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This paper presents the results of the compositional study of 29 samples of mortar from the so-called "Garum Shop" (I, 12, 8) at Pompeii in Southern Italy. The characterization of the samples yielded information on the raw materials used in the mixtures, the production technology of mortars, and the building phases. It was carried out through polarized optical microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, microanalysis energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopic microanalysis, and image analysis through the JMicroVision software. The resultant data show great compositional homogeneity among the samples, suggesting the presence of a principal construction phase, probably associated with the first phase of the house. Apart from this main construction phase, there are some samples that show differences related either to their different function or to the fact that they come from different construction phases or restoration works. The raw materials used are related to the geology of the area and are fully compatible with the pyroclastic deposits of Vesuvius. C 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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The rockshelter of Benzú has a Middle-Upper Pleistocene stratigraphic sequence with ten levels, seven with evidence of human occupation. Speleothems have been dated by U/Th and the sedimentary levels by OSL and TL, showing that the sequence extends from 250 ka to 70 ka. In this paper, we summarise the results of geomorphology, chronostratigraphy and excavation, and provide preliminary results on the pollen, faunal and lithic remains. The location of the site on the North African coast of the Strait of Gibraltar offers the potential to throw light on contacts and relationships between prehistoric communities in North Africa and the South Iberian Peninsula, for whom the Strait may have served as a bridge rather than a barrier.