A new chronological framework and site formation history for Cova del Gegant (Barcelona): Implications for Neanderthal and Anatomically Modern Human occupation of NE Iberian Peninsula

Can Sadurní’s cave, located in Begues (NE Iberian Peninsula), in the Baix Llobregat region, is an archaeological site with a wide stratigraphic sequence covering from the Epipaleolithic hunter-gatherers societies at the beginning of the Holocene to Roman times. During the excavations of the last years a large number of different raw materials used for the manufacture of axes have been recovered.The present study is focused on the Neolithic sequence. 31 axes and adzes have been characterised petrographically with the aid of a binocular microscope and transmission microscope. A great variety of rocks constitute the raw materials of these stone tools, ranging from contact and regional metamorphic rocks to plutonic and porphyric igneous rocks. The formers are the most abundant (up to 78%) and include hornfels, spotted phyllites, marbles, quartzites, slates and phyllites. The igneous rocks consist of granodiorite, porphyry and aplites. Such a great assemblage of rocks matches in a geological context representative of a plutonic intrusion and its metamorphic contact aureole. Following that scenario we suggest that the most likely source area for all these materials occur at the Collserola hills, at 27 km far to the east from the cave, at the other side of the Llobregat River, where an Hercynian granodiorite and related igneous rocks intruding Ordovician metasedimentary materials are presented.

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A spatial connectivity approach to landscapes of conflict: Julius Caesar and the assault to Puig Ciutat (NE Iberian Peninsula)

10.31219/osf.io/jhkpg ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Xavier Rubio-Campillo ◽

Eduard Ble ◽

Àngels Pujol ◽

Roger Sala ◽

Robert Tamba

Keyword(s):

Iberian Peninsula ◽

Vital Role ◽

Statistical Hypothesis ◽

Julius Caesar ◽

Mobility Patterns ◽

Least Cost Path ◽

Statistical Hypothesis Testing ◽

Main Challenge ◽

Definition Of ◽

Ne Iberian Peninsula

Landscape plays a vital role in the development of military campaigns through the definition of geostrategic landmarks that structure the control of the territory, the imposition of constraints to the movement of armies, and the identification of positions that facilitate defensive tactics against aggressors. These factors are linked to the study of past spatial mobility which is typically performed using Least-Cost Path analysis (LCP). LCP identifies the optimal route that connects any two given points based on minimizing the accumulated cost based on a friction surface map, thus allowing archaeologists to identify the most efficient pathways across a territory. The main challenge of LCP analysis for archaeological regions is that optimal pathways are not well suited to define general mobility patterns within highly uncertain scenarios. Connectivity modelling based on Circuit Theory (CT) is an alternative approach to the study of mobility. CT does not generate a single path like LCP does; it captures the connectivity of an entire region identifying not only optimal paths, but also bottlenecks, dead-ends and any other spatial feature that may impact movement.We present here a framework to study landscapes of conflict using connectivity modelling; the framework combines CT, visibility analysis and statistical hypothesis testing to understand the reasons behind the assault and destruction of Puig Ciutat (NE Iberian Peninsula) during Julius Caesar's civil war. Results suggest that the site exerted decisive control over a highly connected area linking two possible logistical bases (Emporion and Massalia) to the armies fighting at Ilerda (49 BC).

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