Search

The distribution of the black rat (Rattus rattus) has been heavily influenced by its association with humans. The dispersal history of this non-native commensal rodent across Europe, however, remains poorly understood, and different introductions may have occurred during the Roman and medieval periods. Here, in order to reconstruct the population history of European black rats, we generated a de novo genome assembly of the black rat, 67 ancient black rat mitogenomes and 36 ancient nuclear genomes from sites spanning the 1st-17th centuries CE in Europe and North Africa. Analyses of mitochondrial DNA confirm that black rats were introduced into the Mediterranean and Europe from Southwest Asia. Genomic analyses of the ancient rats reveal a population turnover in temperate Europe between the 6th and 10th centuries CE, coincident with an archaeologically attested decline in the black rat population. The near disappearance and re-emergence of black rats in Europe may have been the result of the breakdown of the Roman Empire, the First Plague Pandemic, and/or post-Roman climatic cooling., We thank the wet laboratory teams at MPI-SHH, the PalaeoBARN at the University of Oxford and the University of York. We thank David K. James and Lucia Hui of the Alameda County Vector Control Services District for procuring the rat used for the de novo genome. We are grateful to Sarah Nagel at Max Planck Institute for the Evolutionary Anthropology for the single-stranded library preparation, and Dovetail Genomics for the de novo genome assembly service. We thank Maria Spyrou for her suggestions and comments. We acknowledge Ewan Chipping and Helena England (University of York), Carl Phillips, Veronica Lindholm (Ålands Museum), Christine McDonnell and Nienke van Doorn (York Archaeological Trust), Emile Mittendorf (Gemeente Deventer), Inge Riemersma (Archaeological depot, Provincie Zuid-Holland), the Turkish Ministry of Culture & Tourism, Jan Frolík and Iva Herichová (Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague), Franz Humer and Eduard Pollhammer (Archaeological Park Carnuntum), Dorottya B. Nyékhelyi and László Daróczi-Szabó (Budapest History Museum), Institut National du Patrimoine (Tunisia), University of Barcelona, Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (Project HUM2006-03432/HIST), Spanish Ministry of Culture (program of archaeological excavations abroad 2009); Spanish Agency of International Cooperation for the Development (2009), Catalan Institute of Classical Archaeology (ICAC), Vujadin Ivanisević, Nemanja Marković and Ivan Bugarski (Archaeological Institute 809 Belgrade), the Field Museum Chicago, the British National History Museum and the American Museum of Natural History for providing materials and support. G.L. and A.J. were supported by the ERC (grant ERC-2013-StG-337574-UNDEAD) and A.J. was supported by the Natural Environment Research Council Doctoral Training Program. D.O. was supported by Wellcome (Small Grant in Humanities and Social Science 209817/Z) and the British Academy / Leverhulme Trust (Small Research Grant SG170938). E.R. was supported by Estonian Research Council grant No PRG29. R.K. was supported by the Czech Academy of Sciences institutional support (RVO:67985912). S.V.-L. was supported by the ERC (grant ERC-StG- 716298 ZooMWest). H.E. was funded by an ERC grant (206148) through the Sealinks Project. A.H.B was funded by the Leverhulme Trust (ECF-2017-315). The de novo genome assembly, population genomics study, and radiocarbon dating were funded by the Max Planck Society.

A. Bernard Knapp, John F. Cherry and Peter van Dommelen introduce this Silver Anniversary issue of JMA to celebrate 25 years of its publication (1988-2012). Nicola Terrenato, Carl Knappett and Joan Sanmartí also contribute their own reflections on 25 years of JMA.

We present the historical results derived from the first phase of research on this important site, conducted exclusively with non-invasive methods. The data recovered from pedestrian and geophysical prospecting have allowed us to verify the urban condition of the settlement, attested not only by its size, but also by its structural complexity and the nature of the pottery collected, which suggest specialized economic activities and the coexistence of different social sectors. The abandonment of the settlement around 200 BCE confirms the profound impact of the Roman conquest on the settlement patterns of the northern Iberian world.

Els treballs que es van dur a terme entre el 2014 i el 2019 en aquest jaciment van combinar l'excavació en extensió amb la prospecció intensiva de l'assentament i del seu entorn immediat, així com la revisió de les intervencions anteriors. Els resultats permeten precisar i reinterpretar l'ocupació i evolució del jaciment: es va iniciar al primer ferro, amb una superfície reduïda, i tenia una funció de control territorial que s'exercia des d'una gran torre. Al segle iii aC va assolir la màxima extensió (3 ha). En època romana, s'hi va construir un edifici fortificat que en va permetre recuperar la funció de control. Finalment, durant l'alt imperi, l'indret va ser ocupat de manera esporàdica.

Research carried out between 2014 and 2019 on this im­portant site, strategically located between the basins of the Ebro and Matarraña rivers, combined extensive excavation, intensive survey of the settlement and its immediate surroundings, inter­disciplinary analysis, and a review of previous works. The re­sults throw new light on the evolution of the settlement between the Early Iron Age and the Early Empire. Its initial extension must have been reduced, and aimed to control the territory from a large tower, while in the 3rd century BC the settlement reached its maximum surface (3 ha) and a large aristocratic mansion was erected. This evolution reflects the stratification and urban­isation processes of the Iberian society in the area, which would be truncated by the Roman conquest. In the Roman Republican era, a fortified building was built that recovered the site’s func­tion as a control point; this would be sporadically occupied during the early Roman Empire., Los trabajos realizados entre 2014 y 2019 en este im­portante núcleo, situado estratégicamente entre las cuencas de los ríos Ebro y Matarraña, han combinado la excavación en extensión, la prospección intensiva del asentamiento y de su entorno inmediato, los análisis interdisciplinares y la re­visión de las intervenciones anteriores. Los resultados per­miten reinterpretar la evolución del asentamiento entre el Primer Hierro y el Alto Imperio. Su extensión inicial debió de ser reducida, con una función limitada al control del te­rritorio y ejercida desde una gran torre, mientras que en el siglo III a. C. alcanzó su máxima extensión (3 ha) y se eri­gió una gran mansión aristocrática. Esta evolución refleja el proceso de estratificación y urbanización de la sociedad ibé­rica de la zona, truncado por la conquista romana. En época romano-republicana se construyó un edificio fortificado que recuperó la función de punto de control, para pasar a ser ocupado esporádicamente en el Alto Imperio.

For historians, the urban phenomenon is a given and, in spite of its many versions and particularities across time and space, it is conceived as fundamentally invariable and is intuitively recognised. Therefore, unlike other social scientists, including sociologists and geographers, they have not paid particular attention to the definition of the city. For pre- and proto-historians, however, the profound, essential nature of the city is a basic question, as the early formation of towns is one of the central issues of their research. This has generated a large amount of scientific literature on the subject in the last decades. With this paper, we intend to contribute to the reflection on the nature of the city, and to define it in a way that may help identify and understand the protohistoric cities of Iberia and Mediterranean Gaul, if they did really exist. Per als historiadors, el fet urbà és una realitat que, malgrat les seves moltes versions i particularitats al llarg del temps i de l’espai, és fonamentalment invariable i reconeguda de forma intuïtiva. Per aquest motiu, i a diferència d’altres científics socials, com ara sociòlegs o geògrafs, no han prestat especial atenció a la definició de la ciutat. Per als pre- i els protohistoriadors, però, la naturalesa profunda i essencial de la ciutat és una qüestió bàsica, ja que la formació inicial de les ciutats és un dels temes centrals de la seva recerca. Això ha donat peu a una literatura científica important sobre aquest tema en els darrers decennis. Amb aquest treball pretenem contribuir a la reflexió sobre la naturalesa de la ciutat i donar-ne una definició que pugui ajudar a identificar i comprendre les ciutats protohistòriques d’Ibèria i de la Gàl·lia mediterrània, si realment van existir.

Research into the Iberian culture has been particularly intensive in recent decades, with extensive surveys and a number of large-scale excavations. In the coastal area of present-day Catalonia surveys have attested the existence of complex settlement patterns with different categories of sites, while excavations have contributed to our understanding of their internal functioning and their position within settlement systems. The information available on the different settlement categories suggests that the largest sites acted as the capitals of polities corresponding to some of the ethnic territories mentioned in the ancient written sources. Their rather limited sizes and hierarchical settlement structures mean these territories must be considered as city-states, whereas other areas of the Iberian culture (such as inland Catalonia) were organized into less centralized, heterarchic forms, occasionally with large territorial states. La recerca sobre la cultura ibèrica ha estat especialment intensa en les últimes dècades, amb prospeccions extensives i diverses excavacions a gran escala. A la zona costanera de l’actual Catalunya les prospeccions han documentat l’existència de patrons de poblament complexos, amb diferents categories d’assentaments, mentre que les excavacions han contribuït a entendre’n el funcionament intern i la posició dins els sistemes d’ocupació del territori. La informació disponible sobre les diferents categories d’assentaments suggereix que els de dimensions més grans van jugar el paper de capitals dels territoris ètnics esmentats per les fonts clàssiques. Amb dimensions més aviat limitades i estructura de poblament jerarquitzada, aquests territoris han de ser considerats com a ciutats estat, mentre que altres àrees de la cultura ibèrica (com la Catalunya interior) es van organitzar en formes heteràrquiques, menys centralitzades, ocasionalment amb grans estats territorials.

Geophysical surveys based on ground‐penetrating radar (GPR) and magnetic methods have recently been carried out at the Iberian site of Masies de Sant Miquel, which is dated to the Iron Age (seventh–third centuries bc). The design and execution of the survey are presented, as well as the interpretation process, which is based on the interaction between the members of the prospection team (SOT Prospection) and the archaeologists from the University of Barcelona (UB) and the Catalan Institute of Classical Archaeology (ICAC), integrating geophysical as well as archaeological data. Although the site had previously been studied during the 1980s and 1990s, excavations have been limited in scope and the settlement remained largely unknown. The new research discussed in this article makes it possible to deduce the general traits of the urban plan and the major architectural features. The results confirm the urban nature of the site, not only due to its size (several densely‐occupied hectares), but also the complexity of its architecture and urban planning.

In this paper we present a diachronic analysis of the impact of iron metallurgy on the economy and socio-political or-ganization of the area between the Pyrenees and the River Ebro between the 7th and the 2nd centuries BC.The data come from different types of sites and are studied from two perspectives: the production process (mining, ore processing, the manufacture of objects, workshops, waste, etc.) and the function of the manufactured objects, which have been classified into functional groups (agroforestry and artisanal tools, weaponry and cavalry equipment, culinary and domestic material, and personal garments). Likewise, the changes experienced in the use of iron are valued, with functions initially limited to the symbolic and prestige spheres, but later mainly linked to warfare and production. Explanations for this evolution are proposed based on the power strategies of the elites En aquest treball es presenta una anàlisi diacrònica de l’impacte de la metal·lúrgia del ferro en l’economia i l’organit-zació socio-política a l’àrea situada entre els Pirineus i l’Ebre, entre el segle VII i el segle II aC. La documentació prové de tot tipus de jaciments, i s’estudia a partir de dos eixos: el procés de producció (mineria, transformació del mineral i manufactura de les peces, tallers, residus, etc.) i la funció dels objectes fabricats, a partir de grans grups funcionals (utillatge agroforestal i artesanal, armament i equipament de cavalleria, material culinari i d’ús domèstic i guarniments personals). Així mateix, es valoren els canvis que experimenta l’ús del ferro, amb funcions limitades inicialment a l’esfera simbòlica i de prestigi i lligades més tard a l’armament i al treball, i es proposen explicacions per a aquesta evolució basades en les estratègies de poder de les elits

This publication arises from the need, in the opinion of the editors, to move towards a definition of the city as an instrument for analysing the urbanization phenomena in protohistory. The 24th Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeology (EAA) held in Barcelona in September 2018 offered an opportunity to reflect on this subject and to analyse the elements that characterized the protohistoric city using various models and case studies in the area of the Iberian culture, as well as in Mediterranean Gaul. The result is the thirteen contributions that make up this book, one of which is a theoretical reflection written by the editors on the concept of the city, while the rest focus on territories, sites or specific questions. The reader will find in this volume a compendium of research relating to the formation and development of cities in Iberia and south-eastern Gaul. From the mid-first millennium BC, the peoples living in this area of the western Mediterranean developed settlement patterns based on the existence of urban sites, that probably emerged in response to population growth, technological development and increasing social complexity. However, there are considerable regional differences with regard to the chronology of these processes, as well as the nature of the emerging settlement patterns, including the size and shape of the urban sites. In some regions, the urban phenomenon appeared very late and was clearly less developed. This indicates the existence of a variety of forms of sociopolitical organization and particular historical processes within the general demographic increase and growing social and political complexity in the study area during the Iron Age. The aim of the articles selected for inclusion in this volume is to reflect this dichotomy: on the one hand, the generalization of the urban phenomenon and, on the other, the different solutions that arose in particular regional contexts.

L’activité de recherche menée par notre équipe comprend des travaux de fouille mais surtout de prospection. Les premiers ont déjà été publiés pour la plupart d’entre eux, se rapportant précisément aux monuments 42, 53 et 647 (Kallala et al. 2014) et au dolmen SP370005 (Jornet, Fadrique et Sanmartí 2011) ; nous présentons dans ce volume un condensé des résultats obtenus. Nous y incorporons également les fouilles, encore inédites, de la bazina 241 et d’un petit secteur d’une structure singulière (nº 1054) que nous avons appelée « le Grand mur ». Pour ce qui est des travaux de prospection que nous avons menés depuis 2009 dans une partie importante du massif du Ksour, nous nous limiterons dans ce chapitre à en décrire la méthode de travail. Le lecteur trouvera à la fin de cet ouvrage l’inventaire complet des restes archéologiques documentés – des monuments funéraires d’époque protohistorique pour la plupart –, accompagné d’une série de photographies

This article presents a previously unknown megalithic necropolis, where nearly 800 monuments have been recorded Three of them, including a large one (53), have been completely excavated. It has been possible to date two of these graves (53 and 647) to the 6th-5th c. BC, while the dating the third one (42), whose funerary chamber had been plundered, is less clear (but is still to be placed in the course of second half of the first millennium BC). The intentional removal of the soft tissues from the bodies and the deposition of only a small number of human bones in the tombs have also been attested in monuments 53 and 647. Grave 53 underwent another cultic, and perhaps funerary, use between the 2nd and 4th AD (probably during the first half of the 3rd c.). During the Vandal period, it was enlarged and was probably devoted to a new funerary use., Cet article présente une nécropole mégalithique auparavant méconnue, où l’on a documenté près de 800 monuments funéraires dont trois, y compris un spécimen de grandes dimensions (tombe 53), ont fait l’objet d’une fouille complète. Il a été possible de préciser la datation de deux de ces tombes, 53 et 647, qui remontent aux VIe-Ve s. av. J.-C. ; la chronologie de la troisième tombe 42, dont la chambre était pillée, reste floue (mais toujours, vraisemblablement, dans la seconde moitié du Ier millénaire av. J.-C.). La pratique du décharnement et la déposition d’un petit nombre d’ossements humains ont été constatés dans les tombes 53 et 647. Le monument 53 a connu une nouvelle utilisation cultuelle, et peut-être aussi funéraire, entre les IIe et le IVe s. apr. J.-C. (probablement durant la première moitié du IIIe s.) ; puis, à l’époque vandale, il a été élargi et a probablement retrouvé un usage funéraire., Kallala Nabil, Sanmartí Joan, Jornet Rafael, Belarte Carme, Chérif Sarhane. La nécropole mégalithique de la région d’Althiburos, dans le massif du Ksour (Gouvernorat du Kef, Tunisie). Fouille de trois monuments. In: Antiquités africaines, 50,2014. pp. 19-60.

La recerca sobre el món ibèric, a Catalunya i a altres zones on es va desenvolupar aquesta cultura, es va iniciar fa més de cent anys, i ha passat per diverses etapes, que van de fet molt lligades als corrents teòrics i metodològics en boga a cada moment a Europa. La darrera s'inicia a principi dels anys vuitanta, i es caracteritza per un enfocament que pretén acostar l'arqueologia a la sociologia i, encara més particularment, a la geografia humana. Aquesta corrent tenia per objectiu documentar i intentar comprendre les formes d'ocupació del territori. Es tractava de reconèixer els diferents tipus d'assentaments que existien, comprendre'n la naturalesa i explicar-ne la distribució. Metodològicament, es fonamentava sobretot en treballs de prospecció superficial en diferents zones del territori, que van tenir resultats molt diversos, però que van revelar l'existència d'una realitat complexa. D'una banda, perquè van mostrar que aquestes formes d'ocupació variaven de manera considerable d'una part a l'altra del territori. D'una altra perquè també indicaven l'existència de sistemes de poblament molt jerarquitzats, sobretot a la costa de Catalunya i en diferents zones del País Valencià. Efectivament, en aquestes zones les dimensions del assentaments anaven des de nuclis de 10 o més hectàrees de superfície, que es poden considerar com a ciutats, fins a petits assentaments rurals, que podien ser cases aïllades, més o menys grans, o aldees que agrupaven unes quantes famílies de camperols. Entre aquests dos extrems, hi havia una gran diversitat de nuclis, de grandària variable, que equivalen al que avui entendríem com a pobles i ciutats de segon nivell d'importància

Little is known about the Eastern Maghreb in the second and first millennia BC, except for the very last centuries when classical sources provide some information about the Numidian kingdoms. The survey and excavation of Althiburos and its surroundings have provided valuable data related to the first millennium BC. Occupation of the site dates back to the ninth or tenth century cal BC and continues into Roman times. Archaeobiological data — particularly the evidence of grape, a crop that only provides a return after several years, but thereafter produces fruit for a considerable period — suggest that the population was sedentary from the beginning, and that it probably grew throughout occupation. Iron slag is also present from the eight or tenth century cal BC. The construction of a Punic-type cistern and an impressive defensive wall indicate that the site developed into a city-like settlement by the mid-first millennium BC. While relations with Carthage may have played an important role in this process, we suggest that population growth was the main cause for sedentariness and, later, for the development of cities and the Numidian states. Other important aspects of the project include the typology and dating of pottery, the discovery of small pre-Roman habitation sites, and the dating of a small dolmen and one of the funerary mounds in the city’s surroundings.

L’any 2014 és reprenen les excavacions programades al nucli fortificat de Coll del Moro de Gandesa després d’incorporar-lo en un projecte de recerca de la Universitat de Barcelona titulat: “El primer mil·lenni a.c. als territoris del curs inferior de l’Ebre: la formació, desenvolupament i dissolució de la cultura ibèrica”. Aquestes excavacions han posat al descobert un excepcional cup datat en ple segle iii a.n.e. Aquests indicis de producció de vi, sumats als ja coneguts del “taller de lli”, ens dóna indicis de que ens trobem davant d’un barri artesanal segregat. Pel que fa la cronologia d’ocupació, hem pogut certificar que l’ocupació durant l’Ibèric Final s’estén per tots els àmbits excavats, a més dels adossats a la gran torre monumental. In 2014 the excavations at the fortified settlement of Coll del Moro de Gandesa have been restarted, within the framework of a University of Barcelona project entitled: “The first millennium b.c. in the territories of the lower Ebro river: formation, development and dissolution of the Iberian culture”. These excavations have uncovered an exceptional wine press dating from the 3rd century b.c. This evidence of wine production, together with that of the already known “linen workshop”, points to a segregated craft neighbourhood. As regards the chronology, we are able to assert that all the buildings in the excavated area were still occupied during the Late Iberian period (2nd-1st b.c.), in addition to those attached to the great monumental tower.

Aquest llibre és el segon volum d’una sèrie de publicacions sobre la ciutat númida i romana d’Althiburos, en el marc del projecte de recerca que hi han dut a terme la Universitat de Barcelona i l’Institut Nacional del Patrimoni de Tunísia, amb la col·laboració de l’ICAC. En el primer volum (Althiburos I. La fouille dans l’aire du capitole et dans la nécropole méridionale, Documenta núm. 18) es varen presentar els resultats bàsics de les excavacions realitzades entre el 2006 i el 2010 a l’àrea central de la ciutat, a banda i banda del capitoli, i a la necròpoli meridional d’aquesta. El volum que ara veu la llum recull els estudis de materials generats pels esmentats treballs d’excavació, presentats en dues parts: un primer bloc amb estudis de materials arqueològics i un segon bloc dedicat als estudis de materials arqueobiològics. Hi han participat una trentena d’especialistes entre autors i col·laboradors.

Livestock dung is a valuable material in many rural communities worldwide. In our research area, the site of Althiburos and its surroundings, now el Medeïna, in northwestern Tunisia, dung is the main source of fuel for domestic purposes, primarily the processing and cooking of foods. Ovicaprine dung is daily used in traditional mud tannur type ovens, namely tabouna. The archaeological record shows that mud constructed cooking installations were common during the first millennium BC. Previous studies of phytoliths and dung spherulites at Numidian Althiburos suggested the use of vegetal and fecal matter for fuel purposes. We present here the results of the continuation study based on the comparison between archaeological results (a selection of cooking installations, six hearths and two mud ovens) and those obtained from the ethnographic study of dung fuel materials from the site area. The present study builds up on ethnographic observations and informal interviews (dung collection, management, storage, waste disposal and cooking and baking activities), temperature measurements within the burning fuel, as well as modern material sampling (fresh dung, burned pellets, dung ashes and fuel trash paths) which was followed by integrated studies of phytoliths and calcitic microfossil analyses (dung spherulites and wood ash pseudomorphs) for comparative purposes. The results obtained provided direct evidence regarding the type of fuel sources: dung, wood and a mixing of dung and vegetal matter (wood and agricultural by-products). Dung was used as source of fuel material across time (from the Early Numidian occupation phase, 10 the 9th century BC, to the last centuries BC) and space (in different excavation areas and type of installations). Such integrated studies demonstrate the value of combining different microarchaeological techniques and the use of ethnoarchaeological material from site areas.

North Africa has a rich tradition of archaeological studies. Its origins and early development are linked to the modern colonization of the region by several European powers, but it has also had a remarkable continuity after decolonization, both in international cooperation missions and in solo work developed by the research institutions of the Maghreb states, most particularly in Tunisia. However, this research has been extremely biased as regards the periods and cultures studied, since, due to easy to imagine political reasons related to the European colonization, the Roman period and the remains of early Christianity constituted a primary aim of the research. For this reason, pre-Roman levels that lie below the vast majority of Roman sites have been hardly explored. Although this state of affairs persisted after decolonization, it has been slowly changing in recent years. The situation is somewhat different with regard to funerary archaeology, as North Africa, especially its eastern portion, is characterized by the existence of a surprising number and diversity of pre-Roman sepulchral monuments (there are tens of thousands of recorded monuments) (Camps 1961). Owing to their high visibility, these monuments constitute the best-known aspect of North Africa’s pre-Roman archaeology. Yet, current knowledge on them is still limited due to the small number of excavations that have been carried out following modern methodology. In addition to the large monumental tombs linked to Numidian monarchies (strongly influenced by Punic and Hellenistic models), we can mention, among others, the following types: rock-cut chamber tombs (known as haouanet); large mounds that hide funerary chambers that are completely invisible from the outside (at times, they are bordered by more or less substantial walls; they are then called bazinas); tower-shaped monuments (called chouchet in Algeria); other structures are essentially similar to European dolmens, and still others consist of generally small built chambers surrounded by circular walls and covered by megalithic slabs; very frequently these are also called ‘dolmens’, although they do not have any side access and they frequently do not seem to be collective graves.

This chapter explores practices of rock carving on the Anatolian peninsula from a diachronic perspective, with special emphasis on the Late Bronze Age and Early-Middle Iron Ages. Linking together the materiality of monuments, rock-carving technologies and issues of landscape imagination, it focuses on the commemorative rock reliefs across the Anatolian landscape. The monuments of concern range from Hittite and post-Hittite commemorative rock reliefs to Urartian, Phrygian and Paphlagonian practices of carving the living rock for cultic, commemorative and funerary purposes. The chapter also critiques the specialised art historical and epigraphic approaches to rock reliefs and rock-cut structures, which portray them as stand-alone monuments and show a certain disregard for their micro-geographical context. Finally, it contributes to studies of landscape and place in Mediterranean archaeology by promoting a shift of focus from macro-scale explanations of the environment to micro-scale engagement with located practices of place-making.

En altres números de la revista AURIGA hem tingut ocasió de donar notícies sobre els resultats obtinguts en el projecte de recerca tunisianocatalà a la ciutat númida, i després romana, d'Althiburos, a la república de Tunísia. Ens limitarem, doncs, a recordar que l'objectiu dels nostres treballs és recuperar documentació rellevant que permeti plantejar hipòtesis mínimament sòlides sobre els processos de formació i desenvolupament dels estats númides que van tenir lloc durant el primer mil·lenni aC.

Els objectius generals del GRACPE se centren en l'estudi de les causes que expliquen la formació de les societats complexes i dels camins que segueix el seu desenvolupament, intentant explicar-ne les diferents trajectòries. Els membres del grup comparteixen posicions teòriques allunyades de plantejaments postmoderns, i defensen una arqueologia inequívocament científica i integrada en les ciències socials, orientada al descobriment de regularitats interculturals i a la verificació dels models hipotètics generats per aquestes amb dades empíriques de contextos culturals, geogràfics i cronològics diversos. La contribució a la construcció de la teoria sociològica a partir de l'arqueologia és, doncs, l'objectiu general bàsic del grup.

Cet article présente une nécropole mégalithique auparavant méconnue, où l’on a documenté près de 800 monuments funéraires dont trois, y compris un spécimen de grandes dimensions (tombe 53), ont fait l’objet d’une fouille complète. Il a été possible de préciser la datation de deux de ces tombes, 53 et 647, qui remontent aux vie-ve s. av. J.-C. ; la chronologie de la troisième tombe 42, dont la chambre était pillée, reste floue (mais toujours, vraisemblablement, dans la seconde moitié du ier millénaire av. J.-C.). La pratique du décharnement et la déposition d’un petit nombre d’ossements humains ont été constatés dans les tombes 53 et 647. Le monument 53 a connu une nouvelle utilisation cultuelle, et peutêtre aussi funéraire, entre les iie et le ive s. apr. J.-C. (probablement durant la première moitié du iiie s.) ; puis, à l’époque vandale, il a été élargi et a probablement retrouvé un usage funéraire. This article presents a previously unknown megalithic necropolis, where nearly 800 monuments have been recorded Three of them, including a large one (53), have been completely excavated. It has been possible to date two of these graves (53 and 647) to the 6th-5th c. BC, while the dating the third one (42), whose funerary chamber had been plundered, is less clear (but is still to be placed in the course of second half of the first millennium BC). The intentional removal of the soft tissues from the bodies and the deposition of only a small number of human bones in the tombs have also been attested in monuments 53 and 647. Grave 53 underwent another cultic, and perhaps funerary, use between the 2nd and 4th AD (probably during the first half of the 3rd c.). During the Vandal period, it was enlarged and was probably devoted to a new funerary use.

L'anàlisi del festeig com activitat social en les societats prehistòriques i protohistòriques, així com el seu paper en les relacions de poder, ha estat un dels temes recurrents en la literatura arqueològica generada en els darrers vint anys i referent a zones i períodes extremadament diversos. A la Mediterrània occidental i l"Europa central han estat particularment influents els treballs de M. Dietler, autor que, a partir d"un important volum de documentació etnogràfica, va proposar una tipologia de banquets en contextos socials de diferents naturaleses que és susceptible d"explicar aspectes rellevants de la documentació arqueològica coneguda de la Protohistòria a la costa mediterrània de la Península Ibèrica i la Gàl·lia entre altres, el volum i naturalesa canviants dels materials d"importació , tal com s"ha mostrat en diversos treballs més o menys recents (Dietler, 1990, 1996, 1999). Per als autors d"aquest treball, les idees elaborades per Dietler continuen essent plenament vàlides i conserven tot el seu potencial heurístic i explicatiu, per la qual cosa val la pena recordar-les breument.

While recurrently cited in the specialized bibliography, until recent years Castellet de Banyoles was only really known by the findings of monetary hoards and some luxury ritual vases, in addition to the Hellenistic-type pentagonal towers flanking the site entrance. Excavation work since 1998 has enabled precise dating of the first settlement between the last third of the 3rd century BC and early 2nd century BC, and has revealed the existence at that time of a Punic-type compartments wall, as well as an extensive dwelling area, which probably corresponds to a specific gens. Houses of different types and sizes are attested, as well as a possible sanctuary. With an area of 4.5 ha, Castellet de Banyoles is a small city that brought together the entire population of the Mora basin, following a mononuclear model unprecedented in the northern Iberian world. This is likely explained by strategic reasons in a turbulent historical context due to the Barcid expansion in the Iberian Peninsula and the Second Punic War., Aunque es un yacimiento recurrentemente mencionado en la bibliografía especializada, hasta hace pocos años el Castellet de Banyoles sólo era realmente conocido por los hallazgos monetarios y de elementos suntuarios de carácter ritual, a parte de las torres pentagonales de tipo helenístico que flanquean su puerta. Los trabajos realizados desde 1998 han permitido precisar la datación del primer asentamiento entre el último tercio del siglo III a.C. y principios del II a.C., y han mostrado la existencia en ese momento de una muralla de compartimentos de tipo púnico. También han traído a luz un extenso sector de hábitat —que probablemente corresponde a un grupo gentilicio—, con casas de distintos tipos y tamaños, y un posible santuario. Con una superficie de 4,5 ha, se trata de una pequeña ciudad que agrupaba toda la población de la hoya de Móra, siguiendo un modelo mononuclear inédito en el mundo ibérico septentrional, y que tal vez se explique por razones estratégicas en un contexto histórico convulso a causa de la expansión bárquida y la segunda guerra púnica.

La campaña de excavación de 2010 en Althiburos ha permitido alcanzar el nivel geológico y confirmar la datación de siglo X-IX a. C. para la ocupación inicial del sector central del yacimiento. También ha proporcionado una notable información sobre las estructuras construidas de época prerromana, en particular sobre las casas del siglo VIII a. C., la cisterna del siglo VI a. C. y la muralla defensiva, aunque la cronología inicial de esta última –fechada por el momento en el siglo IV a. C.– es todavía incierta. Se han documentado, asimismo, algunos restos fechables en la Antigüedad Tardía, así como dos enterramientos medievales. También se ha continuado la excavación del túmulo D-53, a unos 3 km de Althiburos. Ello ha permitido fechar su construcción en torno al cambio de era y su ampliación a partir de época flavia –probablemente, ya a principios del siglo II– y también ha proporcionado datos interesantes sobre aspectos rituales.

Los trabajos realizados en Althiburos y sus alrededores han permitido completar la excavación de la muralla númida y fijar su datación en el siglo iii a. C. Asimismo, han proporcionado abundantes datos arqueobiológicos y sobre técnicas de construcción y tipologia cerámica en niveles fechables entre el siglo vii a. C. y principios del siglo iii a. C. In 705 mediatamente al NO del capitolio. También se ha terminado la excavación del túmulo D-53, confirmando su datación en época imperial y completando el conocimiento sobre su estructura, y se ha excavado totalmente otro de menores dimensiones (M-42), pero de estructura básica y cronología similares a los de D-53. Por último, se ha extendido la prospección de la necrópolis de tipo protohistórico hasta alcanzar una superficie de unos 20 km2, con un total de 855 estructuras documentadas. Todas ellas pueden considerarse como túmulos, pero determinadas peculiaridades morfológicas, a menudo ligadas a las dimensiones, permiten distinguir la existencia de seis tipos bien diferenciados. Research in Althiburos and its surroundings has allowed to complete the excavation of the Numidian defensive wall and to fix its construction date in the third century BC. It has also provided extensive archaeobiological data and valuable information on building techniques and ceramic typology from levels immediately to the NW of the Capitol that are dated between the seventh century BC and the early third century BC. We have also completed the excavation of mound D-53, confirmed its imperial era dating and completed the knowledge about its structure. Another smaller tumulus (M-42) has been fully excavated; its basic structure and dating are similar to those of D-53. Finally, the exploration of the protohistoric necropolis has been extended to reach an area of about 20 km2, with a total of 855 recorded structures. Tipologically, all of them can be considered as tumuli, but certain morphological peculiarities, often linked to their dimensions, lead to distinguish the existence of six types.

Els amics de la redacció de la RAP m'afalaguen demanant-me una contribució a aquest dossier sobre com hauria de ser el futur del Museu d'Arqueologia de Catalunya. Ho accepto amb agraïment per la confiança que em fan, tot i que sóc ben conscient que no sóc la persona més ben situada ni preparada per donar-ne una opinió amb un mínim valor des del punt de vista tècnic i amb això vull dir sobre com s'han d'exposar, en el sentit més ampli, els fons del Museu, o com ha de ser l'edifici que els acull, ja que no tinc cap formació museològica.