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[ES] El asentamiento de Arunda, actual Ronda (provincia de Málaga), se localizó en el barrio de La Ciudad, sobre un oppidum ibérico. En los años 90 se descubrieron niveles de época romana con parte del sistema de distribución de agua potable por presión. Este hallazgo corroboró la romanidad del acueducto de la Fuente de la Arena, que conducía el agua 6 km desde los manantiales de los Llanos de la Arena, en el borde norte (al pie) de la sierra de Jarastepar. Los afloramientos carbonatados de la sierra de Jarastepar conforman un acuífero con una superficie de 25 km2 , cuya recarga se produce exclusivamente por infiltración de la precipitación (8,9 hm3 /año). Los manantiales de los Llanos de la Arena drenan un sector de este acuífero con unos recursos medios de 1,6 hm3 /año. La construcción del acueducto ocurrió no antes de finales del siglo I d.C. y, más probablemente en la centuria siguiente, que coincidió con una fase extremadamente árida en el sur de la península Ibérica (ca. 150 a.C.- 150 d.C). Los elementos identificados en la conducción son: el caput aquae, el specus de ladrillo con tubería de cerámica, un tramo aéreo de más de 200 m y la conocida Torre del Predicatorio (origen de un sifón hasta el otro extremo elevado de la ciudad). El acueducto de la Fuente de la Arena es una infraestructura de relevancia que captaba recursos hídricos suficientes para garantizar el abastecimiento a Arunda, a pesar de las condiciones climáticas desfavorables. Ello indica que las actividades que se desarrollaban en la ciudad estaban muy por encima de un mero asentamiento., [EN] The settlement of Arunda, now known as Ronda (Malaga) was located in the neighbourhood of La Ciudad, upon an Iberian oppidum. In the 1990s, some Roman levels were discovered with part of the potable water distribution system using pressure. This finding corroborated the Roman origins of the Fuente de la Arena aqueduct that brought water from the Llanos de la Arena springs, 6 km away, at the foot of the Sierra de Jarastepar. Jarastepar carbonate outcrops make up an aquifer with an area of 25 km2 whose recharge is produced exclusively by infiltration of precipitation (8.9 hm3 /year). The Llanos de la Arena springs drain a sector of this aquifer with average resources of 1.6 hm3 /year. The aqueduct was built not before the end of the 1st century AD and, was more probably constructed in the following century, coinciding with an extremely arid period in the south of the Iberian Peninsula (ca. 150 BC-150 AD). The elements identified are: the caput aquae, the brick specus with a ceramic pipe, an aerial section of more than 200 m and the well-known Predicatorio Tower (the beginning of a siphon to the other elevated end of the city). The aqueduct of the Fuente de la Arena is a relevant infrastructure that captured enough water resources to guarantee the supply to Arunda, even when unfavourable weather conditions occurred. This suggests that the activities that were taking place in the city were much more than a mere settlement.

Pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs and charcoal from a colluvial soil surrounded by prehistoric petroglyphs (Campo Lameiro, NW Spain) were studied in order to assess the nature of human activities and their impact on Holocene vegetation patterns. Several phases of anthropogenic impact were observed. (i) Between 7.6 and 6.5 ka cal BP, synanthropic taxa (Urtica dioica type, Plantago lanceolata type) and coprophilous fungi (e.g. Sporormiella-type) are indicative of early (pre-agricultural) creation of small patches of pasture using fire, possibly for incipient animal husbandry or as part of a deliberate strategy to improve game availability. Such activities only had a minor effect on the deciduous Quercus-dominated forest established earlier during the Holocene Thermal Maximum. (ii) Between 5.9 and 4.8 ka cal BP a more intense signal indicative of pastoral activity was detected, corresponding to the Neolithic period. (iii) Between 4.8 and 3.4 ka cal BP, which fits within the hypothetical timeframe of petroglyph creation, the synanthropic and humidity (e.g. Cyperaceae, Mougeotia) indicators diminished while charcoal concentration increased, which can be explained by Mid-Holocene cooling/drying (Neoglaciation) in combination with reduced human impact, or by non-pastoral activities in the area possibly in association with the development of the rock art culture, converting pasture to protected open ground through anthropogenic fires. (iv) During the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age (3.4–2.5 ka cal BP), grazing pressure and fire regime intensity are high, coinciding with evidence of regional forest regression, despite an amelioration in climate. (v) Later phases, not corresponding to prehistoric rock art contexts, include a phase of heavy grazing and reduced fire frequency (from ca. 2.5 to 1.2 ka cal BP) as well as the near complete elimination of the deciduous woodland, the expansion of ericaceous shrubland and the evidence of local agriculture and afforestation. These results are consistent with earlier studies in the area and highlight the spatial heterogeneity in the vegetation especially during periods of prehistoric anthropogenic interference., This research was supported financially by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Education under the framework of the CONSOLIDER-INGENIO 2010 program “Programa de Investigación en Tecnologías para la conservación y valorización del Patrimonio Cultural (TCP)” (CSD2007-00058) and by “Paleopaisaje y prehistoria del Futuro Parque de Arte Rupestre de Campo Lameiro, Pontevedra” (PGIDT02CCP60601).

During each Heinrich stadial (HS), temperatures in southern Europe typically dropped several degrees during several hundred to few thousand years. We have developed a one-dimensional thermal conduction model that transfers the typical surface temperature anomaly of a HS to a series of hypothetical underlying caves. The results show that with increasing depth, the thermal anomaly is attenuated, the lag time increases, and the signal structure experiences larger modifications. The model suggests that in most cases, it is not acceptable to assume a synchronous thermal variability and similar average temperature values between the surface atmosphere and the cave interior at millennial timescales. We also simulated the thermal impact of the modeled HS on speleothem δ18O records. The outputs of most model scenarios suggest that temperature changes associated with the HS produce δ18O anomalies capable of contributing significantly or even decisively to the speleothem isotope variability. Therefore, despite controls other than temperature often being considered more important when interpreting Pleistocene speleothem δ18O records in temperate climates, this research suggests that temperature is expected to be one of the major controls of δ18O values in most cave sites outside the tropics and should be included as a significant parameter affecting Pleistocene speleothem δ18O records., The lead author of this research (DD-V) received funds from the project “Inter-comparison of Karst Denudation Measurement Methods” (KADEME) (IP-2018-01-7080) financed by Croatian Science Foundation

This study was funded by the LATESICE-CGL2016-78380-P, FINICES-PID2020-117685 GB-I00 and MED-REFUGIA-RTI2018-101714-BI00 (Plan Nacional I + D + I, Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities) projects. This study was also funded by the OROMEDREFUGIA project (P18-RT-4963) from the Andalusian Office of Economy and Knowledge. Luelmo Lautenschlaeger was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sports (FPU16/00676). We sincerely thank Dr. Guy Jalut for the constructive and helpful comments that improved our original draft. We would also like to sincerely thank Professor Eneko Iriarte, University of Burgos, Spain, for his help and advice in interpreting the geochemical records. We also thank the editor and the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments and constructive suggestions that have significantly improved this manuscript., The Iberian Central System (ICS) is a clue region to reveal Mediterranean/Atlantic inferences over Iberia. We present a multidisciplinary study from western Spain conducted in the Navamuño depression (ND), covering the last 16.8 ka (cal BP). A reconstruction of the palaeotemperature from the resulting geochemical data highlights four cold and dry intervals, namely, the Oldest Dryas, Older Dryas, Intra-Allerød Cold Period (IACP), and the Younger Dryas, along with warmer intervals: the Bølling (14.7–14 ka) and the Allerød (12.9–12.6 ka); however, the Greenland Interstadial GI-1c (13.4–13.1 ka) is barely distinguishable in the ND. Despite the shortage of biomass to sustain fire, the earliest charcoals are from ~14.4–13.8 ka. Evidence of ash/dust events overprinting the geochemical background starts at ~13.8–12.8 ka. Significant fire activity in the Early Holocene at ~11.7–10.6 ka affected the ND, matching the westernmost ICS data. This period includes short oceanic spells inferred from Cl peaks at ~10.9–10.2 ka and three cold intervals at 11.4, 9.3, and 8.2 ka disrupted the progressive temperature increase. The Mid-Holocene showed a continuously increasing trend towards an arid climate, peaking at 4.2 ka under a pervasive dust influx from North Africa, which has prevailed since almost ~7.9 ka. A prominent volcanic event at ~6.8–5.8 ka is in Navamuño and Roñanzas (Asturias, N Spain; Gallego et al., 2013) identified from heavy metal-rich layer, synchronous with the last known eruption of the Calatrava volcanic field (South-Central Spain; Poblete-Piedrabuena et al., 2019). This volcanic eruption could affect many other regions half north of Iberia. The pervasive presence of oceanic aerosols in the last three millennia (2.8 ka ~ ) allowed the formation of a Cl-rich peat layer during the Ibero-Roman humid period ~2.1 ka, before a changing around ~0.4 ka toward colder and drier conditions at the Little Ice Age (LIA) period., Plan Nacional I + D + I, Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities LATESICE-CGL2016-78380-P FINICES-PID2020-117685 GB-I00 MED-REFUGIA-RTI2018-101714-BI00, Andalusian Office of Economy and Knowledge P18-RT-4963, Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sports FPU16/00676

[EN] The motillas are the first settlements in La Mancha during the Bronze Age. They are preferably positioned in the floodplain or the riverbed of the main rivers that cross La Mancha Plain. Researches in the motilla of Azuer (Daimiel, Ciudad Real), revealed the existence of a well (around 18 m depth) inside the fortified complex. The well object could be the calcareous levels of the Pliocene Mancha Occidental regional aquifer. It could be the Europe´s oldest groundwater exploitation system. New geological and hydrogeological investigations obtain relevant advances: all the motillas have a groundwater reservoir that could be exploited under extreme climatic conditions, by a dug well made with prehistoric methods. This confirms the hypothesis of de Motillas Culture development in during an extreme dry period, and groundwater catchment like a decisive factor., [ES] Los yacimientos arqueológicos conocidos como motillas constituyen los primeros poblamientos en la región natural de La Mancha en la Edad de Bronce. Se sitúan en la llanura de inundación o en el cauce de los principales ríos que atraviesan la Llanura Manchega. Los trabajos de investigación llevados a cabo en la motilla del Azuer (Daimiel, Ciudad Real), determinan la existencia de un pozo en el interior del recinto fortificado, de al menos 18 metros de profundidad, que podrían alcanzar los niveles calizos que forman el acuífero superior de la llanura Manchega, de extensión regional. Se considera el sistema de aprovechamiento de las aguas subterráneas más antiguo de Europa. El estudio de la geología e hidrogeología de la Mancha y las nuevas investigaciones llevadas a cabo en otras motillas, han permitido confirmar la existencia de niveles o formaciones en el subsuelo capaces de disponer de recurso de agua suficiente en condiciones de extrema sequía, a profundidad y condiciones asequibles para la época. Se confirma la viabilidad de la hipótesis de la existencia de pozos de aprovechamiento de agua en el interior de las motillas, ante un escenario climatológico de extrema aridez

Geological and geophysical studies in complex valley troughs provide a key record for the reconstruction of paleoenvironmental conditions during the Quaternary. Here we present a study of the sedimentary infill of the El Cervunal kame complex or El Cervunal trough (Sierra de Gredos, Iberian Central System) by means of a combined interpretation of near-surface geophysical techniques supported by geomorphological and borehole data. A set of 1D and 2D near-surface geophysical methods, including electrical (Vertical Electrical Sounding and 2D Electrical Resistivity Tomography), seismic (2D Seismic Tomography and 1D Refraction Microtremor) and Magnetic Resonance Sounding techniques, were used to test their applicability in providing better insight on the infill nature and geometry. Because of greater sensitivity and higher resolution and coverage achieved with resistivity methods, the electrical resistivity has proven to be the most informative physical parameter, while seismic and magnetic resonance methods were complementary. The sedimentary infill was classified into three geophysical units and five sub-units with their geological interpretation. Unit 1 consists of a postglacial sedimentary sequence and includes alluvial-plain and alluvial-fan deposits. Units 2 and 3 below the postglacial unit were interpreted as glacial sequences including kame (glacigenetic and fluvio-glacial) and morainic deposits, respectively. Subsoil information combined with the geomorphological data enabled the partial reconstruction of the map-view geometry of the morainic bodies at the El Cervunal trough. The results suggest a complex evolution of the study area where erosive-sedimentary processes dominate, but also structural factors should be considered. At least five well-differentiated stages can be established to explain the occurrence of the trough infill: pre-glacial, maximum glacial extension, trough obturation, glacial retreat and periglacial-postglacial., This work was mainly supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (Spanish initials: MINECO; project CGL2016-78380-P) and UCLM Research Groups (Project 2020-GRIN-28992). The authors acknowledge the help received from the Sierra de Gredos Regional Park and the Consejería de Medio Ambiente of the Junta de Castilla y León (JCyL). Additional support comes from the Program I+D CARESOIL (S2018/EMT-4317) of the Comunidad Autónoma of Madrid

Applied Sciences 11(8), 3580 (2021). doi:10.3390/app11083580 special issue: "Special Issue "Archaeoecology. The Application of Palaeoenvironmental Sciences for the Reconstruction of Human-Environment Interactions" / Special Issue Editor: Dr. Jordi Revelles, Guest Editor", Published by MDPI, Basel

The controls that affect the structure and timing of terminations are still poorly understood. We studied a tufa deposit from the Iberian Peninsula that covers Termination II (T-II) and whose chronology was synchronized to speleothem records. We used the same chronology to synchronize ocean sediments from the North Atlantic to correlate major climate events in a common timescale. We identify two stages within T-II. The first stage started with the increase of boreal summer integrated solar insolation, and during this stage three millennial climate oscillations were recorded. These oscillations resulted from complex ocean–atmosphere interactions in the Nordic seas, caused by the progressive decay of Northern Hemisphere ice-sheets. The second stage commenced after a glacial outburst that caused the collapse of the Thermohaline Circulation, a massive Heinrich event, and the onset of the Bipolar Seesaw Mechanism (BSM) that eventually permitted the completion of T-II. The pace of the millennial oscillations during the first stage of T-II controlled the onset of the second stage, when the termination became a non-reversible and global phenomenon that accelerated the deglaciation. During the last the two terminations, the BSM was triggered by different detailed climate interactions, which suggests the occurrence of different modes of terminations., The Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha provided the permissions to sample in Trabaque Canyon. Tis research received funding from the European Community under the Marie Curie IEF of the FP7/2007-2013 (Grant agreement no. 219891: PROCAVET project, awarded to D.D.-V.). Publication was supported by the Open Access Publication Fund of the University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture

The NeoArabia project tries to understand how environmental, social, economic and technological factors work in concert to influence settlement and abandonment along a latitudinal transect of 1200 km from UAE to southern Oman. This region was affected by wide north–south variations in the Indo‐Arabian monsoon, marine upwelling activity and eustatic variations in the Mid‐Holocene. On the local settlement scale, this transect is based on fine stratigraphic excavations and permits the reconstruction of the site formation processes and site catchment analysis. A large number of studies have been conducted on the Ruways‐1 site, focusing on a deep stratified sequence corresponding to three millennia of occupation. These studies include on‐site climate‐environmental signal analysis, local palaeogeography and environmental reconstruction, reservoir effect studies, typo‐technological studies, palaeoeconomic strategies, anthropological studies, sclerochronological studies and, finally, site formation processes, the understanding of which makes it possible to explain the potential and limits of the archaeological excavation. The first results confirm the richness of these archaeological archives for documenting the socio‐environmental dynamics, but also the richness of its complex sedimentary structure and the importance of conducting fine and multidisciplinary excavations to answer questions about the rhythms and functions of occupations and the causalities of socio‐environmental changes., Agence Nationale de la Recherche, Grant/Award Number: ANR‐16‐CE03‐00007; French National Research Agency; Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication

A new record from a long sediment core (S3) in Navamuño (1505 m asl, western Iberian Central System) provides the reconstruction of the vegetation history and environmental changes in the region between 15.6 and 10.6 ka cal BP, namely during the Late Glacial and the early Holocene, using a multiproxy analysis (pollen-based vegetation and climate reconstruction, sedimentary macrocharcoals, loss-on-ignition, magnetic susceptibility and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) measurements). The results are then compared with other sequences from the Iberian Central System and the whole Iberian Peninsula in order to better understand the past dynamics of the main forest constituents. The pollen record shows a shift from open pine forests ∼15.6–14.7 ka cal BP (Oldest Dryas) to mixed open pine-birch woodlands ∼14.7–14.0 ka cal BP (Bølling). Woodlands were succeeded by a steppe-like landscape until ∼13.4 ka cal BP (Older Dryas), which was replaced again by high-mountain pine forests and riparian woodlands ∼13.4–12.6 ka cal BP (Allerød). A great development of cold steppe grasslands linked to the decline of birch woodlands is documented ∼12.6–11.7 ka cal BP (Younger Dryas). The early Holocene (11.7–10.6 ka cal BP) was characterized by a progressive reforestation of the study area by pine and birch forests in the highlands and oak woods in the lowlands. Temperate tree taxa (Carpinus betulus, Castanea sativa, Corylus avellana, Fraxinus, Juglans, Tilia, and Ulmus) were also common but likely at lower elevations. Pollen of Fagus sylvatica was already recorded during the Late Glacial and the early Holocene. The marked increasing local fire activity during the warmer and wetter Allerød oscillation could be related to a rise in tree cover, supporting the climatically driven character of these fires. Nevertheless, the strong increase in fire activity during the Younger Dryas would probably be related to growing tree and shrub mortality, as well as to the wet/dry biphasic structure of this stadial. The standard “Modern Analogue Technique” has been also applied to the Navamuño sequence to provide quantitative climate estimations for the Late Glacial and the early Holocene periods. This record is one of the few continental archives that show the climatic trend between the Late Glacial and the early Holocene in central Iberia, agreeing with many other regional records from the Western Mediterranean.

We present a detailed geomorphological map of the landform assemblages originated by the two major paleoglaciers of the Sierra de Gredos mountain range in the Spanish Iberian Central System. Based on previous works, our map focused on the features formed by Gredos and Pinar paleoglaciers during the last glaciation and subsequent glacial events. Based on a remote sensing analysis and exhaustive field surveys, we identified with great accuracy the local distribution of glacial, periglacial, mass movement, structural, fluvial, and lacustrine features. We recognized three main glacial geomorphological formations representing: (i) the maximum glacial extension reached (peripheral deposits); (ii) the culmination of glacial conditions (principal moraines) and (iii) the local glacial withdrawal (internal deposits). Our map offers a renewed spatial framework on which to conduct higher-resolution glacial chronologies, especially of Late Glacial and Holocene glacial activity, providing key information for performing future paleoclimatic reconstructions of the northern hemisphere mid-latitudes., This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (Spanish initials: MINECO; project CGL2016-78380-P), University of Castilla–La Mancha Research Group (UCLM, project 2020-GRIN-28992) and the Chilean Ph.D. Fellowship CONICYT #21161417 and the ANID Millennium Science Initiative/Millennium Nucleus Paleoclimate

The climatic and environmental history of the SW Iberian Peninsula is explored tofill in the gap ofcontinental palaeoclimate data by a high-resolution study of Lake Medina sediments from core Co1313. Amulti-proxy approach comprising sedimentary facies analysis, elemental geochemistry, mineralogy,palynology and micropaleontology was employed to reconstruct the complex limnological response toclimate change and catchment dynamics since the early Holocene. The further definition of abruptclimate change events was supported by a robust age model and rapid sediment accumulation rate at thestudy site. Proxies indicate arid and warm climate conditions during the Early Holocene, from around 9.5to 7.8 cal ka BP, with a desiccation event at 8.8 cal ka BP as well as tentative evidence for the regionalexpression of a cold and abrupt arid climate event centering on ca. 8.2 cal ka BP. The Holocene ClimateOptimum, from around 7.8 to 5.5 cal ka BP, is characterized by a humid climate and maximum lake level.Anoxic bottom water conditions are indicated by the preservation of sediment laminae and the occur-rences of Sulfur mottles, which were observed for thefirst time within Holocene sediments of salinelakes. Mid-to Late Holocene times are governed by the 4.2 cal ka BP dry event as well as progressivearidification accompanied by the development of typical Mediterranean low-land vegetation. Duringrecent times, further progressive loss in precipitation as well asfluctuating but overall increasinganthropogenic influence on Lake Medina sediments is observed

[EN] The results of the archaeological excavations carried out at the sites of Molino Sanchón II and Santioste, located in a landscape dotted with shallow salty lakes and prehistoric sites, are presented here. There is evidence of salt production by the method of boiling brine, as indicated by the presence of briquetage, which dates back to the end of the Copper Age and the Early Bronze Age. We can therefore surmise that salt-processing activities were accompanied by ritual practices., [ES] En el seno de un paisaje de someras lagunas de agua salada y entre un elevado número de estaciones arqueológicas de época prehistórica, presentamos los trabajos de excavación en los sitios de Molino Sanchón II y Santioste. En ellos hemos podido documentar huellas de briquetage y de producción de sal a través de ebullición a finales del Calcolítico y durante el Bronce Antiguo. Algunos indicios nos desvelan, además, que esta actividad se encontraba rodeada de ciertos gestos de naturaleza ritual.

This paper presents the archaeobotanical and archaeozoological data of the 6th to 4th millennia cal BC sequence recently documented at Dehesilla Cave, and puts forward an interdisciplinary approach to the significant ecological patterns from this key archaeological site in the Southern Iberian Peninsula throughout the entire Neolithic period. Results indicate an ecological scenario characterised mainly by oak and wild olive forests, and human populations with agricultural practices and herds of mainly sheep and goats. However, this general panorama must have undergone several remarkable fluctuations. The first Neolithic populations of Dehesilla Cave, dated around the mid-6th millennium cal BC and linked to the Mediterranean impressa pottery complex, do not yet display evidences of agriculture, while all of the subsequent Early Neolithic levels indicate a model of small-scale populations with a mixed economy but still with a greater component of livestock. The second quarter of the 5th millennium cal BC shows a marked accentuation of the monoculture of naked wheats, which could have been related to the transition from an intensive to an extensive farming system. This may have entailed a selective pressure on the environment, leading to a large deforestation spanning the second half of the 5th millennium cal BC and the constitution of relatively open thermo-Mediterranean forests with a physiognomy similar to that of the dehesa. These ecological patterns are discussed within a review of the current state of the art of the use of plant and animal resources by the Neolithic human populations in the southern regions of the Iberian Peninsula.

Lake Medina is a small, shallow and endorheic salt lake sensitive to climate variation in south-western Spain, close to Cádiz in western Andalusia. It is located in an evaporitic and karstic environment, and a saline lake affected by highly seasonal precipitation and evaporation. Geochemical and mineralogical data of core CO1313 combined with a robust age model show variation that contributes to the understanding of palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic change. This study shows a pollen record that has been conducted on core CO1313, together with charcoal and non-pollen palynomorph analyses. The environmental and climatological history reconstruction of Lake Medina starts in early Holocene times (at 9.5 cal. ka BP) and shows intensified pasture and land use during middle-Holocene times as well as the 8.2 and 4.2 cal. ka BP abrupt climate events. Oxidation of plant remnants and resulting non-preservation at certain times reinforces the hypothesis of intense climate effects on vegetation during the 4.2 cal. ka BP climate event. Yet, oxidation of plant residues during other episodes shows other periods that were also affected by reduced precipitation. From around 2 cal. ka BP onwards, a recent trend towards aridification and enforced seasonality was detected.

Palynological and sedimentological investigations carried out around the tell of Dikili Tash (Eastern Macedonia, Greece), one of the oldest Neolithic sites in Europe, improve our understanding of the evolution of the paleoenvironment from the Late Pleistocene to the Neolithic period (6500–3200 cal BC in this region). While global climate reconstructions researches based on the study of the Tenaghi-Philippon pollen record, located 5–8 km from the tell, have focused on forces that drive the environment at regional or global scales, we attempt to use the sediment archives on the edge of the marsh to describe the context of the Neolithization process and related environmental changes. Our aim is to provide new data on environmental change during the Early Holocene by combining pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs) and sedimentological analyses to be compared with archaeological information. The data give an overview of the original environment prior to the Neolithic and thereafter a comprehensive view of the first human impacts on the vegetation cover in local lowland areas. Two new pollen records located respectively 1.75 km (Dik4) and 150 m (Dik12) from the archaeological site provide the first evidence of human agropastoral activities on the landscape associated with the Early Neolithic communitiessince at least 6400 cal BC, largely earlier than observed in the reference pollen diagram in the Tenaghi-Philippon marsh which shows a first human impact from the second millennium cal BC. Admittedly, such impact on the local area around the site cannot be extrapolated to a regional scale, raising question of the spatial representativeness of the previous records. It also shows the need to develop multi-scalar investigations to assess the impact of climatic change and human activities on the landscape during the earliest phase of the Neolithic settlement in southeastern Balkans., The funding for the present study derives also from RELICTFLORA (P11RNM-7033) project, provided by the junta de Andalucía (Spain)

Numerous researchers discuss of the collapse of civilizations in response to abrupt climate change in the Mediterranean region. The period between 6500 and 5000 cal yr BP is one of the least studied episodes of rapid climate change at the end of the Late Neolithic. This period is characterized by a dramatic decline in settlement and a cultural break in the Balkans. High-resolution paleoenvironmental proxy data obtained in the Lower Angitis Valley enables an examination of the societal responses to rapid climatic change in Greece. Development of a lasting fluvio-lacustrine environment followed by enhanced fluvial activity is evident from 6000 cal yr BP. Paleoecological data show a succession of dry events at 5800–5700, 5450 and 5000–4900 cal yr BP. These events correspond to incursion of cold air masses to the eastern Mediterranean, confirming the climatic instability of the middle Holocene climate transition. Two periods with farming and pastural activities (6300–5600 and 5100–4700 cal BP) are evident. The intervening period is marked by environmental changes, but the continuous occurrence of anthropogenic taxa suggests the persistence of human activities despite the absence of archaeological evidence. The environmental factors alone were not sufficient to trigger the observed societal changes., The research presented in this paper has been conducted in the framework of two research programmes. The “Balkans 4000” project (ANR-07-JCJC-072) was coordinated by Zoï Tsirtsoni. The Archeomed-Paleomex Programme is part of the INSU-INEE MISTRALS Research project and is directed by L. Carozza and L. Lespez. Funding for the present study was also obtained from the RELICTFLORA (P11RNM-7033) project, provided by the Junta de Andalucía (Spain)

Introduction and objectives Although the Iberian Peninsula is a key area for understanding the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition and the demise of the Neandertals, valuable evidence for these debates remains scarce and problematic in its interior regions. Sparse data supporting a late Neandertal persistence in the Iberian interior have been recently refuted and hence new evidence is needed to build new models on the timing and causes of Neandertal disappearance in inland Iberia and the whole peninsula. In this study we provide new evidence from Los Casares, a cave located in the highlands of the Spanish Meseta, where a Neandertal-associated Middle Paleolithic site was discovered and first excavated in the 1960’s. Our main objective is twofold: (1) provide an updated geoarcheological, paleoenvironmental and chronological framework for this site, and (2) discuss obtained results in the context of the time and nature of the last Neandertal presence in Iberia. Methods We conducted new fieldwork in an interior chamber of Los Casares cave named ‘Seno A’. Our methods included micromorphology, sedimentology, radiocarbon dating, Uranium/Thorium dating, palinology, microfaunal analysis, anthracology, phytolith analysis, archeozoology and lithic technology. Here we present results on site formation processes, paleoenvironment and the chronological setting of the Neandertal occupation at Los Casares cave-Seno A. Results and discussion The sediment sequence reveals a mostly in situ archeological deposit containing evidence of both Neandertal activity and carnivore action in level c, dated to 44,899–42,175 calendar years ago. This occupation occurred during a warm and humid interval of Marine Isotopic Stage 3, probably correlating with Greenland Interstadial 11, representing one of the latest occurrences of Neandertals in the Iberian interior. However, overlying layer b records a deterioration of local environments, thus providing a plausible explanation for the abandonment of the site, and perhaps for the total disappearance of Neandertals of the highlands of inland Iberia during subsequent Greenland Stadials 11 or 10, or even Heinrich Stadial 4. Since layer b provided very few signs of human activity and no reliable chronometric results, and given the scarce chronostratigrapic evidence recorded so far for this period in interior Iberia, this can only be taken as a working hypothesis to be tested with future research. Meanwhile, 42,000 calendar years ago remains the most plausible date for the abandonment of interior Iberia by Neandertals, possibly due to climate deterioration. Currently, a later survival of this human species in Iberia is limited to the southern coasts.

Although numerous studies concerning the Holocene climate of the southern Iberian Peninsula wereaccomplished within the last few decades, the climate history of this region is still poorly understood.Various studies deal with a combination of proxies, which are neither easy to compare nor is theirconnection easy to explain, e.g., due to spatial patterns and time transgression. Within this study, thesuitability of the lacustrine sediments from the Laguna Salada (Andalucía region, southern Spain) as apaleoclimate archive is investigated. The lake sediments were evaluated using a multi-proxy approachincluding sedimentological, mineralogical, geochemical and biological analyses. The sediments reflectthe evolution of the lake from pre-Medieval times onwards and Characeae as well as Ostracod analysesgive an indication of paleosalinity. Moreover does the geochemical composition provide profound in-formation concerning changes of elemental and mineralogical composition. Nevertheless, a robust, high-resolution chronology could not be achieved owed to the scarcity of material available for radiocarbondating and contamination problems. Furthermore, poor preservation of pollen restricted the recon-struction of vegetation history, which could have complemented important information concerningclimatic changes and human activity.

En este trabajo se presenta el análisis palinológico de un perfil estratigráfico del yacimiento arqueológico de Torreparedones, situado en la campiña de Córdoba, con una cronología comprendida entre el IV y el I milenios cal. BC. En él se documenta un proceso de creciente degradación del encinar, que se iniciaría durante el Calcolítico mediante el desarrollo de actividades agrícolas y ganaderas, que se haría aún más manifiesto durante el Bronce Final y la Época Ibérica, dentro de un proceso de aridificación generalizado. Se plantea la relación del abandono del yacimiento durante el III milenio cal. BC respecto al evento climático abrupto 4200 cal. BP, Este trabajo ha sido financiado por el Proyecto de investigación de Excelencia P11RNM-7033 de la Junta de Andalucía

[EN] We present the palynological study of Pozo de la Nieve peat bog, located in a very valuable socio-cultural placement within the Iruelas Valley Natural Park (Gredos range, Iberian Central System). We have focused in relating landscape changes to natural resources management and climatic events. Firstly, we carried out seven radiocarbon dates suggesting the origin of this record ca. 240 cal BC. The palynological data show the existence of dense high-mountain pine woodlands dominated by Pinus sylvestris/nigra from the Late Iron Age to the Muslim period. Later, from the Christian period, anthropogenic activities have intensified, especially livestock grazing in the Contemporary Age. Its consequences are the progressive disappearance of highmountain pine forests and the extension of grasslands by means of fire, which has shaped current landscape dominated by broom communities, [ES] En este trabajo se presenta el análisis palinológico de la turbera de Pozo de la Nieve, localizada en el Parque Natural del Valle de Iruelas (Ávila), un área de alto valor sociocultural dentro de la Sierra de Gredos (Sistema Central). Con el objetivo de relacionar los cambios en el paisaje con la explotación de los recursos naturales y eventos climáticos, en primer lugar se han realizado 7 dataciones radiocarbónicas que sitúan el inicio del registro sedimentario ca. 240 cal BC. Los datos polínicos indican la existencia de un denso pinar altimontano dominado por Pinus sylvestris/nigra desde la Segunda Edad de Hierro hasta el periodo islámico. A partir del periodo cristiano las actividades antrópicas se intensifican, especialmente la ganadería en la Edad Contemporánea, lo cual conlleva la progresiva desaparición del pinar de alta montaña y el desarrollo de pastizales mediante el manejo del fuego, situación que culmina con el desarrollo del paisaje actual dominado porpiornales pirófilos.

[EN] Salt exploitation in the Villafáfila lagoon complex (Tierra de Campos, Zamora) is one of the most important events since Prehistory in the northern plateau of the Iberian Peninsula. Salt production is documented from the Bell Beaker (ca. 2450 cal BC). In 2013, a core drilling was performed in the salty swamp of the Laguna de las Salinas. The analysis of pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs of this record suggests the origin of the lagoon eight thousand years ago linked to the 8,2 ky cal BP climatic event, a very anthropized environment from the beginning of the Chalcolithic period ca. 3300 cal BC and the subsequent exploitation of salt, the gradual and definitive degradation of the holm oak forest from the Bronze Age onwards, and, in general, a wide climatic variability, with alternate humid and arid phases throughout the palaeoenvironmental sequence, [ES] La explotación de la sal en el complejo lagunar de Villafáfila (Tierra de Campos, Zamora) es uno de los eventos más importantes de la meseta norte de la península ibérica desde la Prehistoria. La producción de sal se documenta a partir del periodo Campaniforme (ca. 2450 cal BC). En 2013, se efectuó un sondeo mecánico en los pastizales húmedos anexos a la Laguna de las Salinas. El análisis de polen y microfósiles no polínicos de este registro sugiere el origen de la laguna hace al menos ocho mil años vinculado al evento climático 8,2 ka cal BP, un ambiente muy antropizado desde los inicios del Calcolítico ca. 3300 cal BC y la posterior explotación de la sal, la degradación paulatina y definitiva del bosque de encinas a partir de la Edad del Bronce, y, en general, una amplia variabilidad climática alternando fases húmedas y áridas a lo largo de toda la secuencia paleoambiental., Los autores agradecen al organismo gestor de la Reserva Natural Lagunas de Villafáfila, dependiente de la Fundación Patrimonio Natural de la Junta de Castilla y León, las facilidades ofrecidas para el desarrollo de este trabajo. Éste ha sido financiado por una ayuda de investigación concedida al primer autor por la Consejería de Cultura y Turismo de la Junta de Castilla y León en 2013 para el Estudio arqueobotánico y paleoambiental del entorno de las lagunas de Villafáfila; y parcialmente por el Proyecto HAR2013-43701-P del Plan Nacional I+D+I del Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad

Following palaeobotanical, sedimentological and archaeological research recently conducted on and around the tell of Dikili Tash (Eastern Macedonia, Greece), we present continuous palaeoenvironmental data on this multiperiod site. This study combines pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs), macro-charcoal and sedimentological analyses that are compared with archaeological data from the Middle Neolithic to Antiquity period. It provides an overview of the local environment near the former Tenaghi-Philippon marsh and a comprehensive view of human impact on vegetation cover in lowlands. As early as ca. 4550 cal BCE, an initial phase of change in vegetation cover, has been recorded. This period, in the Eastern Mediterranean region, is one of intensifying human activities and social interactions into the Balkan region, which resulting in the foundation and transformation of early Late Neolithic societies. Although the palynological record does not show the crops species grown, the intensive clearance resulted in the increase of open herbaceous landscapes with anthropogenic indicators. This, as well as the increase of macro-charcoal values strongly supports a more or less continuously shaping of the landscape by human induced fires. New tree species that also became established at this time include Olea and Castanea. The presence of three main formations can be argued from the Early Neolithic to Antiquity: (1) riparian vegetation, (2) oak woodlands and (3) open vegetation in the form of wooded grasslands. Beyond the responses to climate changes, the vegetation composition reflects a regionally diversified land management system as indicated by a greater diversity in cultivated or harvested plants. The study reveals two phases of decline in land use directly on the edge of the marsh, although indicators of anthropogenic disturbance of the vegetation never entirely disappear during these periods between 3900 and 3300 cal BCE at the transition from the Late Neolithic (LNII) to the Bronze Age and from 1650 to 800 cal BCE when we observe a reorganization of the settlement on the higher slopes. In contrast, four periods are characterized by an increase in land use extension and intensification: Late Neolithic (4500–3900 cal BC); Early to Middle Bronze Age (3000–1600 cal BCE), the Iron Age (1000–800 cal BCE) and Antiquity during the Macedonian (ca. 357–148 cal BCE) and Roman periods (148 cal BCE–cal 395 CE), This study is part of the framework of the international PaleoMexINEE Research Program, itself a component of the Mediterranean Integrated Studies at Regional and Local Scales [MISTRALS] support by the INEE and INSU of the CNRS. Funding for the present study was also obtained from the RELICTFLORA (P11RNM-7033) project, provided by the Junta de Andalucía (Spain). J.A. López-Sáez is currently supported by a research grant (Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport) at Caen Normandy University and Boris Vannière is supported by the Région Franche-Comté (project GDRI HETSE - RECH-EXCEL). We express our gratitude to all of the institutions that support, directly or indirectly, the research carried out at and around Dikili Tash, in particular the Archaeological Society, the French School at Athens, the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and the Institute of Aegean Prehistory (INSTAP). For their assistance, we also thank the heads of the Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities of Kavala (Ministry of Culture, Greece). Special thanks to Zoï Tsirtsoni for her comments on the archaeological data, Francisca Alba-Sánchez for their age-model advice and collaboration and Rebecca Miller for revising the original manuscript. Finally, this manuscript benefited from the stimulating comments of two anonymous reviewers

Little is known about the impact of human activities during Roman times on NW Iberian mining landscapes beyond the geomorphological transformations brought about by the use of hydraulic power for gold extraction. We present the high-resolution pollen record of La Molina mire, located in an area intensely used for gold mining (Asturias, NW Spain), combined with other proxy data from the same peat core to identify different human activities, evaluate the strategies followed for the management of the resources and describe the landscape response to human disturbances. We reconstructed the timing and synchronicity of landscape changes of varying intensity and form occurred before, during and after Roman times. An open landscape was prevalent during the local Late Iron Age, a period of relatively environmental stability. During the Early Roman Empire more significant vegetation shifts took place, reflected by changes in both forest (Corylus and Quercus) and heathland cover, as mining/metallurgy peaked and grazing and cultivation increased. In the Late Roman Empire, the influence of mining/metallurgy on landscape change started to disappear. This decoupling was further consolidated in the Germanic period (i.e., Visigothic and Sueve domination of the region), with a sharp decrease in mining/metallurgy but continued grazing. Although human impact was intense in some periods, mostly during the Early Roman Empire, forest regeneration occurred afterwards: clearances were local and short-lived. However, the Roman mining landscape turned into an agrarian one at the onset of the Middle Ages, characterized by a profound deforestation at a regional level due to a myriad of human activities that resulted in an irreversible openness of the landscape., This work was funded by the projects HAR2008-06477-C03-03/HIST, CGL2010-20672 (Plan Nacional I+D+i, Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation), 10PXIB200182PR (General Directorate of I+D, Xunta de Galicia), and CDS-TCP (CSD2007-00058, Programa Consolider-Ingenio 2010)

This paper focuses on pollen, spores, non‐pollen palynomorphs (NPPs) and certain geochemical elements from the ombrotrophic blanket bog of Zalama (Basque‐Cantabrian Mountains, northern Iberian Peninsula), with the support of a robust chronology based on 17 AMS 14C dates. The main results related to the last 8000 years show that, during the early middle Holocene, pines and deciduous forests were the most extensive tree formations. At the beginning of the succession, pines reach 44%, showing regional presence, whereas after 7600 cal. a BP, deciduous forests were particularly abundant. From c. 6500 cal. a BP the pollen diagram constructed from our samples shows the first anthropogenic evidence, linked with the new economic practices related to the Neolithic of the Basque‐Cantabrian Mountains. From 3300 cal. a BP the expansion of Fagus sylvatica is particularly clear, and has since then become one of the dominant forest species in this region. We also discuss the Holocene evolution of other noteworthy plant communities in southwestern Europe, such as Taxus baccata, Juglans and shrublands., S. Pérez‐Díaz is currently supported by a postdoctoral research grant (Basque Government) and is part of the Research Group in Prehistory IT622‐13/UFI 11‐09 of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) and Project HAR2011‐23716 (Nuevos cultivos, nuevos paisajes), funded by the Plan Nacional I+D+I

Mid-Late Holocene environmental changes in the Cantabrian Mountains are a consequence of both climate variability and human activity. A 182cm-long sedimentary sequence was collected from Belbín depression, Western Massif of Picos de Europa (Cantabrian Mountains, NW Spain), in order to reconstruct Holocene environmental dynamics and the factors triggering landscape changes in the area. Using multi-proxy analysis of the uppermost 60cm of the sediments (texture, organic matter content, quartz grains microstructures, charcoal deposition) together with three 14C AMS dates, a sequence of alternating warmer and colder phases has been inferred for the last ca. 6.7kycalBP. Warm stages are defined by low to moderate chemical weathering of the quartz grain particles with relative increases of the C/N ratio, while colder phases show a moderate to intense physical weathering of the quartz grains and lower C/N ratios. Warmer temperatures were recorded in Belbín area between: 6.7-5, 3.7-3, 2.6-1.1, 0.87-0.51 and since 0.01kycalBP. A colder regime occurred between 5-3.7, 3-2.6, 1.1-0.87 and 0.51 to 0.01kycalBP. The increasing organic matter content during the Late Holocene may be associated with increasing temperatures. The charcoal particles do not show a higher or lower concentration during prevailing colder or warmer conditions, and therefore may be linked to human-induced fire management of the landscape. The most intense period with fire activity occurred between 3.5 and 3kycalBP during the Bronze Age., The authors acknowledge the support for field logistics provided by the National Park of Picos de Europa. Alexandre Nieuwendam thanks the Portuguese Science Foundation (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal) for funding a PhD fellowship during which this paper has been written

Despite increasing interest in the relationship between culture transformation and abrupt climate change, their complexities are poorly understood. The local impact of global environmental fluctuations depends on multiple factors, and their effects on societal collapse are often assumed rather than demonstrated. One of the major changes in west European later prehistory was the Copper to Bronze Age transition, contemporaneous with the 4.2 ky cal. BP event. This article offers a multi-dimensional insight into this historical process in the Iberian Peninsula from a multi-proxy and comparative perspective. Three study areas, representative of diverse ecological settings and historical trajectories, are compared. Using radiocarbon dates, 13C discrimination (Δ13C) values on C3 plants, and high-resolution palynological records as palaeoclimatic and palaeodemographic proxies, this study tracks the uneven signals of Holocene climate. The wettest Northwest region features the most stable trend lines, whereas the Southwest exhibits an abrupt decrease in its demographic signals c. 4500 cal. BP, which is then followed by a subsequent rise in the neighbouring Southeast. These lines of evidence suggest the possibility, never previously noted, of demic migration from the Southwest to the Southeast in the Early Bronze Age as a contributing factor to the cultural dynamics of southern Iberia.

The Western Massif of the Picos de Europa (latitude 43° N, longitude 4–5° W) includes some of the highest peaks in the Cantabrian Mountains. This massif was heavily glaciated during the Last Glaciation, though the post-glacial environmental evolution is still poorly understood. Using a complementary geomorphological and sedimentological approach, we have reconstructed the environmental events occurred in this massif since the last Pleistocene glaciation. The geomorphological distribution of glacial landforms suggests the occurrence of four main glacial stages: maximum glacial advance, glacial expansion after the maximum advance, Late Glacial and Little Ice Age. Moreover, a 5.4-m long sedimentary sequence was retrieved from the karstic depression of Belbín providing a continuous record of the paleoenvironmental conditions in this area since the Last Glaciation until nowadays. This section suggests that the maximum glacial expansion occurred at a minimum age of 37.2 ka cal BP, significantly prior to the global Last Glacial Maximum. Subsequently, periglacial processes prevailed in the mid lands of the massif until glaciers expanded between 22.5 and 18.7 ka cal BP. Following the melting of the glaciers, a shallow lake appeared in the Belbín depression. Lake sediments do not show evidence of a cold stage during the Late Glacial, when moraine systems formed at higher locations. The terrestrification of this lake started at 8 ka cal BP and the area turned into grassland. At 4.9 ka cal BP the existence of charcoal particles in the sediments of Belbín sequence reveals the onset of human occupation in the massif through the use of fire activity for grazing purposes. Finally, the presence of moraines inside the highest northern cirques shows evidence of the last glacial phase that occurred during the Little Ice Age cold event. Since then, the warming climate has led to the melting of these glaciers and periglacial processes prevail in the high lands of the massif., The authors acknowledge the support provided by the Picos de Europa National Park during the fieldwork developed between 2005 and 2011. M. Oliva acknowledges the AXA Research Fund for funding his research activities. Cristina García-Hernández is a grant holder of the FPU Program (Spanish MECD)

The study of environmental change during the ‘Little Ice Age’ (‘LIA’) offers a great potential to improve our current understanding of the climate system and human–environment interactions. Here, a high-resolution multiproxy investigation of a Mediterranean mire from central-western Spain, covering the last ~700 years, was used to reconstruct peat dynamics and land-use change and to gain further insights into their relationship with ‘LIA’ climate (temperature and moisture). To accomplish this, concentrations and accumulation rates of major and minor lithogenic (Si, K, Ti, Rb and Zr) and biophilic (C and N) elements, as well as humification indices (UV-absorbance and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR)) and pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs, were determined. Peatland dynamics seems to have been coupled to changes in solar irradiance and hydrological conditions. Our results point to wetter conditions after the mid-16th century, although with high intra-annual fluctuations. At the late 18th century, when solar activity was systematically higher than before, peat carbon accumulation rates (PCAR) showed a continuous increase and the humification indices suggest a change towards more humified peat. Enhanced soil erosion occurred at ~AD 1660–1800 (SE1), ~AD 1830–1920 (SE2) and ~AD 1940–1970 (SE3), although a minor increase in Si fluxes was also detected by ~AD 1460–1580. All phases coincided with higher abundances of fire indicators, but the changes recorded during the ~AD 1460–1580 event and SE1 coincide with the Spörer and Maunder minima, so a climatic influence on soil erosion cannot be discounted. Changes in the sources of mineral matter to the catchment between ~AD 1550 and ~AD 1650 and since the mid-17th century were likely related to modifications of tree cover and/or variations in wind strength., This work was funded by the projects HAR2013-43701-P (Spanish Economy and Competitiveness Ministry) and CGL2010-20672 (Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation). This research was also partially developed with Xunta de Galicia funding (grants R2014/001 and GPC2014/009). N. Silva-Sánchez is currently supported by a FPU pre-doctoral grant (AP2010-3264) funded by the Spanish Government

The rock shelter of Ifri n'Etsedda is located at the southern flank of the Kebdana Mountains, North-east Morocco, at an altitude of around 300 m a.s.l. Twenty-one radiocarbon ages attest an occupation of the shelter between 10.0 and 6.0 ka cal BP. Comb decorated pottery, also known from other Late Neolithic sites of the area, suggest a later occupation. The presence of both Epipalaeolithic and Neolithic deposits offers the opportunity to study the Neolithic transition in the area, although the Ifri n'Etsedda deposits contain a short hiatus. Next to the Ifri Oudadane shelter west of the Melilla Peninsula, it is one of the few sites in the area allowing this approach., The paper combines stratigraphic, sedimentological and micromorphological studies in order to reconstruct the complex site formation processes. Pollen analysis offers exciting insights into environmental change, human land-use and subsistence strategies. A short overview about the artefact assemblage allows the reconstruction of occupation history and a first placement of the site within the archaeological context of the area., The Epipalaeolithic occupation seems to be clearly bipartite and the ongoing study of the lithic assemblage promises the possibility of further subdivision in the area for the first time. Discontinuities of the Epipalaeolithic might be connected to Early Holocene Rapid-Climate-Change-events (RCC). The Neolithic occurred at about 7.2 ka cal BP, marked by the appearance of pottery, perforated snails, ovicaprides and cereals. Hunting, gathering and the use of terrestrial molluscs still played an important role during the Neolithic, as the main occupation phase, the late Early Neolithic between 6.7 to about 6.0 ka cal BP, appears. Striking similarities to other contemporary sites such as El Zafrín at the nearby coast and the Mtlili open air sites within the lower reaches of the Moulouya River suggest that Ifri n'Etsedda is part of a larger settlement cluster, providing particular adaptations to mountainous landscapes., We are very grateful to the ERC-project ‘AGRIWESTMED’ under the direction of Leonor Peña-Chocarro for determination of botanical remains and financing the radiocarbon dating of short lived botanical samples. We are indebted to the Excellence Research Projects Program from the Andalusian Government (RNM-7033) for financial support of pollen analysis. Last not least, we thank the German Research Foundation (DFG) for financing our fieldwork in the framework of the CRC 806 ‘Our way to Europe’.

Overlying a palustrine deposit of unknown age (complex FP), and protected from weathering and erosion inside a large cave/rock-shelter cavity, the sedimentary fill of Cueva Antón, a Middle Paleolithic site in SE Spain, corresponds in most part (sub-complexes AS2-to-AS5) to a ca.3 m-thick Upper Pleistocene terrace of the River Mula. Coupled with the constraints derived from the deposit’s paleoclimatic proxies, OSL dating places the accumulation of this terrace in MIS 5a, and radiocarbon dates from the overlying breccia cum alluvium (sub-complex AS1) fall in the middle part of MIS 3; the intervening hiatus relates to valley incision and attendant erosion. The two intervals represented remain largely unknown in Iberia, where the archeology of the early-to-middle Upper Pleistocene is almost entirely derived from karst sites; Cueva Antón shows that this dearth of data, often interpreted in demographic terms, has depositional underpinnings ultimately determined by past climate variation. In early MIS 5a, the paleobotanical evidence indicates climate conditions similar to present, albeit wetter, followed by progressive cooling, reflected in the replacement of Aleppo pine by black pine and, at the very end, juniper-dominated landscapes — the latter characterizing also mid-MIS 3 times. The variation in sedimentary facies and composition of the mollusk assemblages reflects the changing position of the river channel relative to the back wall of the cave. Such changes represented the major constraint for the occupation of the site — most of the time inaccessible to terrestrial mammals, it was used throughout by the eagle-owl, explaining the abundance of rabbit bones. Human occupation occurred during a few, short windows of availability, and is reflected in well-preserved living floors defined by hearths, artefact scatters, and the remains of hunted herbivores. The stone tool assemblages are Middle Paleolithic, which, in Europe, implies a Neandertal identity for their makers and, hence, that Neandertals persisted in the region until GI 8. Cueva Antón’s high-resolution record provides unique, critical information on the paleoenvironments and adaptations of humans in two short windows of time during which wetter conditions existed in SE Iberia, where arid or semi-arid climates prevailed through most of the Upper Pleistocene and the Holocene., Archeological fieldwork and research at Cueva Antón was funded by the Dirección General del Medio Natural de la Región de Murcia, the Municipality of Mula, the University of Murcia, the Fundación Séneca (Murcia), the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (grants HAR2011-24878, HAR2014-52671-P and CGL2012-34717), the Generalitat Valenciana (grant PROMETEOII/2013/016), the Excellence Research Projects Program of the Andalusian Government (grant P11-RNM-7033), and the Leakey Foundation. The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Radiocarbon Facility (NRCF) funded some of the radiocarbon dates, and the German Research Foundation’s (DFG) project CRC 806 (“Our Way To Europe. Culture-Environment Interaction and Human Mobility in the Late Quaternary”) funded the Luminescence dating. M. Sanz was funded by a postdoctoral grant (SFRH/BPD/100828/2014) from the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia using funding from the FSE/POPH

There is a wealth of studies dealing with the reconstruction of past environmental changes and their effects on vegetation composition in NW Iberia, but none of them have focused specifically on the post-disturbance dynamics (i.e. the type of response) of the vegetation at different space and time scales. To fill this gap, we analysed the record of pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs (NPP) of a 235-cm thick colluvial sequence spanning the last ~13,900years. The aims were to detect the changes in vegetation, identify the responsible drivers and determine the type of responses to disturbance. To extract this information we applied multivariate statistical techniques (constrained cluster analysis and principal components analysis on transposed matrices, PCA tr) to the local (hydro-hygrophytes and NPP) and regional (land pollen) datasets separately. In both cases the cluster analysis resulted in eight local and regional assemblage zones, while five (local types) and four (regional types) principal components were obtained by PCA tr to explain 94.1% and 96.6% of the total variance, respectively. The main drivers identified were climate change, grazing pressure, fire events and cultivation. The vegetation showed gradual, threshold and elastic responses to these drivers, at different space (local vs. regional) and time scales, revealing a complex ecological history. Regional responses to perturbations were sometimes delayed with respect to the local response. The results also showed an ecosystem resilience, such as the persistence of open Betula-dominated vegetation community for ~1700years after the onset of the Holocene, and elastic responses, such as the oak woodland to the 8200calyr BP dry/cold event. Our results support the notion that palaeoecological research is a valuable tool to investigate ecosystem history, their responses to perturbations and their ability to buffer them. This knowledge is critical for modelling the impact of future environmental change and to help to manage the landscape more sustainably. © 2012 Elsevier B.V., Lourdes López-Merino is currently supported by a post-doctoral research grant of the Spanish Government at Brunel University (UK). This work was funded by the projects CDS2007-00058 and PGIDT02CCP60601.

Cucú cave is a small cavity, 1600 m above sea level on the southern slope of Sierra de María (Almería Province, SE Spain), where current mean annual precipitation is < 450 mm. Fossils and palynomorphs contained within a sedimentary sequence, up to 9 m in depth, allow us to consider the prevailing climatic conditions, and the timing of cavern development. The lithological sequence is dominated by clast-supported detrital material with no evidence of alluvial transport. These sediments were formed by freeze-cracking during periglacial conditions, causing further cave enlargement after initial solutional development. The clastic sequence formed during cold climates is covered by a flowstone that was deposited during a period of warmer, wetter conditions. This provides a minimum U–Th isochron age of 40.2 ± 4.5 ka for the timing of periglacial action. Micromammal fossil species indicate a chronology between 140 and 80 ka. Paleoecological data based on the structure of the mammal community indicates that cold conditions prevailed at the time of deposit. In the studied sequence the presence of anthropogenic components has not been documented. The pollen assemblages identified are a common feature of Pleistocene cold stages that are in semi-arid regions.

The present study aims to review palaeoecological evidence for environmental changes induced by human activities over the last few millennia in the montane landscapes of Morocco. The study is based on well-dated pollen and geochemical records from the Rif and the Middle Atlas mountains, to show spatial and temporal variation in the onset and intensity of exploitation of forest, soil and mineral resources. Before ca. 2000 BP, anthropogenic impact was minimal. At about that time, abrupt changes of the arboreal pollen proportions, with a decline in all tree taxa, indicate a reduction of the forest cover interpreted as being anthropogenic. In the Rif Mountains, increased influx of carbonates (Ca) in the sedimentary records indicates enhanced soil erosion coincident with the reduction in tree cover. In the Middle Atlas, reduced forest cover is linked to geochemical evidence for mining and metallurgy of lead (Pb), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn). These industrial activities correspond to the expansion of the Roman Empire into Morocco at around AD 40 and show a decline when the Romans were displaced by the Vandals about five centuries later., RC thanks Jean Maley for the friendly incitement to write the present paper. This work was supported by the French national program EC2CO-Biohefect, “Variabilité paléoclimatique et impact sur les forêts de conifères au Maroc depuis la dernière période glaciaire.” We acknowledge support from the Excellence Research Projects funding programme of the Andalusian government: “Relic-Flora (RNM-7033).” We thank the LMC14 staff (Laboratoire de Mesure du Carbone-14), ARTEMIS national facility, UMS 2572 CNRS-CEA-IRD-IRSN-MCC, for the results obtained with the accelerator mass spectroscopy method

This research has been supported by the European Research Council (GC2.0 (grant no. 694481)), the European Research Council (REALM (grant no. 787203)), Imperial College through the Lee Family Scholarship, the Leverhulme Centre for Wildfires, Environment and Society (grant no. RC-2018-023), and the REDISCO (grant no. HAR2017-88035-P) project., Charcoal accumulated in lake, bog or other anoxic sediments through time has been used to document the geographical patterns in changes in fire regimes. Such reconstructions are useful to explore the impact of climate and vegetation changes on fire during periods when human influence was less prevalent than today. However, charcoal records only provide semi-quantitative estimates of change in biomass burning. Here we derive quantitative estimates of burnt area from vegetation data in two stages. First, we relate the modern charcoal abundance to burnt area using a conversion factor derived from a generalised linear model of burnt area probability based on eight environmental predictors. Then, we establish the relationship between fossil pollen assemblages and burnt area using tolerance-weighted weighted averaging partial least-squares regression with a sampling frequency correction (fxTWA-PLS). We test this approach using the Iberian Peninsula as a case study because it is a fire-prone region with abundant pollen and charcoal records covering the Holocene. We derive the vegetation-burnt area relationship using the 31 records that have both modern and fossil charcoal and pollen data and then reconstruct palaeoburnt area for the 113 records with Holocene pollen records. The pollen data predict charcoal-derived burnt area relatively well (R-2 = 0.44), and the changes in reconstructed burnt area are synchronous with known climate changes through the Holocene. This new method opens up the possibility of reconstructing changes in fire regimes quantitatively from pollen records, after regional calibration of the vegetation-burnt area relationship, in regions where pollen records are more abundant than charcoal records., European Research Council (ERC) European Commission 694481 787203, Imperial College through the Lee Family Scholarship, Leverhulme Centre for Wildfires, Environment and Society RC-2018-023 REDISCO HAR2017-88035-P

Este artículo está sujeto a una licencia CC BY 4.0, Precipitation is a key climate parameter of vegetation and ecosystems in the Iberian Peninsula. Here, we use a regional pollen–climate calibration model and fossil pollen data from eight sites from the Atlantic coast to southern Spain to provide quantitative reconstructions of annual precipitation trends and excursions and their regional patterns for the last 11 700 years. The Early Holocene (11 700 to 11 000 cal. a BP) was characterized by high precipitation values followed by a slowly declining trend until about 9000 cal. a BP in the south and about 8000 cal. a BP in the north. From 8000 to 6000 cal. a BP the reconstructed precipitation values are the highest in most records, especially in those located in the Mediterranean climatic region in the southern part of the peninsula, with maximum values nearly 100% higher than the modern reconstructed values. The results suggest a declining precipitation during the Late Holocene in the south, with a positive excursion at around 2500 cal. a BP, while in the north precipitation remained high until 500 cal. a BP. However, the Late Holocene climate reconstructions in the Iberian Peninsula are biased by intensifying human impact on vegetation. The statistical time series analyses using SiZer technique do not indicate any statistically significant high-frequency drought events in the region. In general, our results suggest regional differences in the precipitation patterns between the northern and southern parts of the peninsula, with a more distinct Middle Holocene period of high humidity in the south., This research has been funded by the Academy of Finland (GRASS and HiDyn projects), by the European Research Council (project YMPACT), and through the REDISCO-HAR2017-88035-P (Plan Nacional I + D+I, Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness), RTI2018-101714-B-I00 (Spanish government), B-RNM-404-UGR18 (ERDF- Andalusian Government) and P18-RT-4963 (Andalusian Government).

In this paper we present a review of the available Holocene pollen records from the Spanish Central System (113 sites and 150 14C dates). Palynological data obtained from pollen analyses of peat-bogs, lakes and archaeological sites, as well as radiocarbon dating, were used to infer the human impact on vegetation and landscape during the last 9 millennia. The Neolithic contribution to the configuration of landscape is scarce, limited to the valleys, while Chalcolithic settlements and their related activities (agriculture and grazing) represent the first evidence of significant human impact on the high-mountains. The pollen record has allowed us to relate two cultural periods of changing, the Copper Age–Early Bronze Age and Late Bronze Age–Early Iron Age transitions, to abrupt climate disruptions, the so-called 4.2 and 2.8 ka cal BP events respectively. From the Iron Age to the Early Middle Ages, anthropic activities were still sporadic, mainly located in the lowlands, but from the Feudal Period onwards, when La Mesta transhumance system takes place, high-mountain landscapes changed dramatically. Late Modern Period brings a further intensification of human pressure, especially related to forestry, with widespread pinewood afforestation., We are indebted to the CONSOLIDER-INGENIO 2010 Program (CSD2007-00058), EXCELENCIA 2011 Program (RNM-7033) and AGRIWESTMED (ERC-Advanced Grants, proposal n° 230561)

This paper focus on the Holocene palaeogeography of the Ja'alan coast from the 6th to the 4th millennium cal. BC, integrating the dynamics of mangroves, lagoons, khors-estuaries and deltas, with sea-level change and the evidence from Neolithic shell middens. The distribution and maturation of mangrove ecosystems along the Arabian coasts has varied considerably, affected by physical forces such as sea-level changes, climate, tidal amplitude and duration as well as the quantity of fresh water inflow associated with the monsoon systems along the Arabian coast. Palaeo-mangroves and lagoons, today replaced by large sabkhas, appear to be correlated to mid-Holocene fossil deltas and estuaries that currently function episodically, depending on the rhythm of winter rains. All these parameters have determined and impacted the location of settlement networks and the economic strategies of the first Arabian farmers along the eastern Arabian coast. The mid-Holocene sea-level highstand stability (5th millennium BC) can be considered to be an optimum period for mangrove development and can be correlated with Neolithic sites around the mangroves. The decline of mangroves since 3000/2500 cal. BC and further degradation is mainly attributed to the prevailing arid climate that reduced summer monsoon effects in the tropical area by favouring the extension of sabkhas. We discuss these aspects based on new archaeological surveys, excavations and geoarchaeological studies.

This study addresses the earliest strategies of permanent occupation in the mountainous regions bordering Northern Meseta in inland Iberia. This piece of work gathers together and discusses archaeological information about settlement in the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age and previously published high-resolution palynological cores from three study areas. Its major goal is to assess both archaeological and pollen records in order to gain a better understanding of the dynamics of occupation and transformation of these upland settings. Until cal 700 BC there are no clear signs of permanence in the highlands surrounding the Duero basin, but from that point onwards various initiatives of small-scale spontaneous colonisation have been identified. Colonisation in the Iron Age involved pastoralism, cereal agriculture and a significant use of forestry resources, causing a major anthropogenic impact with irreversible consequences. The outlined account constitutes the first synthetic overview at a macro-regional scale on the beginnings of the integrated and diversified strategies implemented in these upland regions. © Association for Environmental Archaeology 2013., The data examined in this study were partially funded by a Technology Research Consolider Programme for the evaluation and conservation of Cultural Heritage (TCP-CSD2007-00058). One of the authors (A.B.-G.) holds an Intra-European Marie Curie Post-doctoral Fellowship funded by the European Commission.

Título del postprint: The last two centuries of environmental history in Picos de Europa National Park as assessed from sediments of a mountain lake (Lago Enol, N Iberia), We present a study of two short sediment cores recovered from Lago Enol, in the Picos de Europa National Park, Cantabrian Mountains, northern Iberia. We inferred past climate conditions and anthropogenic impacts using geochemical and biological (pollen and diatoms) variables in the dated sequences, in conjunction with temperature and precipitation data collected since 1871 at meteorological stations in the region. The record provides evidence of environmental changes during the last 200 years. At the end of the Little Ice Age (~1800-1875 AD) the region was characterized by an open landscape. Long-term use of the area for mixed livestock grazing in the mountains, and cultivation of rye during the nineteenth century, contributed to the expansion of grassland at the expense of forest. Warmer temperatures since the end of the nineteenth century are inferred from a change in diatom assemblages and development of the local forest. Socioeconomic transformation during the twentieth century, such as livestock changes related to dairy specialization, planting of non-native trees, mining activities, and management of the national park since its creation in 1918, caused profound changes in the catchment and in the lake ecology. The last several decades (~1970-2007 AD) of the Lago Enol sediment record are strikingly different from previous periods, indicating lower runoff and increasing lake productivity, particularly since AD 2000. Today, the large number of tourists who visit the area cause substantial impacts on this ecosystem. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

11 páginas, 5 figuras, 3 tablas., A multi-proxy study (pollen and NPPs, geochemical composition and radiocarbon dating), combined with principal components analysis, was applied to a core sampled in the Monte Areo mire (Asturias, N Spain), which covers the last 11,600 years cal BP. Both signals of Holocene climate change and transformations by human activities were recorded. The cooler stage of the early Holocene, the Hypsithermal and the Neoglaciation periods, were indentified but later Holocene abrupt climate changes seem not to have been recorded due to the particular evolution of the fen/mire system and the impact of human activities on the local hydrology. Evidence for human activity included a first phase of pastoralism by 7300 cal BP, and an extraordinary record of adoption and establishment of agriculture. The first evidence of cereal pollen, dated to approximately 6700 cal BP, represents one of the earliest records of agriculture in northern Spain. Contrary to previous studies which, based on assumed biogeographical limitations, proposed a late adoption of agriculture in the area, our results indicate a rapid expansion of agriculture in northern Spain from the eastern to the westernmost areas more in agreement with recent archaeobotanical investigations ([Zapata et al., 2004] and [Zapata et al., 2005]). The research also indicates that climate and human activities interplayed to determine the evolution of the studied area, and that a multi-proxy approach applied to natural archives appropriately located (in areas with evidence of past human occupation) is a productive way to obtain circumstantial evidence of early human activity., This work was funded by the projects HAR2008-06477-C03-03/ HIST (Plan Nacional I+D+i, Ministry of Science and Innovation, Spain), CDS-TCP (CSD2007-00058, Programa Consolider-Ingenio 2010) and AGRIWESTMED (ERC-Advanced Grants, proposal no 230561).

16 páginas, 11 figuras, 2 tablas.-- El PDF es la versión post-print.-- et al., We interpret Holocene environmental conditions in a subantarctic high Andean valley from palynological and diatom analysis, peat stratigraphy, and local geomorphology. The multiproxy data from Las Cotorras mire (54° 41′ 13″ S; 68° 02′ 51″ W; 420 m a.s.l.) indicate the development of a soligenous mire, as a result of a fine grained tephra layer deposition over the mineral soils sometime prior to 8000 cal yr BP. The paleoecological conditions in the mire after 8000 cal yr BP show a rapid succession from a limnic to a telmatic stage as the mire is colonized by sedges (Cyperaceae) and herbaceous communities. The upland vegetation changed from cushion and shrub heaths to an expansion of Nothofagus forest at high altitudes after 6500 cal yr BP. The peat is interbedded with clastic sediment that originates from mass wasting events or floods. These depositional changes affected the mire ecosystem water-table level and nutrient status (oligotrophic and/or eutrophic conditions). Maxima in total pollen influx at about 2800, 1100 and 700 cal yr BP coincide with heightened mineral flux, and these changes are related to precipitation and slope processes. The major vegetational change registered in the pollen record is the decline of Nothofagus pollen after 1000 cal yr BP, which reaches a minimum between ca. 680 and 300 cal yr BP. This minimum was likely caused by cool, wet conditions that coincided with the Little Ice Age (LIA) in the Southern Hemisphere. Our results indicate the sensitivity of subantarctic Nothofagus forest and mire ecosystems to changes during the Holocene., This paper was partially funded by SECyT (Argentina), PICTR 67/02 to Jorge Rabassa and the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education (STINT) to Lars Franzén. Peat sampling field work was supported by the Ministry of Education of Spain, in the framework of a broad scientific project in the Alvear Range, to Ramón Blanco Chao (Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Spain).

Fossil pollen grains extracted from sediments sampled from OGS-6a and OGS-7, two newly excavated Late Pliocene sites of Gona, in the Afar Depression of Ethiopia, indicate a high percentage of afromontane forest and highland taxa (36.8-43.3%), among which Podocarpus cf. gracilor is dominant (19.6-24.2%). Forest taxa typical of the afromontane phytogeographic region have also been identified in the samples. The overall pollen spectrum suggests a mosaic of open and closed habitats, with a considerable wooded environment present during the time associated with the beginnings of early hominid use of flaked stones at Gona. Here we provide details of the results from the pollen analyses. The two sites lie 4-8 m directly below a volcanic tuff dated by 40Ar/39Ar to 2.53 ± 0.15 million years (Ma). The materials were recovered within fine-grained sediments located just above a geomagnetic polarity transition identified as the Gauss-Matuyama boundary dated close to 2.6 Ma, also corroborating the earlier age reported for the East Gona artifacts from EG-10 and EG-12. Thus, the stone artifacts, fossilized broken fauna and pollen grains from OGS-6a and OGS-7 represent archaeological materials from the world's oldest securely dated sites, and offer insights on aspects of the palaeoenvironments around the time of the beginnings of ancestral hominid use of flaked stones, ca. 2.6 Ma. © 2009 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved., The University of Complutense, Madrid, Spain provided funding for MDR to support his travels to Ethiopia.

Most unsuccessful palynological work is never published. As a consequence, pollen analysts waste time re-processing sterile sediments, and the available literature exhibits a uniformly positive record of success in pollen extraction. Here we report failures with Quaternary pollen analyses in the Iberian Peninsula; that is, case studies where it was not possible to extract palynomorphs for pollen counting. Both totally sterile and partially sterile sites are considered. Sites and perspectives for future studies are suggested. The majority of the failed studies are openair archaeological and palaeontological sites, caves and rockshelters, but there are prominent cases of success. Peat bogs have provided positive results, but only with sequences formed under continuous sedimentation processes in marshy environments. Lakes are often successful sites, but a multi-core strategy, following the facies change along a transect from the shore to the depositional centre, is recommended for saline lacustrine deposits, salt marshes and lagoons, especially when there is evidence of temporary desiccation. Cave and rockshelter infills should be considered case-by-case, and these sites definitely require a palyno-taphonomical approach to post-depositional processes. Indurated deposits are sometimes surprising in their high pollen concentration, but one must be prepared for sterility. Coprolites have been insufficiently exploited, and offer a great potential, especially those of Pleistocene Crocuta. This article shows that venturing into sediments assumed a priori to be ‘difficult’, like fluvial terraces, slope deposits, speleothems, cave travertines, and palaeosols, may nevertheless be successful. A summary is proposed of the various factors causing sterility, before, during and after sedimentation.

Cortés-Sánchez, Miguel et al., The impact of late Upper Pleistocene climate change in the western Mediterranean region has been mainly documented through marine records. Archaeological and geomorphological continental records now available for the coast of Málaga complement these records for the second part of the last major glacial episode and the early stages of the Holocene. This paper provides an overview of the archaeological, chronological and palaeoenvironmental data from the end of the Middle Palaeolithic period to the Epipalaeolithic. Sequences from the two major sites, Nerja and Bajondillo, indicate a mosaic-type response of ecosystems to the rapidly shifting conditions of the Last Glacial episode. Terrestrial mammals, for example, show no major variations from present-day communities. Plant remains in contrast, demonstrates the existence of localised refuge areas for species that would not otherwise have survived in the more widely prevailing climatic conditions of the time, whereas remains of fish and, secondarily, birds demonstrate the existence of communities without any present-day analogues combining Mediterranean and Boreal (i.e., northern Atlantic) taxa. From an archaeological standpoint, the major cultural shift is the onset of marine fishing, beginning in the Solutrean. This coincided with the end of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) episode. The faunal record also testifies to the rising importance of marine resources more generally. Although the data have not been used systematically to test the validity of the Broad Spectrum Revolution (BSR) hypothesis, the hints for it in the area seem compelling from the start of the Solutrean onwards. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved., The authors would like to thank the following funding agencies: Consejería de Cultura de la Junta de Andalucia (Project: “Estudio y contextualización cronoestratigráfica de las antiguas excavaciones del Patronato de la Cueva de Nerja”, “Muestreo de Cueva Bajondillo”, “Prospección Arqueológica superficial de Torremolinos”; Miguel Cortés); Patronato de la Cueva de Nerja (Project: “Correlación de la secuencia estratigráfica de las cuevas de Nerja y Bajondillo”; Miguel Cortés); and the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology (Grant CGL2004-00891; Arturo Morales-Muñiz).

In this paper we present a review of the available pollen analyses in the north-western Iberian Range with the aim of studying Fagus glacial refugia and Holocene expansion. The work collects the available pollen analyses in the area (24 sites and 58 14C dates). Based on the available palynological data, we try to reconstruct the changes that occurred in the distribution of Fagus sylvatica in the north-western Iberian Range during the late Pleistocene and the Holocene, its spread patterns and the possible causes for such changes. Results from pollen analyses allow establishing at the Middle Holocene the beginnings of Fagus expansion mostly in relation to anthropic activities. Also, the pollen data demonstrate the existence of Fagus glacial refuge during the Late Pleistocene and the Early Holocene. Therefore, we hypothesize that present-day beech forests, in the area under study, are the direct result of the relic populations that survived the last glaciations and that have been favoured by both environmental conditions and human activities. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved., One of the authors (L. López-Merino) was supported by a CSIC-ESF (European Social Fund) research contract (I3P predoctoral program).

In the Southern Hemisphere, lacustrine sediments started to be deposited with the beginning of the deglaciation at ca 19,000 cal yr BP. At this time the region of Lake Caço was dominated by sparse and shrubby vegetation with dominance of steppic grasses in a poor sandy soil. The landscape did not present any ecological characteristics of a modern Cerrado. However single pollen grains of two Cerrado indicators, Byrsonima and Mimosa, suggest that some Cerrado species were able to survive under the prevailing arid climate, probably as small shrubs. After 15,500 cal yr BP, a sudden increase in the moisture rates is evidenced with the progressive expansion of rainforest showing successive dominance of various associations of taxa. The development of the forest stopped abruptly at the end of the Pleistocene between 12,800 and 11,000 cal yr BP, as attested by strong fires and the expansion of Poaceae. In the early Holocene an open landscape with a relatively high level of water in the lake preceded the progressive expansion of Cerrado species towards a denser forested landscape; fires are recorded from then on, resulting in the physiognomy of the Cerrado we know today. Late Pleistocene paleoenvironmental records from northern Brazil reflect the interplay between insolation forcing of two hemispheres with the local components represented by the interannual shift of the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone and the influence of seasonal equatorwards polar air incursions. © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved., This research benefited from a CNPq (Brazil)–IRD (France) convention and is part of Paléotropique UR 55 at IRD.

[EN] This paper presents the prehistoric ditched enclosure of Cerro de los Vientos located in Puente del Obispo (Jaén, Spain). The study has made possible the characterization of the site, including its complete layout, main architectural features, two unpublished radiocarbon dates, and the pottery, lithic, and pollen analyses. The site consists of two concentric circular ditches and more than ninety pits built during the Copper Age. In addition, new structures, masonry constructions and the final infilling of the central ditch were carried out in the Bronze Age., [ES] En este trabajo se da a conocer el recinto de fosos prehistórico del Cerro de los Vientos, localizado en la población de Puente del Obispo (Jaén, España). Se presentan su planta completa, las estructuras que lo componen, la caracterización de los conjuntos cerámicos y líticos hallados en sus rellenos, dos dataciones inéditas y el análisis polínico realizado en el yacimiento. Estos estudios han permitido reconocer la construcción de dos fosos concéntricos y más de noventa fosas circulares realizadas durante la Edad del Cobre. Un espacio de ocupación que, además, experimentará la construcción de nuevas estructuras en negativo, algunas construcciones en mampostería y la completa amortización de su foso central durante la Edad del Bronce., El presente trabajo forma parte del proyecto de investigación “Innovación, hibridación y resistencia cultural. Las sociedades de III y II milenios cal BC en el sur de la Península Ibérica” (HAR2017-82932-P). Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad.

This research has been supported by the Leverhulme Trust (grant no. RC-2018-023), the European Research Council (grant no. 694481), the German Research Foundation (grant no. FE-1096/6-1), the Swiss Government Excellence Postdoctoral Scholarships (grant no. FIRECO 2016.0310), the National Science Centre of Poland (grant no. 2015/17/B/ST10/01656), the SCIEX Scholarship Fund (grant no. PSPB-013/2010), and the Estonian Research Council (grant no. MOBJD313)., Sedimentary charcoal records are widely used to reconstruct regional changes in fire regimes through time in the geological past. Existing global compilations are not geographically comprehensive and do not provide consistent metadata for all sites. Furthermore, the age models provided for these records are not harmonised and many are based on older calibrations of the radiocarbon ages. These issues limit the use of existing compilations for research into past fire regimes. Here, we present an expanded database of charcoal records, accompanied by new age models based on recalibration of radiocarbon ages using IntCal20 and Bayesian age-modelling software. We document the structure and contents of the database, the construction of the age models, and the quality control measures applied. We also record the expansion of geographical coverage relative to previous charcoal compilations and the expansion of metadata that can be used to inform analyses. This first version of the Reading Palaeofire Database contains 1676 records (entities) from 1480 sites worldwide. The database (RPDv1b – Harrison et al., 2021) is available at https://doi.org/10.17864/1947.000345., Leverhulme Trust RC-2018-023, European Research Council (ERC) European Commission 694481, German Research Foundation (DFG) FE-1096/6-1, Swiss Government Excellence Postdoctoral Scholarships FIRECO 2016.0310, SCIEX Scholarship Fund PSPB-013/2010, Estonian Research Council MOBJD313