Miguel Ángel Cau’s research while affiliated with Aix-Marseille University and other places

This article summarises the results of the underwater rescue excavation of the shipwreck of Ses Fontanelles (Mallorca, Balearic Islands). The excavation documented the remains of a vessel, 12 m long and 5 m beam, loaded with two tiers of amphorae, which had set sail from the south-eastern Iberian Peninsula. The cargo includes numerous amphorae which were still sealed and bearing tituli picti, allowing for the analysis of their content. There is little doubt that the shipwreck of Ses Fontanelles is a key site for our understanding of third–fourth-century trade in the Western Mediterranean.

The conquest of the Eastern Balearic Islands by the Romans produced a profound transformation of the native communities and of their economic system. Whereas several aspects of the local economy at that period are well known, the changes experienced in the patterns of production and consumption of livestock still remain to be deciphered. By studying a series of faunal remains from the two main islands (i.e., Mallorca and Menorca), and focusing on the period spanning from the Iron Age to the Roman transition, we have approached the changes experienced in animal husbandry. Data from a large number of sites from both islands reveal the changes experienced in species composition and body size.

This article presents the results of direct accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dating of a new bone anvil retrieved in the Iron Age–Roman site of Montefí (Ciutadella), in the southwest of the island of Menorca (western Mediterranean). The radiometric date confirms the chronology obtained through the stratigraphy and typological analysis of ceramics (1st–3rd century AD), and indicates that this bone-made tool not only represents the first archaeological anvil from the island but also constitutes the earliest evidence in the western Mediterranean. This ancient date is more consistent with the known eastern regional chronology and reinforces the importance of obtaining direct AMS 14C dates to refine artifact chronologies.

The archaeological record concerning the distribution and timing of fallow deer translocation across the Mediterranean has been growing in the last years. This knowledge has provided important insights into the movement, trade patterns and ideology of past societies. Unfortunately, the dispersal of fallow deer to the western part of the Mediterranean is insufficiently understood. To fill this gap, this article presents the results of a multidisciplinary investigation (combining the zooarchaeological evidence with AMS radiocarbon dating, isotope analyses and preliminary aDNA results) from a set of remains recovered from archaeological sites on Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Western Mediterranean). The purpose is to explore the timing, circumstances and meaning of the fallow deer's introduction to this island, as well as their subsequent management and extirpation. The results of these proxies confirm the arrival of the fallow deer during the Roman period and, after a short expansion with the establishment of vivaria, its disappearance after the Byzantine period.

We present the results of the geophysical investigation carried out in the Roman city of Pollentia, in the island of Mallorca. The ancient city was identified in the 19th century. Old and new archaeological excavations have helped to uncover a residential area, a theatre, the forum, several necropolises and other remains of the city, but a large unexplored area has still to be investigated. For instance, the limits of the ancient town and the presence of harbour structures are still unknown. The geophysical survey has covered an area of more than 20.000 m² by integrating magnetic, electromagnetic, electrical and ground penetrating radar (GPR) methods. Many unseen archaeological features were clearly revealed by the interpretation of the resistivity maps and GPR time slices. A new method for the visualisation of the geophysical evidence based on VRML (Virtual Reality Markup Language) 3D data representation provides promising results to drive future excavations. The VRML shows a great potentiality for the digital visualization of the site aimed at its exploitation and usability even without the archaeological excavation.

Organic residue analysis was carried out on kitchen wares from a Medieval household at Paphos (Cyprus) in the framework of the POMEDOR Project, which aims to gain insight into food practices in the Eastern Mediterranean during the Medieval period. The samples were selected from a household assemblage which included nearly two hundred table, cooking and storage vessels, and provided a rare insight into everyday life in Frankish-period Paphos. Both glazed and unglazed vessels were chosen for this first step towards the study of foodways at the site: 4 glazed vessels (3 pans/baking dishes and 1 cooking pot) and 7 unglazed vessels (3 cooking pots, 1 jug and 3 pans/baking dishes). Samples were analysed using gas chromatography – mass spectrometry, following different extraction methods to identify the residues preserved. The preliminary study confirmed that glazed ceramics absorb residues. Animal products were identified in the unglazed pots and in glazed pans/baking dishes. Only one unglazed pan shows residues of possible wine or its derivatives, that may have been used to flavor the foodstuff cooked. Statement of significance Ceramic vessels can be studied in order to recover information about their original content through specific chemical analyses. This study is part of the first step of a broader project, which aims to gain insights into food practices in the Eastern Mediterranean during the Medieval period. The project incorporates historical, archaeological and archaeometric research. The study provides information on the use of a range of vessels, such as pots, pans/baking dishes, and jugs, as well as on the food cooked in them. An important aspect of this study is that it confirms that glazed ceramics absorb and preserve organic residues, yielding information about the original content of the vessels.

Among the different anthropogenic processes that affected the current distribution of the European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis), the timing of the human-mediated translocations is rarely known. Here we present data derived from an archaeological specimen of E. orbicularis obtained at the Roman site of Pollentia (Mallorca, Balearic Islands) using direct radiocarbon dating. These remains correspond to the early Roman period and represent the first reliable evidence for the ancient introduction of this turtle species in a Western Mediterranean Island.

This paper presents the results of the petrographic, mineralogical and chemical characterization of Late Roman amphorae from a sixth-century context found in the Medieval Cathedral of Tarragona (Catalonia, Spain). This city had an intense port activity in Late Antiquity as the capital of Hispania Tarraconensis and, from the late 5th century, as an important Visigothic centre. A total of 41 amphora samples were analyzed using a combination of techniques, including optical microscopy by thin-section analysis, X-ray fluorescence and X-ray diffraction, in order to obtain information on their provenance and technology. They comprise African, southern Hispanic and eastern Mediterranean types, mainly dated to the 5th and 6th centuries. The analysis revealed a wide diversity of chemical-petrographic groups and subgroups, indicating the import of amphorae from several production centres, in many cases being possible to determine their particular provenance. A large part of the analyzed samples corresponds to Tunisian amphorae, arriving in the 5th century mainly from workshops located in the Zeugitana region, while later amphora types, more typical of the 6th to early 7th centuries, are mostly related to a provenance in the Byzacena. For southern Hispanic and eastern Mediterranean amphorae different workshops seem to be represented, even for a same amphora type. The results of this study provide new important evidence for a better understanding of the trade networks of Tarraco-Tarracona in Late Antiquity.

The editorial of the special volume published to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Pyrenae.

All results of the ERAAUB team in recent years