Pottery use in the mining site of variscite Mines de Gavà (Barcelona, Spain) during the 4th millennium BC based on organic residue analysis

Tarifa-Mateo, N.; Regert, Martine; Craig, Oliver E.; Rosell‐Melé, Antoni; Clop, Xavier; Seguí, María Sañá

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2021.103080

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 83 publications

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“…Beehive products, such as beeswax, are known from other Iron Age contexts [ 24 , 34 , 88 , 89 ], and earlier periods [ 90 ]. It is a substance previously associated with waterproofing [ 69 , 88 ] or interpreted as fuel for lamps [ 78 , 91 ], and mixtures with birch tar for repair, decoration and vessel coatings are known [ 16 , 24 ]. Beeswax has often been referred to as a plasticising agent and experimental studies on mixtures of pine rosin and beeswax demonstrated that adhesive strength can be enhanced through mixing [ 92 , 93 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differences in birch tar composition are explained by adhesive function in the central European Iron Age

Koch,

Saurel,

Bocquillon

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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Birch bark tar is the most widely documented adhesive in prehistoric Europe. More recent periods attest to a diversification in terms of the materials used as adhesives and their application. Some studies have shown that conifer resins and beeswax were added to produce compound adhesives. For the Iron Age, no comparative large-scale studies have been conducted to provide a wider perspective on adhesive technologies. To address this issue, we identify adhesive substances from the Iron Age in north-eastern France. We applied organic residue analysis to 65 samples from 16 archaeological sites. This included residues adhering to ceramics, from vessel surface coatings, repaired ceramics, vessel contents, and adhesive lumps. Our findings show that, even during the Iron Age in north-eastern France, birch bark tar is one of the best-preserved adhesive substances, used for at least 400 years. To a lesser extent, Pinaceae resin and beeswax were also identified. Through statistical analyses, we show that molecular composition differs in samples, correlating with adhesive function. This has implications for our understanding of birch bark tar production, processing and mode of use during the Iron Age in France and beyond.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differences in birch tar composition are explained by adhesive function in the central European Iron Age

Koch,

Saurel,

Bocquillon

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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“…hircus individuals (MNI = 3 out of 8) may suggest the cave was utilised as a stable and/or breeding area [ 39 ]. The exploitation of dairy was further confirmed by milk residues documented in ceramic pots [ 40 ]. Taphonomic analyses also reveal a significant number of remains with alterations due to their deposition in manure, which may be related to the cohabitation of animals and humans in the same space [ 39 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Combining traceological analysis and ZooMS on Early Neolithic bone artefacts from the cave of Coro Trasito, NE Iberian Peninsula: Cervidae used equally to Caprinae

Hansen,

Sierra,

Mata

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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Few studies have combined the analysis of use-wear traces, traceology, and the proteomic taxonomic identification method Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS). Traceology provides information on the usage, in this case, of bone artefacts, while ZooMS allows for taxonomic identifications where diagnostic features are otherwise gone. The approaches therefore offer complementary information on bone artefacts, allowing for insights into species selection strategies in bone tool manufacture and their subsequent use. Here we present a case study of 20 bone artefacts, mainly bone points, from the Early Neolithic cave site of Coro Trasito located on the southern slope of the Central Pyrenees. Hitherto, studies on Early Neolithic bone artefacts from the Iberian Peninsula have suggested based on morphological assessments that Ovis aries/Capra hircus constituted the majority of the bone material selected for bone tool production. However, the taxonomic identification in this study suggests that, at this site, Cervidae was selected equally to that of O. aries/C. hircus. Furthermore, bone artefacts made from Cervidae specimens seem to be utilised in a wider range of artefact types compared to O. aries/C. hircus. Coro Trasito’s bone artefact species composition is probably site-specific to some degree, however, morphological assessments of bone artefacts might not be representative and could be biased towards certain species. Therefore, research on bone artefacts’ usage could possibly gain new insights by implementing ZooMS in combination with traceology.

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“…Organic residue analysis was carried out on eight ceramic vessels found on the upper floor of the building (Tarifa-Mateo et al, 2021). Most of them were handmade cooking vessels.…”

Section: Residue Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

The exploitation of mountain natural resources during the Iron Age in the Eastern Pyrenees: the case study of production unit G at Tossal de Baltarga (Bellver de Cerdanya, Lleida, Spain)

Olesti,

Morera,

Oller

et al. 2024

Front. Environ. Archaeol.

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The Iron Age site of Tossal de Baltarga (Bellver de Cerdanya) was a large Iberian residential complex occupying a strategic position in the middle of the Eastern Pyrenees. It was destroyed by fire in the second half of the 3rd century BCE, preserving an important volume of archaeological and bioarchaeological material in certain areas. This is the case of Building G, a two-story construction whose violent blaze has offered the possibility of analyzing a precise moment in the history of an Iron Age productive unit. The existence of a stable on the lower floor, where four sheep, a goat, and a horse were documented, and an upper floor, where textile production and storage were evidenced, allows us to analyse the complexity of the economic activities and exploitation of local resources, such as livestock, agriculture, forestry and mining.

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Pottery use in the mining site of variscite Mines de Gavà (Barcelona, Spain) during the 4th millennium BC based on organic residue analysis

Cited by 7 publications

References 83 publications

Differences in birch tar composition are explained by adhesive function in the central European Iron Age

Differences in birch tar composition are explained by adhesive function in the central European Iron Age

Combining traceological analysis and ZooMS on Early Neolithic bone artefacts from the cave of Coro Trasito, NE Iberian Peninsula: Cervidae used equally to Caprinae

The exploitation of mountain natural resources during the Iron Age in the Eastern Pyrenees: the case study of production unit G at Tossal de Baltarga (Bellver de Cerdanya, Lleida, Spain)

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