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Archaeology has long incorporated the methods of the natural sciences and the theoretical principles of the overarching scientific framework. Most archaeologists acknowledge the importance of a systemic perspective in the study of the evolution of human behavior, with emphasis on the contexts in which individuals and populations lived and interacted. This article develops an ecological approach to the subsistence patterns and dynamics of the Neolithic populations in the westernmost regions of the Mediterranean. Methodologically, it implements a systematic quantitative exploration of the structure and evolution of the botanical and zoological taxa documented in a human settlement. Empirically, it begins with one of the most complete and relevant Neolithic archaeological sequences in the region, Dehesilla Cave, which has provided a dataset from high-resolution stratigraphy. The new results are then compared with the available archaeobotanical and archaeozoological records throughout the south of the Iberian Peninsula.

This paper focuses on the anthropic dynamics of environmental transformation and natural resource management in the specific case of the archaeological site of Tossal de la Vila in Castelló, Spain, a hillfort located at the end of the Eastern Iberian Cordillera. It presents two phases of occupation determined by multiple radiocarbon dating analyses: the first phase during the late Bronze Age (8th–7th centuries BCE) and the second at the beginning of the al-Andalus period (8th–10th centuries CE). The results of the comparison of the subsistence strategies and the biotic configuration of the natural environment in the same place at two different times have shown us that in the protohistoric period, the diversity of economic activities represented in the archaeobiological record is certainly heterogeneous, while in the al-Andalus period the complexity of these options is reduced to much less significant limits, possibly due to the different functionality of this space in both periods.

The island of Formentera, with its small extension and flat orography, was settled relatively late in Mediterranean prehistory between the third and second millennium BC. The sites presented in thi...

Archaeological works in Morocco (the Spanish-Moroccan team) were funded by a European Research Council Advanced Grant AGRIWESTMED (Origins and spread of agriculture in the western Mediterranean region) coordinated by L.P.-CH. Processing works were performed thanks to a IJCI-2016-27812 -Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities-Universidad de Granada, Juan de la Cierva-Incorporacion Agreement (2016, by RMMS), and by funding provided in the framework of project "Archaeobiology of the Neolithic of the Southern Iberian Peninsula" (NeArqBioSI) A-HUM-460-UGR18 by Consejeria de Economia, Conocimiento, Empresas y Universidad. FEDER Programme - Andalusian CouncilGranada University. Finally, G. Perez-Jorda has carried out this research within the grant CIDEGENT/2019/00, funded by the Generalitat Valenciana., This work is a starting point for rethinking the role of the Iberian Peninsula in the neolithisation of northern Morocco. It focuses on the similarities and divergences between the first pottery productions and their decorations in both territories. This relationship is supported by the existence of an accurate chronological gradation between the first evidence of Neolithisation in Iberian Peninsula and that of northern Morocco which suggests a north–south direction. We also present arguments on the possible links between the early ceramics from the north of Morocco and those from the south of Iberia, providing a first approach to an issue that will need to be carefully analysed in future research., European Research Council Advanced Grant AGRIWESTMED (Origins and spread of agriculture in the western Mediterranean region), Consejeria de Economia, Conocimiento, Empresas y Universidad A-HUM-460-UGR18, FEDER Programme - Andalusian CouncilGranada University, Generalitat Valenciana European Commission General Electric CIDEGENT/2019/00

The Coval Simó shelter provides some of the oldest evidence for settlement on the island of Mallorca and the Balearic archipelago. It also has the peculiarity of being a habitat in a mountain area, so that the human groups that settled there had to adapt their agricultural and farming sys­tem to this environment. The plant remains (wood charcoal and seeds) recovered in the occupation levels allow us to address these issues, since they are the result of the different activities developed in this cavity: fuel for domestic activities, food for livestock, etc. The results of this study show that between the III and II millennium cal BC, an agricultural system based on livestock and cereal farming was implement­ed, which exploited local forest formations to obtain resources, among them, firewood. The plants that were exploit­ed show the existence of juniper forests, with the presence of maples and legumes, among other shrubs and bushes., El Coval Simó constituye una de las evidencias más antiguas de poblamiento en la isla de Mallorca y en el ar­chipiélago balear. Tiene, además, la particularidad de ser un hábitat en zona de montaña, de modo que los grupos huma­nos que se asentaron allí debieron de adaptar su sistema agropecuario y de explotación del entorno a este medio. Los restos vegetales (carbones y semillas) recuperados en los niveles de ocupación del yacimiento permiten aproximarse a estas cuestiones, ya que son resultado de las distintas ac­tividades desarrolladas en esta cavidad: combustible para las actividades domésticas, alimento para el ganado, etc. Los resultados de este estudio muestran que entre el III y II milenio cal BC se implantó un sistema agropecuario basado en la ganadería y en el cultivo de cereales, que realizaba una explotación de las formaciones forestales locales para la ob­tención de recursos, entre ellos, el combustible leñoso. Las formaciones vegetales explotadas remiten a la existencia de bosques de enebros o sabinas, con presencia de arces y ma­torrales de leguminosas, entre otros arbustos y matas.

The introduction of the cultivation of millets (Panicum miliaceum and Setaria italica) along Iberia’s Mediterranean zone appears to stem from different origins which themselves hinged on their own specific historical developments. The earliest traces in the northeast, presumably of trans-Pyrenean origin, were brought to light in Bronze Age contexts (13th century BC) in Western Catalonia, notably in the Cinca River Valley. The different species of millets from southern and eastern Iberia, by contrast, come from later 10th–8th century BC contexts under Phoenician influence. Their expansion can be linked to the cultivation of fruit trees (vineyards and others) throughout the 9th–7th centuries BC. The cultivation of millets into the intermediate geographical zone between these two areas is difficult to characterise as it is not possible to identify either a northern or southern in-fluence. In any case, different types of millet saw a wide expansion from the 7th century BC onwards, especially in settlements in the hinterland of the colony of Emporion. This study thus focuses on the history of the cultivation of millets along Iberia’s Mediterranean zone from the Late Bronze Age to the Second Iron Age. This paper is an output of the projects: MOBICEX, ‘Movilidad, circulación e intercambio en el llano occidental catalán entre el III y el I milenio ANE’ (Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, PID2019-110022GB-I00) and FRUITCOM ‘Un nuevo modelo agrícola: frutales, hierro y comercio durante el I milenio A.E.’ (Generalitat Valenciana, CIDEGENT/2019/003).

Of all the plants that were used in early medieval times, many were grown in gardens and orchards and contributed to the subsistence of medieval communities. Archaeobotany provides direct evidence of the range of species used either for food or for other purposes. In this contribution, we explore the evidence of garden produce in early medieval Iberia focusing on archaeobotanical data. First, we will analyse the available data, taking into consideration different types of preservation. Second, we will examine the diversity of species, trying to establish the uses and purposes of the taxa identified. Finally, we will discuss results within the better‐known wider European context.

In this paper we present the results of phytolith investigations at two archaeological sites in northwestern Morocco: Khil (Tangier) and Kaf Taht el-Ghar (Tétouan). The two sites located in Western Maghreb, one on the Atlantic and one on the Mediterranean coast, were investigated in the framework of the AGRIWESTMED project. Phytolith analysis complemented archaeobotanical, geoarchaeological and archaeological investigations to better identify plant use during the entire occupation sequence. At Khil 16 samples have been studied, coming from two profiles excavated in two different caves of the same system – grotte B and grotte C – that span a chronology comprised between the early Neolithic and the historic period. At Kaf Taht el-Ghar, 15 samples were analysed spanning from the Palaeolithic to the Historic period. Results show that at Khil plants are widely used from the very beginning of the Early Neolithic sequence. The surrounding vegetation was exploited and both C3 and C4 grasses were used, inside the cave. At the same time a wide array of other plants was utilised, such as palms and woody taxa. Phytolith analysis at the site of Kaf Taht el-Ghar indicates that crop processing was most probably not taking place on site. However, the predominance in the samples of C3 grasses morphologies agrees with the finding of previous macro botanical studies that identified cultivated wheat and barley in this cave deposits. A very interesting aspect of the phytolith assemblages of Kaf Taht el-Ghar is the widespread use of palm leaves and their gradual disappearance through time that coincides with an increase in the use of woody species., This research was conducted in the framework of the AGRIWESTMED project (ERC-2008-AdG Proposal No 230561). CL, SB and MM are part of the Culture and Socio-Ecological Dynamics Research Group (2017 SGR-212). The authors want to especially thank the National Institute for Archaeology and Heritage (INSAP) for granting the excavation permits. CL thanks Abel Ruiz-Giralt for help with graphics and R.

Presentamos el estudio de los restos cerámicos de la fase neolítica de Kaf Taht el-Ghar (Mechrouha, Tetuán, Marruecos), enfocado principalmente en el análisis de técnicas y patrones decorativos. Ello cuenta con el interés añadido de corresponder, en su fase antigua, a las cerámicas asociadas a las primeras evidencias de agricultura y ganadería en el Magreb Occidental, encuadradas en el tercer cuarto del VI milenio cal AC. En dichas decoraciones dominan impresiones variadas, en particular las realizadas con concha estriada y lisa, peine y de cypraea. El uso de tales técnicas podría incluir estas primeras producciones cerámicas dentro del mundo impresso-cardial de la Europa mediterránea centro-occidental. A una fase avanzada, atribuida al Neolítico Medio, corresponde un conjunto de cerámicas con fuertes analogías y conexiones con la denominada Achakar Ware, de rasgos técnico-estilísticos marcadamente diferenciados. Entre estos se cuenta el uso de engobe colorante y la aplicación de impresiones con roulette cordada, lo que parece relacionar estas ultimas producciones con tradiciones propias del actual territorio del Sahara.

The present study aims to contribute to the investigation of the role of Phoenicians in the spreading and trade of the grapevine through the morphometric analysis of grape pips. Waterlogged and charred samples were selected from three Iron Age sites in the Western Mediterranean: Motya (Sicily, Italy), Nuraghe S’Urachi (Sardinia, Italy) and Huelva (Andalusia, Spain). While only Motya is a Phoenician foundation, all three were nevertheless associated with Phoenician expansion and cultural interaction. Ten cultivars from the “Vivaio Federico Paulsen” in Marsala (western Sicily) were chosen as modern reference material. The key challenge was the comparison of archaeological pips preserved through different fossilization processes, which was overcome using two reference datasets of the same modern cultivars, one uncharred and one charred. Statistical analyses of pip outlines show that archaeological remains from these sites is morphologically comparable to that of modern varieties, suggesting that the archaeological finds represent domesticated grapevines. PCA analyses allowed an inter-site comparison, showing that samples from the three sites are clearly distinguishable based on their morphology. This indicates the use of different varieties which may be due to different factors. Our analysis represents a first step towards a better understanding of diachronic and synchronic relationship between vines grown in the ancient West Mediterranean, which could be expanded by analysing grape pips from more contexts and more sites, compared against a wider selection of modern cultivars., This work is a product of the PRIN 2017 Project: “People of the Middle Sea. Innovation and integration in ancient Mediterranean (1600-500 BC)” [A.3 Flora antiqua; 2017EYZ727]. It benefited from support from the Viniculture [ANR-16-CE27-0013] and FRUITCOM [CIDEGENT/2019/003] projects. This research was possible thanks to a PhD grant of the Department of Earth Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome

This work presents the anthracological and archeopalynological results obtained within the project AGRIWESTMED (ERC AdG 230561), which has involved a comprehensive retrieval of archeobiological remains based on a systematic sampling strategy, beyond the recovery of the usual archeological materials. These surveys were conducted on three sites located in the North of Morocco: the cave of Kaf Taht-el-Ghar, 8 km southeast from Tetuan, and two caves within the El Khil complex, close to Tanger. Both plant micro- and macro-remains (charred wood) were studied through palynological and anthracological analyses, respectively., Our goal was to assess the vegetation composition of the area as well as the impact of human activities on the landscape. In Kaf Taht-el-Ghar the dynamics of vegetation and land use is recorded over the Paleolithic, Epipaleolithic, Neolithic and Historic times. Clear changes such as the demise of ancient Paleolithic pine and juniper woods during the Epipaleolithic and the subsequent spread of grasslands are shown. Other conifers like Abies pinsapo, Cedrus atlantica and Taxus baccata also disappeared from the pollen and charred wood records. In the palynological study, cereal and broad beans (Vicia faba) are already detected in the Early Neolithic, as well as a lowering of grazing pressure. Both cereal and broad beans, along with the development of grazing activities are also documented around El Khil caves since the Early Neolithic. Throughout the whole pollen and anthracological sequences a progressive retreat of the tree cover and an extensive spread of grasslands could be set as the main features of the vegetation dynamics in this area., This study was funded by: -European Research Council Advanced Grant AGRIWESTMED (ERC AdG 230561). MRA; DAS; JALS and FAS are team members of the Research Projects listed below. While drafting this manuscript MRA and DAS have received financial support by c) and a) research projects, respectively. a) Spanish government, State R&D Program Oriented to the Challenges of the Society, MED-REFUGIA Research Project (RTI2018-101714-B-I00). b) Andalusian Plan for Research, Development and Innovation: OROMEDREFUGIA Research Project (P18-RT-4963). c) ERDF Operational Programme in Andalusia (EU regional programme): RELIC-FLORA 2 Research Project (B-RNM-404-UGR18).

Agricultural activities, including practices, crops and techniques have evolved throughout history undergoing tremendous changes. From the early Neolithic farmers in the Mediterranean focused on cereal agriculture and only later, during the 4th/3rd millennium cal. BC in the Eastern basin, other species such as fruit trees were introduced into the agrarian system transforming the model that had been in use for millennia. Fruit tree management required innovation and investment and more importantly multi-year foresight as the new crops entailed a new pace of work with delayed returns and, thus, a greater entanglement with the land. Processes of social complexity and urbanization accompanied the emergence of arboriculture which occurred at different pace at both ends of the Mediterranean. This paper focuses on the Iberian Peninsula, the most western Mediterranean region, during the 1st millennium cal. BC when arboriculture spread after commercial encounters with oriental seafarers. Here we report the earliest archaeobotanical evidence (seeds and fruits) for the introduction of fruit cultivation in Iberia. Results from several sites indicate that the spread of fruit cultivation was a long process that varied regionally. In some areas the new crops were rapidly adopted and integrated into the Mediterranean trading networks while in other regions arboriculture was not developed until the end of the millennium. Of the various fruit products that were commercialized, wine occupied a most relevant role., This paper is an output of the project FRUITCOM “Un Nuevo modelo agrícola: frutales, hierro y comercio durante el I milenio A.E.” (CIDEGENT/2019/003) funded by Generalitat Valenciana, and “Fenicios e indígenas en el Sureste de la Península Ibérica: Bronce Final y Hierro Antiguo entre el Vinalopó y el Segura” (HAR2017-87495-P) funded by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad. SPG is currently granted with a postdoctoral grant by Generalitat Valenciana (APOST/2019/179).

[EN] This study focuses on the chronostratigraphic sequence of the Cave of Kaf Taht el-Ghar (Dar Ben Karrich, Tétouan, Morocco) excavated in 2012 in the framework of the AGRIWESTMED research project. The broad sequence reveals a series of occupations ranging from the Pleistocene (Moroccan Aterian) to recent historical times. Our research identifies a rich Early Neolithic phase (sixth millennium cal BC) containing the earliest pottery and domesticated animal and plant remains in the western Maghreb. However, this Early Neolithic level is not an immediate successor of the last traces of the Epipalaeolithic hunter-gatherer occupation, which started at the end of the Younger Dryas (10,900–9700 cal BC). An abandonment phase, spanning more than a millennium, separated them. This hiatus appears to originate from a cold climatic event that began in the late seventh millennium cal BC (ca. 6200 BC) and ended around the mid-sixth millennium cal BC., [FR] La présente étude est centrée sur la séquence chronostratigraphique de la grotte de Kaf Taht el-Ghar (Dar Ben Karrich, Tétouan, Maroc), fouillée pour la dernière fois en 2012 dans le cadre du projet de recherche AGRIWESTMED. La séquence générale révèle une série d’occupations allant du Pléistocène (Atérien marocain) jusqu’aux temps historiques récents. Parmi les résultats les plus remarquables, on peut souligner l’identification d’une riche phase du Néolithique Ancien (6ème millénaire avant JC) contenant les plus anciens restes de poteries et de plantes et animaux domestiques datés au Maghreb occidental. Cette phase n’est. pas consécutive à l’occupation épipaléolithique, car il existe une nette rupture entre les deux phases, qui s’étend sur plus d’un millénaire. Cela semble coïncider en partie avec l’événement climatique froid de 6200 cal av. J.-C. Le début de l´ occupation épipaléolithique commencerait à son tour avec la fin du Dryas récent (10,900-9,700 cal av. J.-C.), This study was funded by a European Research Council Advanced Grant AGRIWESTMED (Origins and spread of agriculture in the western Mediterranean region) coordinated by L.P.-CH. It is dedicated to the memory of two dear colleagues, Lydia Zapata and Mustapha Nami, with whom we shared many passionate discussions aimed at a better understanding of this remarkable site.

Excavation at nuraghe S'Urachi has yielded a wide range of archaeobotanical materials preserved through charring and waterlogging. This unusual evidence allows us to study the agricultural practices and diet of this community in the first millennium BC and to understand better the economic and cultural interactions between Sardinia and the wider Phoenician and Mediterranean world.

There is a significant number of funerary contexts for the Early Neolithic in the Iberian Peninsula, and the body of information is much larger for the Late Neolithic. In contrast, the archaeological information available for the period in between (ca. 4800-4400/4200 cal BC) is scarce. This period, generally called Middle Neolithic, is the least well-known of the peninsular Neolithic sequence, and at present there is no specific synthesis on this topic at the peninsular scale. In 2017, an exceptional funerary context was discovered at Dehesilla Cave (Sierra de Cádiz, Southern Iberian Peninsula), providing radiocarbon dates which place it at the beginning of this little-known Middle Neolithic period, specifically between ca. 4800–4550 cal BC. Locus 2 is a deposition constituted by two adult human skulls and the skeleton of a very young sheep/goat, associated with stone structures and a hearth, and a number of pots, stone and bone tools and charred plant remains. The objectives of this paper are, firstly, to present the new archaeological context documented at Dehesilla Cave, supported by a wide range of data provided by interdisciplinary methods. The dataset is diverse in nature: stratigraphic, osteological, isotopic, zoological, artifactual, botanical and radiocarbon results are presented together. Secondly, to place this finding within the general context of the contemporaneous sites known in the Iberian Peninsula through a systematic review of the available evidence. This enables not only the formulation of explanations of the singular new context, but also to infer the possible ritual funerary behaviours and practices in the 5th millennium cal BC in the Iberian Peninsula.

Con autorización de la editorial para autores CSIC., This paper focuses on the agrarian landscape of a small area of the Upper Ebro Valley, and more precisely, on the small farm of La Noguera. Through the analysis of its archaeological features and the study of the plant and animal remains recovered from the various occupation phases (Roman-Medieval-Modern and Contemporary periods) of the site we hope to contribute to a better understanding of human-environment interactions in this region., The work of Guillem Pérez Jordà is part of a post-doctoral contract “Contrato de Formación Postdoctoral” funded by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad.

Archaeological evidences date the expansion of grape vineyards in the territory of the Iberian Iron Age city of Kelin from the 5th to 3rd centuries BC; although the origins are documented in the 7th BC. One of the singularities of this territory is the existence of outdoors stone structures for the production of wine and oil. All are located in a specific area of the territory (la Alcantarilla and Los Morenos ravines) (Requena, Valencia), and are associated with archaeological materials that allow date them as Iberian. In this paper we approach the rural settlement pattern in la Alcantarilla ravine and we present in detail the archaeological sites of Rambla de la Alcantarilla and Solana de Cantos 2., Las evidencias arqueológicas datan la expansión del cultivo de la vid en el territorio de Kelin durante los siglos V-III a. C., aunque los primeros indicios se fechan ya en el siglo VII a. C. Una de las singularidades de este territorio es la existencia de estructuras de piedra al aire libre para la producción de vino y aceite. Todas ellas se localizan en una zona concreta del territorio (Ramblas de la Alcantarilla y de los Morenos) (Requena, Valencia) y aparecen asociadas a materiales arqueológicos que permiten datarlas como ibéricas. En este artículo abordamos cómo se organiza el poblamiento en la rambla de la Alcantarilla y presentamos en detalle los yacimientos de la Rambla de la Alcantarilla y Solana de Cantos 2.

Archaeological evidences date the expansion of grape vineyards in the territory of the Iberian Iron Age city of Kelin from the 5th to 3rd centuries BC; although the origins are documented in the 7th BC. One of the singularities of this territory is the existence of outdoors stone structures for the production of wine and oil. All are located in a specific area of the territory (la Alcantarilla and Los Morenos ravines) (Requena, Valencia), and are associated with archaeological materials that allow date them as Iberian. In this paper we approach the rural settlement pattern in la Alcantarilla ravine and we present in detail the archaeological sites of Rambla de la Alcantarilla and Solana de Cantos 2.

This paper focuses on the new macro-botanical evidence of South-Western Asian cultivated plants from northern Moroccan Neolithic sites. Due to the reduced presence of plant remains from previous excavations in the region, archaeological evidence of agriculture is rare and the arrival of domesticated plants and the role of farming in the Early Neolithic of North Africa are still poorly understood. Here we present results of the analysis carried out in three sites recently excavated: Kaf Taht el-Ghar, Khil, and Ifri Oudadane. Charred seeds of domesticated cereals (Triticum dicoccum, Triticum monococcum/dicoccum, Triticum durum, Triticum aestivum/durum, Hordeum vulgare, Hordeum vulgare var. nudum) and pulses (Lens culinaris, Pisum sativum, Vicia faba) have been recorded in all sites analyzed. Radiocarbon dating of crop seeds indicates that farming, along animal herding and pottery, was most probably introduced in the region at the interval between 5500 and 5000 cal. BC. Absence of evidence for Neolithic farming in other regions of North-Western Africa suggests that the first crops arrived into Morocco through a maritime route, more likely from the Central or Northern Mediterranean shores. Similarities in both radiocarbon dates and crop assemblages from early Neolithic sites in Northern Morocco and the south of the Iberian Peninsula point to an almost simultaneous East to West maritime spread of agriculture along both shores of the Western Mediterranean., Research has been carried out within the framework of the AGRIWESTMED project ERC-AdG 230561 coordinated by Leonor Peña-Chocarro. J.M. is part of the Research Group IT-622-13/UFI 11/09 of the University of the Basque Country and his work is funded by ERC-CoG 614960. GPJ work has been carried out within the postdoctoral contract FPDI-2013-16034 funded by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Spain. J.L. would like to express his thanks to Abdessalam Mikdad from INSAP (Institut National des Sciences de l'Archéologie et du Patrimoine) in Rabat, Morocco, and to Josef Eiwanger, DAI (Deutsches Archäologisches Institut), Bonn, Germany for long-term, amicable cooperative work and the providing of site data. J.L. also thanks the German Research Foundation (DFG) for financing his fieldwork in the framework of the CRC 806 ‘Our way to Europe’.

To investigate the types of intestinal parasites that infected people living in Islamic period southern Iberia (al-Andalus), and compare with other regions of Europe.Four cesspits from 10Sediment from each cesspit was analyzed using digital light microscopy and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Analysis revealed eggs of roundworm (Ascaris lumbricoides) in every cesspit analyzed, but no evidence of other species of helminth or protozoal parasites.Differences were noted between parasite species found in Mediterranean Europe and northern Europe, where a range of zoonotic parasites were endemic alongside sanitation-related parasites. We suggest that the scarcity of zoonotic parasites in southern Europe in the medieval period may reflect contrasts in climate between northern and southern Europe.The repeated identification of roundworm eggs suggests that al-Andalus was less hygienic than historically depicted. We did not note a difference between parasites found in Muslim and Christian regions of Iberia, and the predominance of parasites spread by fecal contamination of food is consistent with past research.The eggs of some species of parasite are fragile, so may theoretically have been present in the population but did not survive for us to identify them.To further investigate the role of climate upon the parasites that affected past human populations.

Objective To investigate the types of intestinal parasites that infected people living in Islamic period southern Iberia (al-Andalus), and compare with other regions of Europe. Materials Four cesspits from 10th–11th century CE Cordoba (Spain), and two from 12th–13th century Mertola (Portugal). Methods Sediment from each cesspit was analyzed using digital light microscopy and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results Analysis revealed eggs of roundworm (Ascaris lumbricoides) in every cesspit analyzed, but no evidence of other species of helminth or protozoal parasites. Conclusion Differences were noted between parasite species found in Mediterranean Europe and northern Europe, where a range of zoonotic parasites were endemic alongside sanitation-related parasites. We suggest that the scarcity of zoonotic parasites in southern Europe in the medieval period may reflect contrasts in climate between northern and southern Europe. Significance The repeated identification of roundworm eggs suggests that al-Andalus was less hygienic than historically depicted. We did not note a difference between parasites found in Muslim and Christian regions of Iberia, and the predominance of parasites spread by fecal contamination of food is consistent with past research. Limitations The eggs of some species of parasite are fragile, so may theoretically have been present in the population but did not survive for us to identify them. Suggestions for further research To further investigate the role of climate upon the parasites that affected past human populations.

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.

In this study we present evidence of braided plant fibres and basketry imprints on clay recovered from Coves de Santa Maira, a Palaeolithic-Mesolithic cave site located in the Mediterranean region of Spain. The anatomical features of these organic fibre remains were identified in the archaeological material and compared with modern Stipa tenacissima (esparto grass). Based on direct dating, the fragments of esparto cord from our site are the oldest worked plant fibres in Europe. Sixty fragments of fired clay are described. The clay impressions have allowed us to discuss the making of baskets and containers. According to their attributes and their functional interpretation, we have grouped them into five types within two broad categories, hearth plates and baskets or containers. The clay pieces identified as fragments of containers with basketry impressions are less common than those of hearth plate remains and they are concentrated in the Epipalaeolithic occupation material (13.2–10.2 ka cal BP). The clay impressions from Santa Maira indicate that some fibres were treated or flattened, a preparation process that is known from historical and ethnological sources., This work is funded by the NPI of the Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competividad (Project: LongTransMed, HAR2013-46861-R) and Generalitat Valenciana (Project: AICO/2018/125). Y. Carrión Marco is benefciary of a Ramón y Cajal research fellowship funded by the Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competividad

En este trabajo se dan a conocer los resultados de las excavaciones llevadas a cabo en la Puerta Oeste de a Bastida de les Alcusses entre los años 2010 y 2011. Asociado a una renovación de las estructuras de la entrada y la muralla, se documentó un depósito de varios centenares de objetos incluyendo herrajes, maderas, armas, cerámica, semillas, frutos, fauna y restos constructivos. Presentamos el estudio multidisciplinar de todos los materiales y las varias líneas de interpretación que nos sugiere este extraordinario contexto., Las investigaciones en la Bastida de les Alcusses tuvieron el apoyo financiero del Museu de Prehistòria de la Diputación de Valencia. Se enmarcan en parte en el proyecto HAR2008/0435

Despite the current growing number of studies that focus on macrobotanical remains from Middle Palaeolithiccontexts, plant use among hunter-gatherer societies remains unknown in many regions of Europe. Large-scaleflotation of archaeological sediments has made it possible to recover a large amount of plant remains (fruits,seeds and wood) from units VIII, IX, Xa and Xb at El Salt, Eastern Iberia (49.2–52.3 ka BP). The combination ofanthracological and carpological analyses has provided a more accurate picture of the Middle Palaeolithiclandscape in the Serpis valley, as well as significant information about other possible uses of plants, not only asfuel, but for woodworking or food, for instance. A minimum of twenty different taxa have been identified amongthe plant remains. Charcoal analysis suggested thatfirewood was gathered from nearby sources (< 1 km), with apredominance of black-scots pine woodlands (Pinus nigra-sylvestris) and maples (Acersp.). The carpological datareveal the use of some woody taxa not documented in the anthracological record (Taxus baccataor yew) and thepresence of few mineralised seeds whose origin remains unknown (Celtis australisor hackberry,Rubuscf.laci-niatusor evergreen blackberry). These data have significant implications for the interpretation of plant economyamong Neanderthal groups, reinforcing the importance of available woody resources in the surroundings for thesubsistence of the group., This work was carried out with thefinancial support of a VALi+dpre-doctoral grant (ACIF/2013/260) awarded to P. Vidal-Matutano.The archaeological research was funded under the Spanish Governmentprojects HAR2012-32703 and HAR2015-68321-P (MICINN-FEDER/UE)and Direcció General de Cultura (Conselleria d'Educació, Cultura iEsports, Generalitat Valenciana). PVM is funded by the APOSTDPostdoctoral grant (APOST/2017/126, Generalitat Valenciana). GPJhas participated as part of his post-doctoral contract IJCI-2015-25082funded by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía, Industria yCompetitivid

This paper presents new data regarding agricultural developments in the Balearic Islands between the end of the third millennium bc and the arrival of the Romans in the 2nd century bc. Data available so far reveals that agriculture, together with raising livestock, were the population’s source of livelihood. Agriculture in the third and second millennium consisted essentially of growing cereals and legumes. The available data point to an agricultural development similar to that of the continent, in the region stretching between the south of France and the south of the Iberian Peninsula. The similarities, in fact, possibly reflect contacts. Arboriculture was first introduced in the island of Ibiza in the first millennium in contexts linked to Phoenician colonisation. Olive oil and wine production developed remarkably on this island and were oriented toward export. Although the chronology of this process is still unclear, it seems that in Mallorca and Menorca it took place at a later period.

Excavation at Pauli Stincus in Sardinia has revealed an ancient plough soil, with associated evidence of intensive prehistoric agricultural activities., We gratefully acknowledge the support of Massimo Casagrande, Massimiliano Pilloni and Sandro Perra, without whom the excavation would never have happened. We also thank the regional Soprintendenza and the Italian Ministry of Heritage and Culture for granting permission to excavate. Fieldwork and laboratory analyses are supported by Brown University (IBES—Institute at Brown for Environment and Society) and the Spanish Ministerio de Cultura (grant BBAA2017-2)

Agriculture was introduced in the Iberian Peninsula in the mid-6th millennium cal BC. The first Iberian farmer communities grew seven different cereal species (hulled and free-threshing wheats and hulled and naked barley), seven legumes (broad beans, lentils, peas, grass/red pea, common vetch and bitter vetch) and two oil crops (flax and poppy). The distinct agricultural diversity from area to area gave way to a complex mosaic of regional variability. This paper aims at exploring not only the main features characterising Neolithic agriculture in Iberia, but also at delineating its variability and the underlying causes linked to numerous factors including environmental constraints, economic and social issues, and cultural traditions and their demographic movements., The current research was carried out in the framework of both the AGRIWESTMED project ERC-AdG-230561 funded by the European Research Council, and the Orígenes y expansion de la agri- cultura en el sur peninsular y norte de Marruecos: aportaciones desde la arqueobotanica y la gen etica (HAR, 2008-01920/HIST) project funded by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion . The work of G. Perez-Jord a was undertaken within the post-doctoral con- tracts FPDI-2013-16034 and IJCI-2015-25082 funded by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad. J. Morales is beneficiary of a Ramon y Cajal research fellowship (RYC-2015-18072) funded by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad.

This study is an overview of the state of research on the process of neolithisation of the northwesterncorner of Morocco. Particularly noteworthy are the recentfindings of a Spanish-Moroccan team in theframework of the AGRIWESTMED project carried out between 2011 and 2013 for the most part at thecaves of Magharat el-Khil (Tangier), Kaf Taht el-Ghar (Tetouan) and Ifri n'Amr or Moussa (Khemisset).These excavations brought to light occupations from the Moroccan Early Neolithic Impressed-Cardialware complex, levels that correspond to the earliest horizon of agricultural and animal husbandrypractices in the northwestern corner of Africa.

[EN] The period comprising the end of the Early Neolithic and the Middle Neolithic, dated broadly within the fifth millennium cal BC, corresponds to an interval that remains largely unknown in the extreme northwestern tip of Africa. This situation contrasts with that of the Early Neolithic, a period characterised by the earliest evidence of the diffusion of a productive economy, cultivated plants and domestic animals. The paucity of data for these later phases can be explained in part by the lack of secure contexts and sequences based on radiocarbon datings of short-lived samples. The current study presents the results of the excavations of ElKhil Caves B and C that yield materials allowing reevaluation of the chronology of a type of ceramic known as Ashakar ware. The study also identifies two traditions in the northern Moroccan Middle Neolithic. The first is heir to the so-called Impressa Mediterranean ware and rooted in the Cardial Neolithic, while the second is characterised by roulette cord impressions, red slip and tunnel lugs and probably rooted in the region of the Sahara, and has no technological precedents in the study area., [FR] La fin du Néolithique ancien et le Néolithique moyen, correspondant au Ve millénaire av. n. è. (dates calibrées), demeure largement méconnue à l’extrême nord-ouest de l’Afrique. Cette situation contraste avec le Néolithique ancien qui est marqué par les premiers indices de la diffusion d’une économie de production basée sur la culture des plantes et la domestication. Le manque de données pour ces phases plus récentes peut notamment s’expliquer par l’absence de contextes sûrs ainsi que la rareté des datations radiocarbones d’échantillons organiques de courte durée de vie. Cette étude présente les données issues des fouilles des grottes El-Khil B et C (Maroc) qui ont livré des assemblages mobiliers qui permettent de revoir la chronologie de la céramique de type Achakar. L’étude met également en évidence deux traditions dans le nord du Maroc au cours du Néolithique moyen. La première découle de la tradition de la céramique imprimée et est enracinée dans le néolithique Cardial connu dans le monde méditerranéen. La seconde est caractérisée par des céramiques décorées à roulette de cordelette enroulée, un engobe rouge et des anses « funiculaires ». Ces influences seraient probablement originaires de la région saharienne et sont sans précédents technologiques dans la zone d’étude, The research was jointly funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with a grant awarded for the call for Excavations Abroad 2011 by the AGRIWESTMED ERC-EdG project of the European Research Council as well as through the project BOrígenes y expansión de la agricultura en el sur peninsular y norte de Marruecos: aportaciones desde la arqueobotánica y la genética (HAR 2008-01920 HIST)^ coordinated by Leonor PeñaChocarro (Peña-Chocarro et al. 2013). RMMS work has been funded by the CSIC PIE 201510E015 BPrimeras comunidades campesinas en el norte de África^ (2015) and by the Junta de Andalucía research project of excellence BHUM-1510: Dieta y movilidad en la Prehistoria Reciente Andaluza^ (2016-2017). The GPJ research was carried out within the postdoctoral contract FPDI-2013-16034 and IJCI-2015-25082 funded by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad. SPG was supported by University of Valencia (subprograma Atracció de Talent - Contractes Postdoctorals). The radiocarbon dating Beta424638 was carried out in the framework of the project BMolecular Archaeology: Carbon Isotope Analysis of Amino Acids as a Means to Investigate Diets, Physiology, Metabolism and Palaeoenvironment^ coordinated by Dr. Colin Smith and funded by the ARC Future Fellowship (FT 0992258) 2010-2014

Carrión Marco Y., Morales J., Portillo M., Pérez-Jordà G., Peña-Chocarro L., Zapata L. (2018) The Use of Wild Plants in the Palaeolithic and Neolithic of Northwestern Africa: Preliminary Results from the PALEOPLANT Project. En: Mercuri A., D'Andrea A., Fornaciari R., Höhn A. (eds.) Plants and People in the African Past. Springer, Cham, This contribution presents preliminary results from PALEOPLANT, a European Research Council (ERC) multidisciplinary research project that focuses on the analyses of plant remains from Palaeolithic and Neolithic sites in North Africa. The project aims are to: (1) characterize wild plant exploitation among human communities; (2) refine current knowledge on past landscapes; and (3) improve archaeological methodology and fieldwork when studying plants. We discuss preliminary results from charred plant macroremains (wood, seeds and fruits) and plant microfossils (phytoliths and calcitic ash pseudomorphs), as well as dung spherulites recorded in several northwestern African sites spanning the Late Pleistocene to the Early-Middle Holocene (c. 33 to 2 ka BC). Charcoal assemblages indicate the presence of mixed oak/juniper woodlands during the Late Pleistocene while conifers become the dominant element of the vegetation during the transition from Late Glacial to Early Holocene. In these contexts, some of the main species of thermo- and meso-Mediterranean Holocene landscapes (Olea europaea, Pistacia, etc.) were already present but their spread occurred during the Middle Holocene, concurrently with Neolithic occupations. The combination of wood charcoal, other plant macroremains (seeds and fruits) and plant microfossils, including both plant and dung indicators, provide new insights not only into the presence of a wide range of plant resources (wild pulses, Ziziphus lotus, Pinus halepensis, Quercus sp., Stipa tenacissima and Chamaerops humilis) but also on the variability of their potential uses (including fuel, food, fiber, bedding, fodder). Archaeobotanical results suggest continuity in the use of wild plants during the Neolithic. In addition, wood charcoal assemblages reflect significant changes that occurred in plant composition including the expansion of thermo-Mediterranean species., Research has been carried out within the framework of the PALEOPLANT project (ERC 2013 CoG 614960). Y. Carrión and J. Morales are beneficiaries of a Ramón y Cajal research fellowship funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Innovation of Spain. M. Portillo research is currently funded by the EU Horizon 2020 Marie Sklodowska-Curie action MICROARCHAEODUNG (H2020-MSCA-IF-2015-702529). G. Pérez Jordà work has been carried out within the postdoctoral contract FPDI-2013-16034 and IJCI-2015-25082 funded by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad. We would like to express our special gratitude to J. Bouzouggar and Y. Bokbot (Institut National des Sciences de l’Archéologie et du Patrimoine, Morocco), S. Merzoug and F. Kherbouche (Centre National de Recherches Prehistoriques, Anthropologiques et Historiques, Algeria), L. Belhouchet and N. Aouadi, (Institut National du Patrimoine, Tunisia), N. Barton (University of Oxford, UK), L. Humphrey (The Natural History Museum, UK), J. Lindstädter (Deutsches Archälogisches Institut, Germany), S. Mulazzani (University of Aix-Marseille, France), A. Polo-Díaz (UPV/EHU, Spain), J.C. Vera Rodríguez (University of Huelva, Spain) and R.M. Martínez Sánchez (University of Granada, Spain) for long-term, amicable cooperative work and for providing access to the site data.

The issue of resource exploitation, both plants and animals, by Neolithic communities has always attracted vast interest. In particular, resource exploitation at mountain cave sites is still being widely discussed. This paper explores the use of grass resources at the archaeological site of Els Trocs (Aragón, Spain), a Neolithic mountain site in the Pyrenees. The analysis of phytolith samples suggests that grasses growing in the surrounding of the site were widely used. The morphological assemblages identified, and their spatial distribution, indicate that wild grasses were probably used as floor spread. The integrated approach used in this study, combining phytolith, spherulite and micromorphological analyses, confirms this hypothesis. Furthermore, the analysis of phytolith assemblages and micromorphological traits indicate the seasonal occupation of the site, placing human frequentation at this location during late spring/early summer. Several studies have highlighted the presence of charred seeds of domesticated cereals in the archaeological record of mountain cave sites however, in many instances, whether these crops were cultivated near the sites or whether the grains were transported to the cave from the valley bottom remains under debate. This paper also contributes to this debate by showing that no crop-processing activities were taking place at the site, The main research of this work developed within the project “Los Caminos del Neolítico” (HAR2009-09027), granted by the General Management of Research and Management of the National R+D+i/ Spanish Ministry for Science and Innovation, led by Professor Manuel Rojo-Guerra and co-funded by the Government of Aragón. The paleoenvironmental research and part of the funding is provided by the AGRIWESTMED project of the European Research Council (ERC-2008-AdG 230561) coordinated by Dr Leonor Peña-Chocarro

In archaeology and nature conservation studies, knowledge about (pre)historical land-use is important. The molecular composition of soil organic matter (SOM) supplies information about its history, as its composition is controlled by input material and decay processes. In this study, the molecular composition of SOM of calcareous A-horizons from SE Spain was studied with pyrolysis gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (pyrolysis-GC/MS). The effect of vegetation type (Pinus halepensis forest and Stipa tenacissima grassland), land-use (cultivation with cereals and olive trees) and wildfire were examined. In addition, former grassland and agricultural soils that had been reforested with P. halepensis (35 yr) were selected. Three locations were sampled for each vegetation type, except for the olive tree (two) and cereal (six) fields, resulting in a total of 26 samples. Each sample was a composite of ten sub-samples taken from a plot of 1 ha. After removal of weakly or non-decomposed particulate OM, two OM fractions were obtained; (i) sodium hydroxide (NaOH) extractable OM and (ii) the OM that remained after extraction, which was isolated after dissolution of minerals by repeated hydrofluoric acid (HF) treatment. The NaOH-extractable fraction is generally used in soil chemistry (i.e. humic acid), but surprisingly little is known about the SOM that remains in the residue (i.e. humin plus minerals). Comparison of the two SOM fractions (by factor analyses applied to 82 quantified pyrolysis products) provided insight into soil OM dynamics. Polyaromatic pyrolysis products were more prominent in the extractable OM, while a relative enrichment of aliphatic compounds was found in the non-extractable OM. Although some pyrolysis products were associated with one vegetation type in both SOM fractions (C3-naphthalene, dimethylphenanthrene and 2,3,5-trimethylphenanthrene, retene, and monoterpenes for both burnt and unburnt P. halepensis forest; benzene, naphthalene and C1-naphthalene for burnt and unburnt S. tenacissima grassland), lignin content and composition highly differed between agricultural soils and soils under native vegetation in both SOM fractions. These differences were mainly decay characteristics, reinforced by cultivation. In reforested soils it was still possible to identify their former land-use, decades after the vegetation change. The probability of the sites to be correctly attributed to its present land-use was P > 0.7 for grassland and pine forest, while most of the cultivated sites had a P > 0.5 to be assigned correctly. The results obtained suggest that the molecular composition of SOM has a large potential for reconstructing land-use history, at least at the scale of decades/centuries.