolo 2 affronta le dinamiche di cambio dello spazio sociale, analizzando la densità del popolamento, i modelli di insediamento, l'estensione e l'ubicazione degli abitati, i sistemi di fortificazione, il dislivello metrico interposto tra gli abitati e il fondo valle, le strutture antropiche abitative e di sfruttamento idrico. Sulla base di tutte queste considerazioni, si evidenzia come la presenza di abitati in altura (fortificati e non fortificati) ed in generale la protezione dello spazio sociale e produttivo mediante la costruzione di fortificazioni di pietra, costituiscano una assoluta discontinuità abitativa rispetto all'Età del Rame, testimoniando un clima di crescente tensione sociale ed una possibile crescente gerarchizzazione. Il capitolo 3 da seguito a tutte queste considerazioni analizzando le forme della produzione sociale e contestualizzandole in ogni singolo modello di insediamento: la caccia e la guerra (punte di freccia in selce, in osso e in rame), la produzione agricola (falci di selce, silos e grandi recipienti ceramici per lo stoccaggio dei cereali, macine per la produzione di farina), la produzione di derivati del latte (formaggiere ceramiche), la tessitura (pesi da telaio in terracotta), la filatura (fusaiole ceramiche), la produzione di oggetti in avorio (materia prima e preforme di avorio), e la metallurgia (minerale, scorie di fusione, crogioli di terracotta e forme di fusione di pietra). Il capitolo 4 mette in relazione i luoghi e le forme dello spazio sociale con l'organizzazione ed il controllo delle produzioni materiali, ricostruendo le dinamiche socio-politiche che possono aver generato le espressioni di potere ed il clima di tensione abitativa osservabili al nord di El Argar durante l'Età del Bronzo.
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Programa de Doctorat en Arqueologia Prehistòrica

This thesis aims to provide a critical account of Gaston Leroux’s Le Fantôme de l’Opéra (1910), which has become one of the most enduring and visible of modern myths. Leroux’s text discloses anxieties about a rapidly changing world, and these anxieties manifest themselves artistically in a simultaneous fascination and horror with the emerging episteme. Leroux’s story subsequently took on a life of its own in popular culture, yet, this thesis argues, many of these adaptations remain bound up in the same issues of futurity and dichotomies of masculinity, as well as concerns about the role of the artist in determining the values of his society.

The content of this thesis is based on original fieldwork by the candidate in the Black Desert, the basalt region of eastern Jordan. Very little is known about the prehistoric sequence of occupation in the area. The thesis attempts to outline this sequence through analysis of the survey data, and compare it to existing information from the better documented areas of Palestine and Syria. The first chapter describes the environment of the study area, both at present and in history, and sets out the survey and sampling techniques used in the study. The second chapter gives a brief description of the slender evidence for Lower and Middle Paleolithic in the region and the third chapter examines the evidence for the Epipaleolithic, comparing sites found on the survey with those from similar contexts and more contrasting ones in the fertile areas to the west. The fourth chapter covers the extensive evidence for aceramic Neolithic occupation and discusses the typelist adopted for the analysis. It describes the types of sites of this period, and includes detailed analyses of two excavated assemblages to demonstrate the special character of the sites in the survey area. The fifth chapter continues the discussion into the later Neolithic when there is a significant change in subsistance strategies in the desert. Many sites and findspots have been recorded for this period. The nature of their chipped stone industries and their distribution are examined and analysed, and contrasted with the evidence for this period from surrounding areas. The sixth chapter outlines the evidence for post-Neolithic occupation in the study area and elsewhere in the desert regions. It also presents the data for the chipped stone assemblage from Jawal an intrusive Late Chalcolithic/Early Bronze industry, the Cananean, typical of Palestine and western Syria. The final chapter sums up the results of the work and presents conclusions.

Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) are widely used devices controlling industrial machines and processes and many other diverse applications, requiring primarily, combinatorial logic and sequential control. The PLC is a hidden technology, little known by the general public and overlooked in academic historical studies of technology. The research reported in this thesis aims to address this lack of awareness. The thesis explores the development of sequential and combinatorial logic control technologies, the emergence of the PLC, its subsequent development and its industrial applications. Patents and first- hand accounts and experiences from senior industrial engineers in a number of diverse manufacturing industries have been used as the primary research sources since, as a hidden technology, academic historical accounts are sparse. This approach illustrates, through using the PLC as an example, a potential method of studying other, unrelated hidden technologies. The research has revealed the influence of geography, industrial settings and earlier engineering practices on the design, selection and application of PLC control technologies, and comments on the how these influences define specific communities of practice.

The Yorkshire Wolds encompasses a region with a rich and varied history where prehistoric funerary monuments abound. Explorations, both amateur and professional, have been carried out for over two centuries, resulting in a disjointed collection of human skeletons. What is perhaps surprising is that the human remains data has never been collated so the picture of prehistoric life on the Wolds is poorly understood. The aim of this thesis is to reconstruct the lifeways of the prehistoric people who were buried on the Yorkshire Wolds, and to assess to what degree the data is different to that from other parts of Britain or Europe. By investigating the themes of quality of life, social differentiation and movement within the context of osteology it was possible to determine a more realistic representation of the past. Using a multitude of methodologies including osteological and paleopathological diagnosis, stable isotope analysis and examinations of funerary rites to recognise and appreciate the complex relationships of people and their environment in prehistory. It has been determined that the inhabitants were subject to a variety of stressors in their earlier and later years, and that they experienced severe hardships in order to survive. The quality of life of these people decreased through time, and most specifically it was the women that lost out on the opportunity to improve their chances for survival and reproduction. The mechanisms associated with these changes may have been related to maternal health as well as the social differentiation that may have favoured males in the later period. As opposed to representing a single homogeneous collective inhabiting this region of East Yorkshire, these groups encompassed individuals with a range of backgrounds and movements. Although those buried on the Wolds have been identified as distinct or special owing to their burials, this did not buffer them from the harsh prehistoric landscape of the Yorkshire Wolds.

After excavations on Mapungubwe by the Department of Archaeology of the University of Pretoria. two definitive research reports emerged in 1979 and 1980. These reports placed the cultural historical framework for Mapungubwe on a firm foundation. superannuating earlier work that had been variously criticised as unsuitable for comparative purposes. The objectives of this research project were to excavate a related site in order to expand the avai I able comparative data and extend the spatial perspective of the Mapungubwe culture. To this end the site of Skutwater was selected. The material recovered from Skutwater was subjected to various analyses for defining the internal structure of Skutwater and generating comparative data. As far as possible quantitative data were used for comparisons. The relationship between Skutwater and Mapungubwe was interpreted within certain social. economic and political models and a definate relationship was found to exist.
Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 1987.
gm2014
Anthropology and Archaeology
unrestricted

L'objectiu general d'aquesta tesi és utilitzar un enfocament arqueozoològic per avançar Comprendre els canvis que la colonització romana de Tunísia va provocar en els animals. pràctiques de cria, patrons de dieta i comerç d'animals.Per aconseguir aquest objectiu, hem emprès un estudi comparatiu de encaixos faunístics.Hem analitzat les restes de fauna de Ghizen i Zama, i els resultats han estatcontextualitzat amb tota la informació arqueozoológica de Tunísia.Vam desenvolupar una metodologia específica per comparar dades de fauna . La nostraLes anàlisis es van concentrar a la quantificació taxonòmica de les principals espècies domèstiques.(Bovins, ovins, caprins i porcins) per establir la importància econòmica de cada tàxon Es van examinar els elements esquelètics per determinar els efectes de alteració tafonòmica i humana en cada acoblament. L'edat a el morir es va estimar en per fer llum sobre l'ús i l'explotació d'animals. Els nostres resultats proporcionen una major comprensió dels canvis en les pràctiques de cria d'animals, la dieta de carn i el comerç d'animals a Tunísia des de l'Edat del Ferro fins al període romà
El objetivo general de esta tesis es utilizar un enfoque arqueozoológico para avanzar Comprender los cambios que la colonización romana de Túnez provocó en los animales. prácticas de cría, patrones de dieta y comercio de animales. Para lograr este objetivo, hemos emprendido un estudio comparativo de ensambles faunísticos. Hemos analizado los restos de fauna de Ghizen y Zama, y los resultados han sido contextualizado con toda la información arqueozoológica disponible de Túnez. Desarrollamos una metodología específica para comparar datos de fauna publicados. Los análisis se concentraron en la cuantificación taxonómica de las principales especies domésticas. (bovinos, ovinos, caprinos y porcinos) para establecer la importancia económica de cada taxón Se examinaron los elementos esqueléticos para determinar los efectos de alteración tafonómica y humana en cada ensamblaje. La edad al morir se estimó en para arrojar luz sobre el uso y la explotación de animales. Nuestros resultados proporcionan una mayor comprensión de los cambios en las prácticas de cría de animales, la dieta de carne y el comercio de animales en Túnez desde la Edad del Hierro hasta el período romano
aumentó: el primero fueron explotados en gran medida por su lana, mientras que este último se convirtió en una importante fuente de carne. Al mismo tiempo, especies como el gato, la rata negra, el ratón doméstico, el conejo, la liebre y el barbecho los ciervos fueron introducidos en Túnez durante el período romano, lo que demuestra que los animales fueron otro producto comercializado en los puertos del norte de África. El comercio de animales fue una importante actividad económica para Túnez, no solo para la exportación de bestias salvajes sino También para la importación de animales salvajes y domésticos. La dieta de la carne también fue modificada, particularmente en las provincias del norte de Túnez, donde hubo un aumento en el consumo de carne de cerdo. Por lo tanto, proponemos que la carne dietética El patrón documentado en Túnez durante el período romano estuvo influenciado no solo por factores culturales, pero también por factores económicos y quizás ambientales, todos los c The broad aim of this thesis is to use an archeozoological approach to further understand the changes that the Roman colonization of Tunisia brought about in animal husbandry practices, diet patterns and the animal trade. To achieve this aim, we have undertaken a comparative study of faunal assemblages. We have analyzed the faunal remains from Ghizen and Zama, and the results have been contextualized with all the archaeozoological information available from Tunisia. We developed a specific methodology for comparing published faunal data. Our analyses concentrated on the taxonomical quantification of the main domestic species (cattle, sheep, goat and pig) in order to establish the economic importance of each taxon. The skeletal elements were examined in order to determine the effects of taphonomic and human alteration on each assemblage. Age at death was estimated in order to shed light on animal use and exploitation. Our results provide greater insight into changes in animal husbandry practices, meat diet and animal trade in Tunisia from the Iron Age to the Roman period

In this study, I use bioarchaeological data derived from human burials to evaluate subsistence change in mid-to-late Holocene central California (circa 4950-200 B.P.). Previous investigations in the region have proposed two competing models to account for changes in subsistence patterns. The seasonal stress hypothesis argues that the increased reliance on acorns and small seeds during the late Holocene led to improved health status, since these resources could be stored and used as a “buffer” against seasonal food shortages. In contrast, resource intensification models predict temporal declines in health during the late Holocene, as measured by a decline in dietary quality and health status, increased population crowding, and greater levels of sedentism. I test the hypothesis that health status, as measured by childhood stress and disease indicators, declined during the late Holocene in central California. I analyzed 511 human skeletons from ten archaeological sites in the Sacramento Valley and San Francisco Bay area to investigate temporal and spatial variability in diet and health. I analyzed a subset (n = 111) of this sample to evaluate prehistoric dietary patterns using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios. Indicators of health status show significant temporal and regional variation. In the Valley, tibial periosteal reactions, porotic hyperostosis, and enamel hypoplasias significantly increased through time, implying a decline in health status. In the Bay, health indicators show little temporal variability. However, inter-regional comparisons indicate a higher prevalence of stress and disease indicators among Bay Area skeletons than in the Valley skeletal series. The stable isotope data from human bone collagen and apatite also indicate significant interregional differences in prehistoric diets between the Bay and the Valley. In the Bay, diets shifted from high trophic level marine foods to a more terrestrially focused diet over time. In the Valley, there are no significant dietary trends observed in the data. Dental caries and antemortem tooth loss are significantly more prevalent in the Valley than in the Bay, and closely match the isotopic findings. The paleopathological findings provide support for late Holocene resource intensification models posited for the Valley, but not for the Bay Area.

This thesis uses mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) phylogenies to explore patterns of past human mobility in Oceania. To extend the current knowledge of mtDNA variation in Oceania, 20 entire mt genomes were sequenced and analysed in a data set of more than 144 sequences from Australia, Oceania, Island Southeast Asia and Taiwan. The MinMax Squeeze method enabled this large data set to be analysed with an optimality criterion (Pierson et al. 2006). The analysis revealed two major groups of haplogroups in Oceania, distinguished by the relationships to others outside of the region: an 'ancient' set of types whose phylogenies and distributions suggest they are descended from the Pleistocene-era settlers of Near Oceania, and a second 'young' group whose presence in Oceanic populations may reflect more recent movements into Near Oceania. The detailed phylogenies of these haplogroups presented here will aid in future investigations of human mtDNA in Oceania, allowing samples to be screened by defining mutations to target haplogroups of interest. A large data set of global entire human mt DNA sequences was assembled from public data bases and tested for evidence of selection and recombination. These tests, and phylogenetic analyses of random subsets of the data set, found high levels of homoplasy in the sequences. Homoplasy in the control region of the mtDNA molecule was examined in particular, resulting in a relative scale of mutability at each position of the ~1kb sequence. Subsequent phylogenetic tests of weighting schemes derived from this analysis for the control hypervariable region I (HVR-I) did not show demonstrable improvements over the unweighted examples, but did highlight instances in which the HVR-I sequence failed to predict the more robust trees generated by the coding region. Finally, the HVR-I and diagnostic SNPs were sequenced in a set of 46 Polynesian samples from Auckland, and this data was analysed within a large set of HVR-I sequences (more than 4000) from Oceanic, Asian and the American populations available from public data bases. These analyses were informed by the whole mtDNA phylogenies generated earlier in the project, and add population level data to the emerging picture of prehistoric female mobility gained from entire mtDNA analyses.

Aquesta tesi presenta una nova eina de diagnosi en coeducació patrimonial per a la divulgació de l’arqueologia prehistòrica, per poder implementar-la en museus i equipaments patrimonials que treballin la divulgació de la prehistòria. Aquesta eina, en forma de rúbrica d’avaluació, està construïda des d’una metodologia nova en coeducació patrimonial, que consisteix a aplicar la perspectiva de gènere a l’acció educativa patrimonial a través del relat que s’explica, l’acció educativa en si (àmbit relacional), i el llenguatge. Aquesta metodologia va ser creada, per a aquesta investigació a través de diferents disciplines. El marc teòric amb què es construeix l’eina de diagnòstic en coeducació patrimonial per a la divulgació de l’arqueologia prehistòrica es basteix amb un marc teòric que beu de diferents àmbits de coneixement transversals. La construcció d’aquesta eina va implicar un apropament epistemològic des de diferents àmbits de coneixement teòric i pràctic: l’arqueologia prehistòrica, l’educació i el feminisme. Des de la perspectiva de l’arqueologia prehistòrica, presenta una oportunitat d’aprofundir d’una forma crítica en els continguts (relats, narratives) i les formes que estan presents en els àmbits de la divulgació de la prehistòria i del patrimoni Aquesta metodologia de la coeducació patrimonial s’ha avaluat al Conjunt Rupestre de la Roca dels Moros del Cogul (Les Garrigues, Lleida). Després de la construcció i l’avaluació del model es generen uns resultats amb els quals s’obté l’eina de diagnosi i es fa una aplicació de l’eina al Museu d’Art Precolombí i Indígena de Montevideo (Uruguai). S’aplica el model de diagnosi de l’art rupestre europeu a un museu d’art precolombí i indígena llatinoamericà, un cas totalment oposat: un context expositiu sobre arqueologia prehistòrica, però amb referents diferents i es comprova que s’ha construït una eina no limitada a un context prehistòric concret. Una eina patrimonial aplicable a tots els contextos d’arqueologia prehistòrica de divulgació de la prehistòria.
Esta tesis presenta una nueva herramienta de diagnosis en coeducación patrimonial para la divulgación de la arqueología prehistórica, para poder implementarla en museos e instituciones patrimoniales que trabajen la divulgación de la prehistoria. Esta herramienta, en forma de rúbrica de evaluación, está construida desde una metodología nueva en coeducación patrimonial, que consiste en aplicar la perspectiva de género a la acción educativa patrimonial a través del relato que se explica, la acción educativa en sí (ámbito relacional), y el lenguaje. Esta metodología fue creada, para esta investigación a través de diferentes disciplinas. El marco teórico con que se construye la herramienta de diagnosis en coeducación patrimonial para la divulgación de la arqueología prehistórica se realiza con un marco teórico que bebe de diferentes ámbitos de conocimiento transversales. La construcción de esta herramienta implicó un acercamiento epistemológico desde diferentes ámbitos de conocimiento teórico y práctico: la arqueología prehistórica, la educación y el feminismo. Desde la perspectiva de la arqueología prehistórica, presenta una oportunidad de profundizar de una forma crítica en los contenidos (relatos, narrativas) y las formas que están presentes en los ámbitos de la divulgación de la prehistoria y del patrimonio arqueológico asociado. Esta metodología en coeducación patrimonial se ha evaluado en el Conjunto Rupestre de la Roca de los Moros del Cogul (Les Garrigues, Lleida). Después de la construcción y la evaluación del modelo se generan unos resultados con los cuales se obtiene la herramienta de diagnosis que se ha aplicado en el Museo de Arte Precolombino e Indígena de Montevideo (Uruguay). Se aplica el modelo de diagnosis del arte rupestre europeo a un museo de arte precolombino e indígena latinoamericano, un caso totalmente opuesto: un contexto expositivo sobre arqueología prehistórica, pero con referentes diferentes y se comprueba que se ha construido una herramienta no limitada a un contexto prehistórico concreto. Una herramienta patrimonial aplicable a todos los contextos de arqueología prehistórica de divulgación de la prehistoria.
This thesis presents a new diagnostic tool in heritage coeducation for the dissemination of prehistoric archaeology, to implement it in museums and heritage facilities aimed at the dissemination of prehistory. This tool, in the form of an evaluation scheme, is built up from a new methodology in heritage coeducation, which means to apply the gender perspective to patrimonial educational action through the explanatory account, educational action itself (relational realm), and language. This methodology was created for this research through different disciplines. The theoretical framework by which the diagnostic tool is constructed in heritage coeducation for the dissemination of prehistoric archaeology is built within a theoretical framework based different knowledge fields. The construction of this tool involved an epistemological approach from different approaches of theoretical and practical knowledge: prehistoric archaeology, education and feminism. From the perspective of prehistoric archeology, it presents an opportunity to delve in a critical way into the content (relates, narratives) and forms that are present in different contexts of the dissemination of prehistory and associated archaeological heritage. This methodology of heritage coeducation is used for evaluating the Roca dels Moros rock shelter (Les Garrigues, Lleida), because it is a model that is constructed from scratch for the spread of prehistory, from the postulates of feminist archaeology, heritage education (narratives and stories in the forms of discourse and images or museographies), and coeducation (the scope that has to do with educational action, the situations when educational activity occurs, and how the relationships between the different actors/activities that develop it: heritage – students – space), with qualitative methodologies (criteria and applied indicators relating, language and field) and quantitative (observation and surveys). Following the construction and evaluation of the model, results are generated from which the diagnostic tool is obtained. An application of this tool is made in the Museum of Pre-Columbian and Indigenous Art in Montevideo (Uruguay). In summary, a new elaborated diagnosis model is applied to opposite, but complementary cases: a European rock art cave and a pre-Columbian and indigenous Latin American museum of art. They represent expository contexts on prehistoric archaeology, but with different referents, demonstrating that the diagnostic tool is not limited to a particular prehistoric context, but is applicable to all kind public presentations about prehistoric archaeology.
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Programa de Doctorat en Arqueologia Prehistòrica

En aquesta tesis s’estudien els procediments, els valors, les normes i els bens materials creats per l’ésser humà amb el propòsit d’enfrontar allò que és inevitable, la mort. En definitiva, s’estudia una cultura de la mort en el context de la prehistòria recent del nord-est de la Península Ibèrica. Mitjançant aquesta cultura som capaços de respondre preguntes tan essencials per l’ésser humà com el sentit vertader de la nostra pròpia existència i el significat de la mort, més enllà de la fisiologia. La metafísica, el culte als avantpassats, la creença en un món d’ultratomba, els espais destinats als morts, els ritus de passatge, els gestos funeraris, etc., són aspectes que ens defineixen com a espècie. Les preocupacions metafísiques i existencials són part del nostre ADN, així com també les capacitats de resoldre aquests conflictes. La principal conclusió que extraiem de tot això és que els espais funeraris, en forma d’enterraments aïllats o de necròpolis, com el de Can Piteu - Can Roqueta —paradigma emprat en aquest treball—, són llocs per al record, llocs de memòria revestits d’una important càrrega simbòlica, amb independència del grau de cultualització de la societat vivent. La necròpolis i les ocupacions del bronze final de Can Roqueta, han subministrat les principals dades per a aquesta nostra recerca. Aquest lloc representa un dels conjunts funeraris més abundosos de la prehistòria recent peninsular, amb més de 1049 tombes d’incineració distribuïdes en una extensió de poc més de 800 m2. La primera fase es remunta al segle XI cal ANE, això no obstant, la fundació de la necròpolis podria arribar al segle XII cal ANE. En aquests moments el recinte arribarà a tenir una extensió mínima d’uns 465 m2. La part conservada està composta per 629 dispositius funeraris, dels quals 600 són tombes d’incineració, prototípiques de la regió geogràfica i de la cronologia estudiades. És precisament aquesta fase seminal de l’establiment la que s’ha emprat per a estudiar la cultura de la mort en una comunitat agropecuària del nord-est peninsular. Abans de qualsevol consideració sobre com vivien la mort els pobladors d’aquest racó de la Mediterrània ens ha calgut estudiar les estructures funeràries. La primera conclusió que podem extreure és que ens trobem al davant d’un sistema d’enterrament certament estandarditzat, que repeteix en tots els casos els formulismes propis d’una normalització de la mort. Així les coses, hi ha uns preceptes genèrics que es repeteixen de forma recurrent —excepcions excepcionals a banda—: deposició ritualitzada de les restes cremades del finat dins d’una fossa excavada a terra. Observem que la mort es viu a casa, tanmateix està sancionada i normativitzada socialment; que hi ha una sistematització en el seu tractament; que hi ha una idea precisa del que significa la desaparició de la persona humana i la transcendència del fenomen biològic; que hi ha un arrelament territorial i un sentiment de pertinença a un grup, avalat i assenyalat per un establiment funerari; que hi ha una voluntat de mantenir la cohesió del grup, dels seus components, amb independència de si són persones vives o mortes, antigues o contemporànies. En definitiva, el culte als morts, en els termes descrits, evoca una societat ben estructurada i cohesionada, amb uns valors solidaris estables, conscient dels valors que tot això comporta per a la subsistència, i amb vocació de transcendir.
En esta tesis se estudian los procedimientos, los valores, las normas y los bienes materiales creados por el ser humano con el propósito de afrontar lo que es inevitable, la muerte. En definitiva, se estudia una cultura de la muerte en el contexto de la Prehistoria Reciente del Nordeste de la Península Ibérica. Mediante esta cultura somos capaces de responder preguntas tan esenciales para el ser humano como el sentido verdadero de nuestra propia existencia y el significado de la muerte, más allá de la fisiología. La metafísica, el culto a los antepasados, la creencia en un mundo de ultratumba, los espacios destinados a los muertos, los ritos de paso, los gestos funerarios, etc., son aspectos que nos definen como especie. Las preocupaciones metafísicas y existenciales son parte de nuestro ADN, así como las capacidades de resolver estos conflictos. La principal conclusión que extraemos de todo esto es que los espacios funerarios, en forma de enterramientos aislados o de necrópolis, como el de Can Piteu - Can Roqueta —paradigma empleado en este trabajo—, son lugares para el recuerdo, lugares de memoria revestidos de una importante carga simbólica, con independencia del grado de cultualización de la sociedad viviente. La necrópolis y las ocupaciones del Bronce Final de Can Roqueta, han suministrado los principales datos para esta nuestra investigación. Este sitio representa uno de los conjuntos funerarios más abundantes de la Prehistoria Reciente peninsular, con más de 1.049 tumbas de incineración distribuidas en una extensión de poco más de 800 m2. La primera fase se remonta al siglo XI cal ANE, no obstante, la fundación de la necrópolis podría llegar al siglo XII cal ANE. En estos momentos el recinto llegará a tener una extensión mínima de unos 465 m2. La parte conservada está compuesta por 629 dispositivos funerarios, de los cuales 600 son tumbas de incineración, prototípicas de la región geográfica y de la cronología estudiadas. Es precisamente esta fase seminal del establecimiento la que se ha empleado para estudiar la cultura de la muerte en una comunidad agropecuaria del Nordeste peninsular. Antes de cualquier consideración sobre cómo vivían la muerte los pobladores de este rincón del Mediterráneo ha sido necesario estudiar las estructuras funerarias. La primera conclusión que podemos extraer es que nos encontramos ante un sistema de enterramiento ciertamente estandarizado, que repite en todos los casos los formulismos propios de una normalización de la muerte. Así las cosas, hay unos preceptos genéricos que se repiten de forma recurrente —excepciones excepcionales aparte—: deposición ritualizada de los restos quemados del finado dentro de una fosa excavada en el suelo. Observamos que la muerte se vive en casa, sin embargo está sancionada y normativizada socialmente; que hay una sistematización en su tratamiento; que hay una idea precisa de lo que significa la desaparición de la persona humana y la trascendencia del fenómeno biológico; que hay un arraigo territorial y un sentimiento de pertenencia a un grupo, avalado y señalado por un establecimiento funerario; que hay una voluntad de mantener la cohesión del grupo, de sus componentes, con independencia de si son personas vivas o muertas, antiguas o contemporáneas. En definitiva, el culto a los muertos, en los términos descritos, evoca una sociedad bien estructurada y cohesionada, con unos valores solidarios estables, consciente de los valores que todo esto conlleva para la subsistencia, y con vocación de trascender.
This thesis examines the procedures, values, norms and material goods created by human beings in order to face what is inevitable, death. In short, a culture of death is studied in the context of recent Prehistory in the Northeast of the Iberian Peninsula. Through this culture, we are able to answer questions as essential to human beings as the true meaning of our own existence and the meaning of death, beyond physiology. Metaphysics, ancestor worship, belief in a world beyond the grave, spaces for the dead, rites of passage, funeral gestures, and so on, they are aspects that define us as a species. Metaphysical and existential concerns are part of our DNA, as well as the capability to resolve these conflicts. The main conclusion we draw from all this is that funerary spaces, in the form of isolated burial or necropolis, such as Can Piteu - Can Roqueta —paradigm used in this work—, they are places of remembrance, places of memory covered with an important symbolic burden, regardless of culturalization degree of living society. The necropolis and the Late Bronze Age occupations of Can Roqueta have provided the main data for our research. This site represents one of the most abundant funerary ensembles of recent peninsular Prehistory, with more than 1,049 incineration tombs spread over an area of just over 800 m2. The first phase dates back to the 11th century cal BCE, however, the necropolis foundation could reach the 12th century cal BCE. At this time the enclosure will have a minimum area of about 465 m2. The preserved part is composed of 629 funerary devices, 600 of which are incineration tombs, prototypical of the geographical region and the chronology studied. This seminal phase of the establishment it’s exactly what has been used to study the culture of death in an agricultural community in the peninsular Northeast. Before any consideration of how the inhabitants of this Mediterranean corner lived death, it was necessary to study the funerary structures. The first conclusion we can draw is that we are faced with a certainly standardized burial system, which repeats in all cases the typical formalities of a death normalization. Thus, there are generic precepts that repeat themselves in a recurring way - exceptional exceptions aside -: ritualized deposition of the deceased burned remains inside a grave dug into the ground. We note that death is lived at home, however it is sanctioned and socially standardized; that there is a systematization in its treatment; that there is a precise idea what the human person disappearance means and the significance of the biological phenomenon; that there is a territorial roots and a sense of belonging to a group, endorsed and marked by a funerary establishment; that there is a willingness to maintain the group cohesion, its components, regardless they are living or dead, ancient or contemporary. In short, the cult of the dead, in described terms, evokes a well-structured and cohesive society, with stable solidarity values, aware of the values that all this entails for subsistence, and with a vocation to transcend.
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Programa de Doctorat en Arqueologia Prehistòrica

Languages, like species, evolve. Just like biologists, historical linguists infer relationships between the lineages they study by analysing heritable features. For linguists, these features can be words, grammar and phonemes. This linguistic evidence of descent with modification plays an important role in our understanding of human prehistory. However, conventional methods in historical linguistics do not employ an explicit optimality criterion to evaluate evolutionary language trees. These methods cannot quantify uncertainty in the inferences nor provide an absolute chronology of divergence events. Previous attempts to estimate divergence times from lexical data using glottochronological methods have been heavily criticized, particularly for the assumption of constant rates of lexical replacement. Computational phylogenetic methods from biology can overcome these problems and allow divergence times to be estimated without the assumption of constant rates. Here these methods are applied to lexical data to test hypotheses about human prehistory. First, divergence time estimates for the age of the Indo-European language family are used to test between two competing theories of Indo- European origin - the Kurgan hypothesis and the Anatolian farming hypothesis. The resulting age estimates are consistent with the age range implied by the Anatolian farming theory. Validation exercises using different models, data sets and coding procedures, as well as the analysis of synthetic data, indicate these results are highly robust. Second, the same methodology was applied to Mayan lexical data to infer historical relationships and divergence times within the Mayan language family. The results highlight interesting uncertainties in Mayan language relationships and suggest that the family may be older than previously thought. Finally, returning to biology, similar tree-building and model validation techniques are used to draw inferences about human origins and dispersal from human mitochondrial DNA sequence data. These analyses support a human origin 150,000-250,000 years ago and reveal time dependency in rates of mitochondrial DNA evolution. Population size estimates generated using a coalescent approach suggest a twophase human population expansion from Africa. Potential correlations between human genetic and linguistic diversity are highlighted. I conclude that there is much to be gained by linguists and biologists using the same methods and speaking the same language.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Macquarie University, Division of Society, Culture, Media and Philosophy, Warawara - Dept. of Indigenous Studies, 2005.
Bibliography: p. 248-265.
Introduction and method -- General issues in heritage interpretation: Monuments and memorials; Museums; Other issues -- Historic site case studies: Parramatta Park and Old Government House; The Meeting Place Precinct - Botany Bay National Park; Myall Creek -- Discussion and conclusions.
It has long been established that in Australia contemporary (post-contact) Aboriginal history has suffered as a result of the colonisation process. Aboriginal history was seen as belonging in the realm of prehistory, rather than in contemporary historical discourses. Attempts have now been made to reinstate indigenous history into local, regional and national historical narratives. The field of heritage interpretation however, still largely relegates Aboriginal heritage to prehistory. This thesis investigates the ways in which Aborigianl history can be incorporated into the interpetation of contemporary or post-contact history at heritage sites. The thesis uses the principle of 'shared history' as outlined by the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation, as a starting point in these discussions.
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Interpretations of osteological remains from mainland Greece during the 1960-1980s led to the suggestion that the most virulent form of malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, was prevalent between the Mesolithic and Late Bronze Age (c. 8700 cal. BC-1100 cal. BC). Although disregarded over the past decade, the theory has regained support in recent years from osteological, epidemiological, environmental and DNA studies. However, the presence of this strain of malaria in prehistoric Greece remains controversial. This thesis evaluates 1) the palaeoclimatic conditions of the Aegean between the Mesolithic and Late Bronze Age and 2) the palaeoenvironmental conditions of three archaeological settlements, with the aim of ascertaining whether the climatic and environmental conditions were as conducive for P. falciparum and the mosquito vectors as the osteological evidence suggested. Equal consideration is given to the so-called ‘lesser strains’ of malaria, P. vivax and P. malariae, the significance of which is considered to have been underestimated in previous studies.

The universality and importance of cooking both culturally and biologically is well established. Knowing when, where, and how in the archaeological record human groups began employing this practice can help answer questions concerning the timing and mechanism of both behavioral and anatomical changes in hominins. Identifying cooking in the archaeological record, however, is a complex taphonomic issue. When, where, and how hominins started controlling fire in the past is a greatly debated topic. Analyses of microscopic traces in soil and on bone may offer new lines of taphonomic evidence needed to demonstrate a specific use for fire. Specific cooking practices may also leave behind specific traces of macro-, micro-, faunal, and artifactual evidence. Previous research showed no change in the mineral component of human bone when boiled. To test the hypothesis that crystallinity changes also do not occur under low intensity thermal alteration, domestic pig limb bones were boiled for varying lengths of time. This study determined that even at longer periods of boiling, no observable change is observed in the crystallinity of the hydroxyapatite of bone. What was noted, however, was the existence of patina fractures on fleshed bone when boiled to certain lengths of time. Continued study of this novel observation may offer new insights into what degree of thermal intensity is needed for certain macroscopic observations and what micro- or primary structural properties of bone account for them. Other methods that examine the microstructure of bone may be able to detect changes that occur with low intensity thermal alteration that are unrelated to the state of the hydroxyapatite minerals. Further investigation is needed to understand which methods are best able, if possible, to identify differences that occur in bone that undergoes different diagenetic processes (i.e. weathering vs. low intensity thermal alteration vs. high intensity thermal alteration). Such investigations can illuminate how fire was utilized in the past.

This chapter sets out a new proposal for a coherent interdisciplinary prehistory of the Andes, based firstly on a long overdue reexamination of the relationships between the various regional ‘dialects’ within the Quechua language family; and secondly on the search for a far more satisfactory correlation with the archaeological record.Our founding principle is that language expansions do not ‘just happen’. Rather, they happen only for those very same reasons of socio-cultural change that archaeology seeks to describe through its own, independent data. Here is the true link between our disciplines, so we discard outdated, facile equations of ‘language equals culture equals genes’, in favour of the real correlation: that language families necessarily reflect past expansive processes, whose traces should also be clear in the material culture record. This principle is one that we can make use of to identify and assess correspondences between archaeological and linguistic patterns, on three levels: chronology, geography, and above all, causation. Or in other words: when, where and why did particular language expansions occur?In the Andes, in principle this entails that we should look to the Horizons, not the Intermediate Periods, as offering the most natural explanations for the major Quechua and Aymara dispersals. With the Incas too late to account for the time-depth of either family, the most plausible candidate for the first major expansion of Quechua turns out in our view to be the Wari Middle Horizon, with the Chavín Early Horizon more tentatively suggested as behind the earlier spread of the Aymara family. This effectively both upturns the traditional Torero hypothesis, and bears clear implications for the long debate in archaeology as to the nature, duration and extent of ‘Horizons’.
Este artículo propone una nueva visión de la prehistoria andina, que busca tejer un conjunto mas coherente entre las varias disciplinas que intentan entender el pasado precolombino. Se fundamenta, en primer lugar, en una reexaminación, pendiente ya desde décadas, de la clasificación tradicional de las relaciones entre los diversos "dialectos" regionales al interior de la familia lingüística quechua; y, en segundo lugar, en la búsqueda de una correlación mucho más satisfactoria con el registro arqueológico.El nuevo enfoque que aquí proponemos se enraíza en el principio fundamental que si algunas lenguas mayores han logrado dispersarse de manera espectacular, esto no pudo haber ocurrido sin ningún motivo. Más bien, tales expansiones lingüísticas se deben a las mismas razones —es decir, los mismos cambios socioculturales— que la arqueología también busca describir por medio de sus propios datos independientes. Allí radica el auténtico vínculo entre nuestras disciplinas, de manera que podemos descartar las ecuaciones simplistas y obsoletas del estilo "lengua=cultura=genes", en favor de la correlación verdadera: las familias de lenguas reflejan procesos expansivos pasados, cuyos indicios deberían quedar claros también en el registro de la cultura material. Este principio se aprovecha para identificar y evaluar las correspondencias entre los patrones arqueológicos y lingüísticos, y así en tres niveles: la cronología, la geografía y, sobre todo, la causalidad. En otras palabras: ¿cuando, dónde y porqué se difundieron determinadas lenguas?En los Andes esto implica que en principio debemos ver a los horizontes, y no a los periodos intermedios, como los que ofrecen las explicaciones más naturales para las dispersiones mayores del quechua y el aimara. Ya que el Imperio incaico remonta a una época demasiado tardía las explicaciones de la profundidad temporal de cada familia, es más bien el Horizonte Medio Wari el que se vuelve el candidato más verosímil para haber vehiculizado la primera gran expansión del quechua, según nuestro parecer. Asimismo, aunque de manera más tentativa, se sugiere que el Horizonte Temprano Chavín pudo haber impulsado la dispersión más temprana de la familia aimara. Esto, en efecto, trastoca la hipótesis tradicional de Torero, además de conllevar claras implicancias para el largo debate arqueológico acerca de la naturaleza, duración y extensión de los "horizontes".

A comparative approach to analysis of the body of tree-ring data from prehistoric sites in the American Southwest provides information on patterns of wood use, the effectiveness of interpretive methods, and culture history. Requisite to this approach is an interpretive framework developed since the 1920's by archaeologists versed in tree-ring analysis. Central to this scheme is indirect dating, by means of which dates derived for biological events of tree growth are applied to progressively more remote events in human history. A new contribution to this framework is an interpretive model that focuses on the shape of tree-ring date distributions. The framework guides re-interpretation of tree-ring data from sites categorized as Mogollon 2 through 4, Basketmaker III, Pueblo I, Pueblo II, Chaco, Pueblo III, Western Pueblo, Rio Grande, and Pueblo V, and from late pithouses and miscellaneous kivas. Coverage is relatively comprehensive for pithouse sites, Pueblo I sites, and kivas, but selective for post-Pueblo. Interpretations assign dates to construction and repair events, identify dates from deadwood and from eroded, stockpiled, and reused beams, demonstrate the usefulness of detailed provenience information on individual tree-ring samples, and evaluate tree-ring data for reconstructing structure and site histories. The potential contribution to culture history of the corpus of tree-ring dated events is illustrated through discussion of 213 dated pitstructures. This body of data also contributes to knowledge of past wood use and to understanding of interpretive methods. Thus, dates from firewood samples tend to predate hearth use dates, "v" dates are close or equal to cutting dates, and "++" dates are useful though imperfect indicators of deadwood use. Construction-repair intervals indicate that pithouses typically survived for less than 20 years; no such limitation applies to kivas. A sample of 20 or more dates is usually adequate for dating a pitstructure; as the sample falls below this level, unless patterning is clearcut, dating confidence decreases. Patterning in date distributions suggests that many sites were abandoned within a decade or two after their latest tree-ring date.

El sector uruguayo de la cuenca de Laguna Merín es objeto de investigaciones arqueológicas desde hace aproximadamente 30 años. Arqueológicamente, se caracteriza por la gran abundancia de yacimientos monticulares, que se distribuyen por toda la región, pero asociados fundamentalmente a tierras bajas y cursos de agua. Los modelos sociales propuestos plantean la existencia de sociedades cazadoras-recolectoras horticultoras que a partir del circa 4000 A.P. atravesaron un proceso de cambio social, vinculado a los cambios climáticos y paleoambientales del Holoceno, que implicó el aumento de la sedentarización y la territorialización, la utilización de los montículos como espacios funerarios, la adopción de la tecnología cerámica, la producción de vegetales domesticados y el surgimiento de aldeas y arquitectura pública, entre otros rasgos. En este contexto de cambio y transformación social, la evidencia arqueofaunística se interpretó en el marco de un aumento progresivo del espectro de animales explotados, pero en una gestión estructurada en torno a una pocas especies que aportarían la mayor parte de la biomasa animal consumida: los cérvidos en los sitios continentales y los pinnípedos en la costa atlántica. En esta tesis se aborda la gestión de los recursos animales en la prehistoria de esta región a partir del análisis del material arqueofaunístico del sitio Ch2D01, excavación IA (2000-290 años A.P.) y comparación y articulación con la información arqueofaunística disponibles para otros sitios tanto continentales como costeros. El conjunto arqueofaunístico de este sitio fue seleccionado por su gran abundancia, que supera ampliamente a todos los conjuntos analizados hasta el momento y su buen estado de conservación. El análisis se centró por un lado en cuestiones arqueotafonómicos, tanto en lo que tiene que ver con los agentes tafonómicos naturales como los antrópicos y los relacionados a la propia investigación. Por otro lado, el estudio caracterizó la muestra tanto a nivel taxonómico, como anatómico y cualitativo. Este análisis, y su articulación con la información regional ha aumentado significativamente el conocimiento de la gestión prehistórica animal de esta región y relación con el entorno. Tafonómicamente, se trata de un conjunto con escasas modificaciones de origen animal y vegetal, pero con importante presencia de concreciones carbonáticas, una muy buena preservación y sin daño por rodamiento. El principal gente modificador del conjunto fue la propia investigación arqueológica, que a través de la aplicación de metodologías diferenciales de excavación que impactó en la recuperación de los restos de menor tamaño y por lo tanto en la representatividad de los taxones más pequeños. El espectro taxonómico y su comportamiento diacrónico, sugieren una gestión animal que se apoya en unas pocas especies fundamentales (ciervo de los pantanos, venado de campo, apereá, nutria, ñandú y carpincho). A partir del comportamiento de estas especies, en esta tesis se plantea como hipótesis la existencia de un manejo del venado de campo próximo a la ranchería y el control de rebaños y de la protodomesticación del apereá. Se plantea la necesidad de desarrollar líneas de investigación tales como el ADN antiguo y la biometría como forma de profundizar en esta hipótesis.
The Uruguayan sector of the Laguna Merin Basin has been the subject of archaeological research from about 30 years ago. It is characterized archaeologically by the abundance of mounds, which are distributed throughout the region, but mainly related to lowlands and waterways. The proposed social models suggest the existence of hunter-gatherer and horticultural societies by circa 4000 B.P. They went through a process of social change, linked to Holocene climate and paleoenvironmental change, which involved increasing sedentarism and territoriality, the use of the mounds as burial sites, the adoption of ceramic technology, the production of domesticated plant and the emergence of villages and public architecture, among other features. In this context of change and social transformation, arqueofaunal evidence was interpreted as corresponding to a gradual increase of the range of exploited animal resources. Although the exploitations strategy was structured around a few species that would provide most of the animal biomass consumed: deer in continental sites and seals on the Atlantic coast. The management of animal resources in the prehistory of this region is analyzed through the analysis of the archaeofaunal assemblage from the site Ch2D01, excavation IA (2000-290 B.P.) and comparison and linkage with other archaeofaunal information available for both sites inland and coastal. This site was selected for its abundance, which exceeds by far all other archaeozoological samples analyzed so far, and for its good general preservation and contextual record. The analysis is focused on one hand on archaeotaphonomic issues, having to do with both, natural and anthropogenic taphonomic agents, but also related to the research itself. Furthermore, the study shows the influence of those agents in the anatomical and qualitative composition of the sample. This analysis, and its coordination with the regional information have significantly increased the understanding of prehistoric animal management in this region and its relationship with the environment. Taphonomically, the assemblage shows few modifications due animal or vegetal activity, but there is a significant presence of carbonate concretions. The preservation of animal remains in the site is very good showing few traces of wearing. The main taphonomic bias was the archaeological research itself, because the application of differential methods of excavation and recovery reduces the representativeness of the smaller taxa. The taxonomic spectrum and diachronic behavior suggest an animal management that relies on a few key species (marsh deer, pampas deer, aperea, otter, rhea and capybara). This thesis hypothesizes the existence of a rancher like management of the pampas deer with control of herds and a protodomestication of apereá. The development of other research areas such as ancient DNA and biometrics is needed go deeper in the verification of this hypothesis.

En este estudio realizado en la cuenca media del río Sogamoso, titulado, Tecnología lítica y cerámica: sociedades prehistóricas del río Sogamoso, Santander, Colombia, constituye el soporte científico y documental de la tesis doctoral, la cual se desarrolló en dos sitios arqueológicos; La fe, 7500 B.P y Los Teres, 2300-800 B.P., En este trabajo se priorizaron cuatro aspectos: 1. El conocimiento geológico-arqueológico en el contexto de los patrones de asentamiento prehistóricos, 2. El análisis de los asentamientos y la vivienda y su arreglo en el paisaje, 3. La tecnología lítica y la tecnología alfarera y sus productos arqueológicos (herramientas líticas y contenedores cerámicos en el contexto socio-productivo) y 4. La gestión de los recursos minerales. La base documental obtenida en campo, en conjunto, permitió explicar los procesos de poblamiento y cambio social, representado arqueológicamente en los asentamientos como unidad de análisis histórico-social, en los formatos tecnológicos de orden lítico o alfarero (en el contexto socio productivo) y en las pautas de asentamiento expresadas como modificaciones en el paisaje, que presentaron las respuestas de orden económico, social e histórico. Para ello, se planeó un trabajo colaborativo entre geología, arqueología e ingeniería catastral y geodesia, para utilizar cartografía temática ambiental-arqueológica a distintas escalas: en el análisis de los paisajes, los asentamientos, los yacimientos extractivos y de los productos arqueológicos (lítico y cerámico); y se utilizaron diferentes estrategias metodológicas y técnicas de análisis de cada saber, pero siempre ajustadas a los propósitos arqueológicos y apoyados en un conjunto de análisis fisicoquímicos para lograr una visión a múltiples escalas. Estas de orden macro y micro, tienen el propósito de conocer la matriz ambiental y valorar las respuestas tecnológicas expresadas en la tecnología lítica y la tecnología cerámica, valorar el paisaje (natural y socio-cultural), la composición de los suelos, los micro-suelos en los sitios de habitación prehispánicos y el poblamiento regional amerindio, sus dinámicas y sus procesos de transformación. Los resultados obtenidos en las fases de campo (prospección, excavaciones, laboratorio y, análisis de resultados) de tal investigación, conforman el cuerpo documental de esta tesis para optar al título de doctor en Arqueología Prehistórica de la Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona. Este trabajo de investigación, abre las puertas para abordar nuevas preguntas sobre la historia social prehispánica nacional y regional y, por ello, este trabajo es una clara contribución al conocimiento arqueológico, histórico y cultural de la región del nororiente colombiano, en cuanto al poblamiento de la montaña santandereana y la problemática pre guane - guane, de la llamada arqueología de la “región guane”. Los resultados recuperados en esta tesis, periten abordar la transformación social y económica de las sociedades hortícolas del Arcaico a primeras sociedades agricultor- sedentarias en el Nororiente de Colombia y propone una explicación del proceso histórico-social y de desarrollo socio-´político social (asentamientos) y económico (desarrollo pleno de la producción agrícola de granos como el maíz y tubérculos como la yuca y de producción de recipientes de cerámica), lo que en la terminología de América se identifica como período formativo. En este período formativo, la transformación de las sociedades hortícolas a sociedades agro-alfarera, significó una competencia por la apropiación de recursos bióticos y abióticos que generó un grado de conciencia hacia la tierra y cuyo sentido de pertenencia filial-parentesco, expresó una idea de dominio social de un espacio social que nosotros acogemos en dos conceptos: el territorio, como un espacio físico y social sometido a un control social y político y el de lugar, como el espacio particular o específico de ocupación de un grupo cuya concepción social y expresión material incluye lo que otros investigadores plantean como la “esfera de la cultura”.
The documentary base obtained in field, set allowed explain the processes of settlement and social change, represented archaeologically in the settlements as a unit of historical and social analysis, technological formats potter lithic or order (in the social productive context) and in settlement patterns expressed as changes in the landscape, which presented the responses of economic, social and historical order. For this, a collaborative work between geology, archeology and cadastral engineering and geodesy planned, to use and archaeological environmental at different scales thematic mapping: the analysis of landscapes, settlements, extractive sites and archaeological items (lytic and ceramic); and different methodological and technical analysis of each find strategies were used, but always adjusted to archaeological purposes and backed by a range of physicochemical analysis to gain insight at multiple scales. These macro and micro order, are intended to meet the environmental matrix and assess the technological responses expressed in lithic technology and ceramic technology, assess the landscape (natural and sociocultural), the composition of the soil, the micro- soils at the sites of prehistoric room and Amerindian regional settlement, their dynamics and their transformation processes. The results obtained in the field phases (exploration, excavation, laboratory, analysis of results) of such research, make the documentary body of this thesis for the degree of doctor of Prehistoric Archaeology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. This research opens the door to address new questions about national and regional pre-Hispanic social history and, therefore, this work is a clear contribution to the archaeological, historical and cultural knowledge of the region in northeast Colombia, regarding the settlement of the mountain and the problems Santander pre guane - guane, call archeology "guane region." The results retrieved in this thesis, periten address the social and economic transformation of horticultural societies Archaic to farmer-first sedentary societies in northeastern Colombia and proposes an explanation of the historical and social process development and social socio-'político (settlements ) and economic (full development of agricultural production of grains such as corn and tubers like cassava and production of ceramic vessels), which in the terminology of America is identified as formative period. In this formative period, the transformation of the horticultural societies to societies agro-pottery, meant competition for the appropriation of biotic and abiotic resources generated a degree of consciousness to earth and whose sense of filial-kinship membership, expressed an idea social domain of a social space that we welcome on two concepts: the territory, as a physical and social space subjected to social and political control and place, as the particular or specific area of occupation of a social group whose conception and expression material includes what other researchers pose as the "sphere of culture".

This thesis is concerned with how prehistoric infants were fed in different physical and cultural environments, and in particular what impact the economic, social, and epidemiological changes associated with the development of agriculture had on infant feeding practices. In order to examine these effects, stable isotope ratio analysis has been used to assess the duration of breastfeeding and weaning in a variety of prehistoric contexts. The first study is of Pitted Ware Culture hunter-gatherers at the site of Ajvide on Gotland, Sweden. Breastfeeding usually continued for at least two years, but there was some variation in supplementary foods, which is attributed to seasonal variations in resource availability. The second study analysed a number of Neolithic and early Bronze Age sites from south-east Poland. Breastfeeding duration varied both within and between sites and ranged from six months to five years. The third study found that the infant feeding practices of two Iron Age populations on Öland, Sweden, were very varied, and infants may have been fed differently depending on their social status. The fourth study is of the childhood diet in the Únětice Culture of south-west Poland. Individual diets changed little during the lifetime, suggesting that eventual adult identity was determined early in life. A small number of infants in the study were found to have breastfed for differing lengths of time. The final paper considers the health consequences of introducing animal milks into the infant diet in a prehistoric context, and finds that their availability is unlikely to have made it possible to safely wean infants earlier. Comparison of the results from the four stable isotope studies to those of other published studies reveals that the modal age at the end of weaning was slightly lower in agricultural communities than hunter-gatherer communities, but the range of ages was similar. Weaning prior to the age of eighteen months was rare before the post-medieval period. It is argued that the gradual reduction in breastfeeding duration since the Neolithic, and the replacement of breastmilk with animal milk products, means that on the whole the development of agriculture probably served to increase infant morbidity and mortality.

At the time of doctoral defense the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 1: Manuscript; Paper 4: Accepted; Paper 5: Forthcoming 2014

Lactase Persistence and the early Cultural History of Europe (LeCHE)

This thesis attempts to study the prehistoric archaeology of the English-Welsh Marches (the Anglo-Welsh borderland) from a theoretical position which includes the concept of belonging engendered by landscape and which is informed by border theory. As such it critiques recent approaches which emphasise ethnicity and personhood. The concept of culture is also critically examined and an approach taken which is described as a "border perspective". The Neolithic and Bronze Age archaeology of the region is outlined and three classes of evidence form the main focus of the study. The use of stone and flint for the production of tools is considered and the distribution of these materials used to illustrate the presence of a prehistoric population with connections outside the region. The use of stone' as a potting material in the later part of the Bronze Age is also considered, and the use of special materials from places such as the Malvern Hills and Clee Hills is described. The analysis of the production, utilisation and discard of Bronze Age metalwork is the second class of material covered here. Distinctive patterns of use and deposition are identified and some interpretations of the possible meanings of these patterns are forwarded. The construction of enclosures is the final class of evidence considered. The construction of enclosures throughout prehistory is a well-known practise, but those in the study area differ in a number of ways to those found elsewhere. Particular attention is focussed on the construction of hilltop enclosures/hillforts in the later part of the Bronze Age and the social role these might have played. A number of themes run through the research presented here. These include the use of places such as hilltops and wetlands for certain kinds of practise; the nature of difference and how this may be accounted for and the negotiation of different kinds of border by individuals in the past.

This study examines the evidence for later prehistoric and Romano-British settlement in the four counties of north east England. The aim is to explore the ways in which landscape archaeology can be used to gain an understanding of social interaction. The work is essentially a theoretical study although it derives from a comprehensive survey of the empirical evidence. It stresses the importance of the conceptual framework within which archaeological research is undertaken and aims to show that approaches currently employed in this area fail to explore the full potential of the existing data set. The survey therefore begins with a critical assessment of that data set and the factors both natural and anthropogenic which have affected the existing record. Comprehending the use of space is seen as fundamental to understanding past society. An initial analysis of settlement morphology is developed into a series of studies examining spatial patterning on a variety of scales. Quantitative techniques for the analysis of patterning at inter and intra-site levels are introduced. The observed patterns are seen to relate to social organisation and different social formations across space and time are identified. The idea that the environment and hence the economy, played a deterministic role in the settlement history of this area is rejected. The environmental background and its economic potential are examined in some detail and it is suggested that economic activity was directed by social relations. Observed differences in farming practice throughout the region are discussed in terms of social relations of production and the groupings which emerge show a strong correlation with the social formations identified by spatial analysis. The results of this work serve to build up a picture of the organisation of social groups at the settlement level and their interaction with neighbouring groups. Possible directions for further work are suggested.