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Roques de García lithostratigraphic sequence indicating the five different units (I-V) that were identified in the field
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High-altitude island environments, with their characteristic strong seasonal contrast and limited resources, are challenging contexts for human subsistence. However, although archaeological contexts in this kind of setting hold great potential to explore the diversity of human biological and cultural adaptations, such sites are rare. In this paper,...
Citations
... Fe values are presented in mg/g. changes in human behaviour (e.g., use of fire) [33][34][35]. From a cemetery taphonomic perspective, little is known about necrosol. In this study, the concentration of chemical elements in soil samples was higher than the safe reference values established by the Portuguese Environment Agency (Agência Portuguesa do Ambiente -APA) [36] for Cu (230 µg/g), Zn (340 µg/g), As (18 µg/g), and Pb (120 µg/g) as shown in Table 3. ...
Introduction: In Portugal, it is common practice to reuse burial graves in cemeteries with exhumations occurring after a minimum period of three years after entombment. However, if the human remains still retain soft tissues when the grave is opened, inhumations must continue for successive periods of two years until complete skeletonization is achieved. For the past decade, several Portuguese public cemeteries have been struggling with the lack of burial space mainly due to a slow cadaveric decomposition. As such, this work aims to understand if the chemical elemental concentrations found in the depositional environment of deceased individuals is influencing human taphonomy.
Methods: A total of 112 soil samples were collected from graves of five Portuguese public cemeteries and the concentration of 28 chemical elements was measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). A total of 56 head hair samples and 19 fingernail samples were also collected from cadaveric remains and
analysed for the same purpose.
Results: Overall, all matrices showed statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) between skeletonised and preserved individuals. Although it was considered that the preserved bodies would display higher elemental concentrations than the skeletonised ones, this hypothesis was not confirmed.
Conclusions: The authors believe that changes in the burial conditions over time may have enable the disintegration of soft tissues even if they were initially preserved due to the presence of chemical elements. Similar studies on a global scale should be considered as they could bring together distinct perspectives and lead to more comprehensive and innovative solutions for cemetery management.
... On La Gomera, the largest area of juniper forest is at the northern part of the island in the Hermigua highlands and in Tamargada-Vallehermoso-Epina (Montserrat Salvà-Catarineu & Ángel Romo personal observations). The woodlands of J. canariensis on Tenerife were exploited for fuel by native islanders (Tomé et al., 2022). Some populations of J. canariensis are currently protected and re-established thanks partly to the LIFE project (Otto et al., 2006). ...
The Juniperus phoenicea complex consists of three taxa: J. phoenicea sensu stricto (s.s.), J. turbinata, and J. canariensis. A review of the literature on the biology of these taxa was conducted, focusing on taxono-my with paleo-data, structure, and geographical distribution to present current knowledge on these topics. Information on ecology, disease, utilization, and conservation will be presented in forthcoming parts of this monograph. Each of the three species included in the J. phoenicea complex is a monoecious or sometimes di-oecious, evergreen gymnosperm with scale leaves when adult. The morphological differences between them are minor and mainly quantitative. This enables separation of taxa using a combination of traits. However, genetic features such as isozymes and nuclear microsatellites allow adequate differentiation from each other. Juniperus phoenicea s.s. occurs in the western part of the Mediterranean region, J. turbinata is circum-Med-iterranean, while J. canariensis exists only on the Canary Islands, except Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, and on the Madeira archipelago. All species contain volatile oils which are used as traditional remedies for many various human and animal diseases, primarily in African and Asiatic countries. The published information for these topics is reviewed.
... cedrus and J. turbinata ssp. canariensis from the indigenous occupation of Las Cañadas, on the high parts of Tenerife (Machado Yanes and Galván Santos 1998; Tomé et al. 2022). ...
The Canary Islands were the first part of the Macaronesian archipelago to have been settled by humans. The various ways in which the indigenous inhabitants and later European colonisers interacted with the native and endemic flora is a central topic for archaeologists, geographers and ecologists. Floristic changes can be studied from phytoliths which are plant microfossils with a high potential for preservation in sediment deposits and they can help reconstruct past ways of life and vegetation changes through time. However, there is no comprehensive and systematic study and reference collection of phytoliths produced by the flora of the Canary Islands, so far. To make a start with a first phytolith reference collection of a selection of plants relevant for the study of past socio-ecological interactions there, we processed over a hundred modern plant specimens collected on the islands of Tenerife, Gran Canaria and La Palma to obtain the phytoliths from them, using the dry-ashing method. We then described the phytolith morphologies, and counted the numbers of morphotypes for each species. We have categorised taxa according to their phytolith concentration and production of morphotypes with diagnostic potential. Our results suggest that among the selected taxa, species within the Arecaceae, Boraginaceae, Cyperaceae, Poaceae and Urticaceae families are the main native producers of phytoliths in the archipelago. We also identified phytoliths with diagnostic potential in particular species within the Asteraceae, Brassicaceae, Cistaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Lamiaceae, Lauraceae, Ranunculaceae and Rubiaceae. We discuss how phytolith assemblages can be interpreted in archaeological sites and sediment records. Our growing reference collection is a significant step towards the application of phytolith analysis to disentangle the long-term climatic and human-driven transformation of this biodiversity hotspot, as well as the cultural use of plant resources.
... [29][30][31] These molecules appear in different proportions depending on the source animal, which can be ascertained using algorithmic equations that help discern between the presence/absence of feces, 29,32 different dietary sources (herbivore, carnivore, or omnivore) 33,34 and different herbivorous animals. 26,29 Geoarchaeological biomolecular research in Canary Island sites is incipient and so far, focused on identifying fuel sources in domestic contexts, 4 as well as understanding site formation processes and exploring plant sources. 35 Here, we apply combined fecal biomarker and micromorphological analysis to sediments from La Fortaleza (Santa Lucía de Tirajana, Gran Canaria), a multi-site archaeological complex spanning the entire pre-Hispanic aboriginal period from the 5 th to 15 th centuries 36 (Figure 1). ...
This study explores the lipid content and micromorphological features of sediment samples from two dwelling structures at the pre-Hispanic site of La Fortaleza in Santa Lucía de Tirajana (Gran Canaria, Spain). Previous field identification of possible sedimentary excrements inside the dwellings motivated chromatographic fecal biomarker analysis and micromorphology. The micromorphological samples reveal a complex dung-rich stratified sequence involving different layers of mixed composition, including reworked dung, clay, wood ash, and domestic refuse. The results of the lipid analysis corroborate the fecal nature of the sample and indicate the source animal: sheep. Coupled with the field evidence, the data suggest that the deposit is anthropogenic and represents a sequence of floor foundations, dung floors, and domestic and architectural refuse. This study provides valuable taxonomic and site use data for the understanding of the aboriginal societies of the Canary Islands and shows the efficacy of combining field observations with high-resolution geoarchaeological methods.
... Obsidian is one of the major byproducts of volcanic activity on Tenerife. Similar to obsidian found on the Island of Gran Canaria (e.g., Del Arco Aguilar, 1996; Martín Rodríguez et al., 2004), Tenerife's obsidian is frequently identified in pre-Hispanic (pre-colonial) archaeological sites (before 15th century AD) associated with the indigenous Guanches groups who occupied Tenerife in and around the Teide volcano (e.g., Hodgkin, 1848;Cook, 1900;Mederos Martín and Escribano Cobo, 2002;Carmona Ballestero and Vega Maeso, 2008;Hernández Gómez and Galván Santos, 2008;Arnay-de-la-Rosa et al., 2011Tomé et al., 2022). ...
Critical to the survival of island-based human societies is their resilience and adaptation to volcanic hazards. We here evaluate pre-Hispanic (before 15th century AD) land use patterns on the volcanic island of Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain using obsidian hydration dating (OHD). The samples studied include archaeological artifacts and natural rock chips from multiple sites of different elevation and micro-climate settings. We systematically collected samples from the southern dry area around Barranco de las Monjas in the Bandas del Sur. These include a total of 28 isolated artifact scatters (here, a scatter is defined as a minimum spatial unit of artifacts distributed spatially limited range on the surveyed surface), one dwelling, and several pyroclastic deposits containing obsidian clasts. We also collected several artifacts adjacent to a large obsidian flow of Tabonal Negro in the Las Cañadas Caldera. Unsystematic surveys in north of Mt. Teide identified large obsidian outcrops located at Tabonal de los Guanches and Charco del Viento. Size differences among surface-derived obsidian artifacts (i.e., Bandas del Sur, Las Cañadas Caldera, Icod Valley) suggest that pre-Hispanic groups utilized obsidian from multiple outcrops over wide areas. Hydration analysis on 136 obsidian flakes collected from both surface and buried contexts showed only minor obsidian hydration rims (5% of total samples) and varied mean rim thicknesses (0.6–3.5μ). The low percentage of hydration rim formation may be caused by environmental factors such as wind erosion, thermal effects from volcanic or natural ground fires, or due to obsidian geochemistry (low SiO2 and water content of phonolitic obsidian). Surface-collected obsidian flakes from the southern dry area do contain hydration rims along internal fissure. The estimated hydration rates from these samples can provide an approximate age when compared to buried obsidian artifacts with associated radiocarbon dates.
... Fuel selection strategies depend on the environmental conditions, but fuel selection is also influenced by the people who inhabit the site, group size, site function, occupation duration, and the purpose of the fire (Théry-Parisot et al., 2010;Théry-Parisot, 2002a). Studies of combustion features and fuel selection show how the selected fuel influences the archaeological remains, the site formation, and how it ultimately links to past human behavior, occupation intensity, and mobility (e.g., Marcazzan et al., 2023Marcazzan et al., , 2022Tomé et al., 2022;Caruso Fermé and Civalero, 2019;Théry-Parisot, 2002a, 2002b. ...
Review of combustion evidence in early Andean archeological sites >2500 m elevation.
Experimental evaluation of combustion fuels in the Dry Puna ecoregion.
Geoarchaeological analysis of Terminal Pleistocene combustion evidence at Cuncaicha rockshelter, the highest Pleistocene site in the Americas.
... Significantly, the presence of pine elements, such as pine needles, discovered at Belmaco, adds to the growing body of evidence documenting the use of external fuel sources at indigenous sites in the Canary Islands (Machado Yanes & Ourcival, 1998;Machado Yanes, 1999;Tomé et al., 2022;Vidal-Matutano et al., 2019). Currently, pine formations can be found approximately 3 km away from Belmaco Cave, at an altitude difference of 600 m. ...
The indigenous populations of La Palma (Canary Islands), who arrived on the island from Northwest Africa ca. 2000 years B.P., were predominantly pastoralists. Yet, many aspects of their subsistence economy such as the procurement, management, and use of wild plant resources remain largely unknown. To explore this, we studied the 600–1100‐year‐old archaeological site of Belmaco Cave, which comprises a stratified sedimentary deposit representative of a fumier . Here, we present a high‐resolution, multiproxy geoarchaeological study combining soil micromorphology, lipid biomarker analysis, X‐ray diffraction, μ‐X‐ray diffraction, μ‐X‐ray fluorescence, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and μ‐Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, to characterize formation processes and explore plant sources. Recurrent goat/sheep habitation and maintenance activities are represented by interstratified layers of unburned dung, charcoal‐rich sediment, and dung ash. Lipid biomarker data show a herd diet mainly composed of herbaceous plants, which is key to understanding the mobility of indigenous shepherds. Our results also revealed an unusual suite of authigenic minerals including hazenite, aragonite, and sylvite, possibly formed through diagenetic processes involving interaction between ash, dung, urine, volcanogenic components, and bacterial activity, coupled with arid and alkaline conditions. Our study shows the potential of a multiproxy approach to a fumier deposit in a volcanogenic sedimentary context.
... Lipid biomarkers, molecular-level tracers of organic matter sources, and particularly short-chain fatty acid carbon isotope ratios (δ 13 C 16:0 and δ 13 C 18:0 ), have allowed: i) identification and characterization of different types of animal fats preserved in archaeological combustion structures (March 2013;Choy et al. 2016;Buonasera et al. 2019) and experimental fires (Buonasera et al. 2015), ii) anatomical part discrimination in fresh and charred plants heated under controlled laboratory conditions, experimental and archaeological fires (e.g. Jambrina-Enríquez et al. 2019) and iii) assessment of the thermal degradation effect on lipid biomarker composition of fresh dried plant biomass from controlled laboratory heating sequences (Knicker et al. 2013;Diefendorf et al. 2015;Jambrina-Enríquez et al. 2019;Tomé et al. 2022). Regarding plant biomass, to identify the source of organic residues encrusted on pottery or present in combustion structure sediment samples, the current plant oil δ 13 C 16:0 and δ 13 C 18:0 reference database focuses on fresh seed oils (Woodbury et al. 1998;Spangenberg and Ogrinc 2001;Steele et al. 2010) and fresh C3-leaf oils (Chikaraishi et al. 2004a, b) and only a few studies incorporate fresh and charred wood oils (e.g.: Jambrina-Enríquez et al. 2018;Tomé et al. 2022). ...
... Jambrina-Enríquez et al. 2019) and iii) assessment of the thermal degradation effect on lipid biomarker composition of fresh dried plant biomass from controlled laboratory heating sequences (Knicker et al. 2013;Diefendorf et al. 2015;Jambrina-Enríquez et al. 2019;Tomé et al. 2022). Regarding plant biomass, to identify the source of organic residues encrusted on pottery or present in combustion structure sediment samples, the current plant oil δ 13 C 16:0 and δ 13 C 18:0 reference database focuses on fresh seed oils (Woodbury et al. 1998;Spangenberg and Ogrinc 2001;Steele et al. 2010) and fresh C3-leaf oils (Chikaraishi et al. 2004a, b) and only a few studies incorporate fresh and charred wood oils (e.g.: Jambrina-Enríquez et al. 2018;Tomé et al. 2022). ...
... At Los Roques de García (Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain), a archaeological highland rockshelter occupied in prehispanic times, Tomé et al. (2022) analyzed the micromorphological, molecular and isotopic fingerprints a 50 cmthick stratified profile including two layers formed by human trampling on a surface with fire residues: MFU8 (the oldest occupation surface at the site) and MFU19. ...
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Different types of plant tissues and resin can account for the wax lipids found in sedimentary contexts and archaeological samples. Consequently, there is increasing research to characterize the fatty acid carbon isotope ratios of different plant anatomical parts and their plant exudates (resin). With the aim to explore isotopic differences between plant tissues, state of the fine organic matter, effect of thermal degradation, and to identify plant residues we measured the δ13C values of short-chain fatty acids (δ13C16:0 and δ13C18:0) in: i) dead and fresh (collected and immediately dried) pine needles and branches (Pinus canariensis) and pine resin from laboratory-controlled heating experiments and ii) sediment and charred pine tissue samples from a wild pine forest fire. Our results are compared to previously published experimental open-air fire experiments and pine-fuelled archaeological combustion features. We found that for both fatty acid types, there are differences in δ13C signatures among anatomical parts and initial moisture content. These data allow us to characterize the isotopic signature of pine tissue and the effect of degradation on isotopic biomarkers, as well as to estimate combustion temperatures in pine-fuelled anthropogenic fires.
Supplementary information:
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12520-023-01815-3.
Middens, commonly found in archaeological sites across different chronologies, serve as rich sedimentary archives of daily life by capturing the refuse and discarded artifacts of past human groups. This study focuses on the midden deposits of the Early Iron Age settlement site of Cerro de San Vicente (Central Iberia). We applied a high-resolution, microcontextual geoarchaeological approach, integrating soil micromorphology —including phytolith and charcoal analyses on thin sections—, sedimentary lipid biomarker analysis, X-Ray fluorescence (XRF), X-Ray diffraction (XRD) and magnetic properties analysis to investigate the formation processes and past functionality of the site’s midden deposits. Our findings reveal that the targeted sequences are primarily composed of wood ash and charred plant refuse, as well as trampled and disintegrated earth-based construction materials. These deposits are interpreted as the result of multiple hearth rake-out events, maintenance and construction activities, and possible spatially-related communal storage practices within the village. Stratigraphic connections between deposits from inside and outside the dwellings are proposed, linking the middens to an intermediate phase (ca. 600 BCE) of the village’s history. These results offer relevant insights into the spatial and temporal dynamics of refuse disposal, maintenance practices and space use at Cerro de San Vicente, highlighting the value of microcontextual geoarchaeological methods in unveiling domestic practices. This study contributes to enhancing our understanding of Early Iron Age socio-cultural and daily life practices in Central Iberia.
