Agustín Pastor

Archaeological bone chemical composition is modified post-mortem by diagenesis processes, and over decades, several authors have proposed different protocols to avoid post-depositional contamination that can carry to misleading interpretations about the lifestyle and origin of ancient populations. In this work, a methodological approach based on rare earth elements analysis was developed to determine diagenetic alterations on femurs, humeri, and skull surfaces, and internal layers from thirteen individuals exhumed during fieldwork in the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Mosque at Rozafa Castle (Shkodër, Albania). Major, minor, and trace elements, including rare earth elements, were measured employing spectrometric techniques, and the obtained data were statistically processed by principal component analysis and one-way ANOVA to select the best preserved bones. The results show that in general, the internal parts of bones, especially skulls, suffered post-depositional chemical contamination. Finally, to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach, a diet reconstruction employing log(Sr/Ca) and Zn/Ca was tested, obtaining results that are in line with the literature describing a diet based on a mixed economy, mostly agricultural products with low protein intakes.

Los macroútiles han sido habitualmente marginados de los estudios, debido al peso que ha tenido la industria lítica tallada para la observación de los cambios y continuidades cronológicos y culturales. Sin embargo, estos elementos aparecen en yacimientos arqueológicos asociados a diferentes contextos geográficos y cronológicos, lo cual les confiere un valor como marcadores de la adaptación y de la evolución técnica desarrollada por los grupos humanos. En este trabajo se presentan los resultados del análisis detallado de un objeto procedente del yacimiento de Hort de Cortés-Volcán del Faro (València), asociado a niveles gravetienses. La singularidad de su morfología, de la materia prima y la presencia de huellas de uso apreciables a nivel macroscópico motivaron la aplicación de diferentes metodologías de estudio sobre la pieza para su comprensión. El análisis de las huellas de uso apunta a que esta roca carbonatada fue utilizada en actividades asociadas con el tratamiento de la piel. La diferenciación de dos grupos de huellas de uso ha determinado la distinción de dos tareas desarrolladas con el objeto. La presencia de residuos que se pueden correlacionar con el uso de la pieza se ha evaluado aplicando una aproximación multianalítica y no destructiva. Además, se han aplicado técnicas de espectroscopía atómica y molecular junto con estadística multivariante, con el objetivo de identificar la potencial fuente de materia prima. El interés de este estudio reside en la combinación de aproximaciones para el estudio de un macroútil. Todo ello ha permitido ampliar la limitada información que se tiene sobre este tipo de materiales, y abrir el debate sobre el conocimiento del nivel tecnológico alcanzado por los grupos humanos.

Trace element analysis of sediments from archaeological sites is a valuable method to investigate the anthropic impact and obtain information on the functions of different areas and changes in human activities. One of the most used and effective techniques to carry out this kind of analysis is inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry. This technique needs a previous dissolution of the sample by acid attack, but the development of the best method is still a discussed issue. In the present work, total and partial digestion methods were carried out in sediment samples of Cueva de la Cocina (Dos Aguas, Spain), and trace elements were measured and statistically compared. Major elements, soil organic matter amount, and pH data were used to evaluate the main drivers of trace element contents. The differences between the results from the two methods were highlighted. Total digestion is more effective for aluminosilicates and heavy minerals, although the partial digestion results suggested that, in most cases, the difference between the two methods is irrelevant for archaeological interpretations. Furthermore, in some cases, the total digestion of the mineral phases related to the geological contribution could mask the anthropic elemental signals.

The present work represents the first attempt using an archaeometric approach to characterize the potential chert outcrops and retrace the provenance of the chert raw materials in the Mesolithic and Neolithic contexts of the Eastern Iberia central site of Cueva de la Cocina (Dos Aguas, Valencia). Therefore, a research project aimed at identifying and characterizing potential sources in the surroundings of the site was carried out, as a first step, to test some hypotheses related to raw material provenance. Elemental profiles of several archaeological artifacts and of geological samples collected in different local and nonlocal outcrops were obtained using X‐ray fluorescence spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. These chemical data were processed using multivariate statistics to investigate the possible links between the outcrops and archaeological artifacts. Preliminary results point to the use of local raw materials and also the presence of rocks outcropping in a perimeter of more than 50 km around Cueva de la Cocina, opening a new window to investigate the socioecological dynamics of the last hunter‐gatherer and the first farmer inhabitants from a diachronic point of view in this region.

The origin of iron‐oxide materials found at Paleolithic and Neolithic sites in the Spanish Mediterranean region is a pivotal issue that has not yet been explored. The aim of this study is to investigate the exploitation of local ochre sources during the different archaeological phases identified at the site of Coves de Santa Maira (Valencian Region, Eastern Spain). A sampling strategy and a methodological approach were developed. Lumps of ochre and raw materials were sampled from the archaeological site and its surroundings. The archaeological materials studied are from the occupational phases dated to between 15 and 6 ka cal BP, whereas the raw materials sampled from the surroundings of the cave are red fine‐grained and earthy‐grained sedimentary materials and Late Triassic (Keuper) clays. Morphological, mineralogical, and chemical analyses of the samples were carried out, and quantitative data on ochre fragments and processing tools recovered at the site were also included. Finally, Fe‐normalized and log₁₀ transformed data and multivariate statistical analysis, using major, trace, and rare earth elements as variables, were applied to compare the mineralogical and chemical profiles of the archaeological materials with those from geological sources. The results obtained have provided interesting data about iron‐based mineral exploitation during Prehistory in the studied region.

The Early Bronze Age ceramic collection found into the caves of La Llana and El Toral III in Asturias (Spain) presents common decoration like those found in the centre of Cantabrian Spain from the same period, which resemble others found in the Ebro valley and Atlantic Europe. Therefore, the main objective of this work it is to identify the raw material origin and understand the pottery production process during the Early Bronze Age in Cantabrian region. A methodological approach based on the chemical and mineralogical analysis of vessels and experimentally fired clay samples collected all over the centre of this region was developed. Furthermore, the post‐depositional processes affecting the sherds composition have been evaluated employing the rare earth elements (REE) as markers. The results showed that the studied assemblage have important similarities with the raw materials of the surrounding area, which support the hypothesis of a regional mobility.

This work focuses on ivory handles with similar morphotecnic characteristics recovered in both habitat and funerary spaces, dated between the 4th and 2nd century bc. These are prestigious objects only accessible to the aristocratic elite, and have been manufactured with exotic materials (ivory) and unusual decorative techniques that show a specialization Trough Fourier transform near-infrared (ft-nir) and portable x-ray fluorescence (pxrf) analysis, it has been possible to document amber inlays adhered to the surface of the handles by using tin as a soft solder. Likewise, some of these objects are decorated with bronze overlays and, exceptionally in one of those, the handle is covered on its sides with a silver sheet. The origin and necessary craft technical knowledge to make these objects is discussed.