Current evidence suggests that pigs were first domesticated in Eastern Anatolia during the ninth millennium cal BC before dispersing into Europe with Early Neolithic farmers from the beginning of the seventh millennium. Recent ancient DNA (aDNA) research also indicates the incorporation of European wild boar into domestic stock during the Neolithization process. In order to establish the timing of the arrival of domestic pigs into Europe, and to test hypotheses regarding the role European wild boar played in the domestication process, we combined a geometric morphometric analysis (allowing us to combine tooth size and shape) of 449 Romanian ancient teeth with aDNA analysis. Our results firstly substantiate claims that the first domestic pigs in Romania possessed the same mtDNA signatures found in Neolithic pigs in west and central Anatolia. Second, we identified a significant proportion of individuals with large molars whose tooth shape matched that of archaeological (likely) domestic pigs. These large ‘domestic shape’ specimens were present from the outset of the Romanian Neolithic (6100–5500 cal BC) through to later prehistory, suggesting a long history of admixture between introduced domestic pigs and local wild boar. Finally, we confirmed a turnover in mitochondrial lineages found in domestic pigs, possibly coincident with human migration into Anatolia and the Levant that occurred in later prehistory.

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Borduşani-Popină is a Gumelniţa tell site in south-eastern Romania. The cattle mortality profile suggests a husbandry oriented towards prime meat exploitation and dairy production highlighted by the keeping of cattle to advanced age. Besides, the culling strategy also targeted young calves. A stable isotope ratio study was undertaken on dental rows. Bone and dentine collagen δ 15 N values show that the calves within the slaughtering peak were well-advanced in the weaning process, suggesting that the slaughter was delayed until the end of the cows' lactation. A consequence would be the sharing of milk production between herders and calves. High inter-and intra-individual variability in bone collagen and enamel bioapatite δ 13 C values indicated variations in the seasonal ratio of C 4 and C 3 plants in fodder and between age groups. Overall, the complementary study of mortality profiles and stable isotopes provide evidence of sophisticated husbandry during the fifth millennium cal. BC.

Crystalline phases present in pigments scratched off the surfaces of some decorated ceramic sherds belonging to the Cucuteni Neolithic culture were successfully identified using synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction at Daresbury Laboratory. The ceramic sherds were selected from a collection of the National Museum of Romanian History in Bucharest. The synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the black-color pigments on the surface of a number of sherds were produced by a variety of jacobsite ͑Fe 2 MnO 4 ͒ phases; magnetite ͑Fe 3 O 4 ͒ was also found in one of the sherds. The red color was derived from clay slips with a high content of hematite ͑Fe 2 O 3 ͒. Calcite ͑CaCO 3 ͒ was found in the white pigments; its presence was explained as being related to postburial deposition processes. Conclusions on technological aspects, provenance, and conservation issues are given.

a b s t r a c tIn southeastern Romania, the Gumelnit¸a culture is characterized by the appearance of tell sites. Whether this phenomenon was accompanied by increasing specialization of the economy may be investigated through the zooarchaeology of pastoral systems. The scale of herding is an important element of this framework. A case study was conducted on the tell sites of Hârş ova and Borduş ani-Popin a situated in the Danube River basin. Both sites, located respectively on a terrace of the river and on the island of Balta Ialomit¸ei, delivered occupations from the Gumelnit¸a A2 dated to the second half of 5th millennium cal BC. Their occupants subsisted on an economy focused to a large extent on aquatic resources but also heavily dependent on cattle, pig and caprines husbandry and agriculture. The role of riverbanks resources in herding strategies and the extent to which the island of Balta Ialomit¸ei may have sustained domestic animal stocks was addressed through stable isotope analysis of animal skeleton remains. At both sites, results revealed local herding for cattle and caprines, reflected in an unexpectedly high contribution of C 4 plants to their diet, most likely from ruderal C 4 plants that are more abundant around the settlements as well as in cultivated fields. Domestic pigs had a higher trophic status than their wild counterparts, highlighting a significant contribution of animal protein to their diet most likely provided by human activities, suggesting that they were maintained in the settlement. Overall the findings suggest domestic stocks were reared in close proximity to the settlements, rather than in an extensive system. This scheme complements the small-scale cultivation system highlighted from the archaeobotanical analysis. Gumelnit¸a tell sites have been previously described as being part of larger pastoral systems including locations with complementary functions, although functional complementarity in time was not made explicit in this model. In this regard, the results obtained at Hârş ova and Borduş ani-Popin a are not in favour of large-scale seasonal mobility.