Chris Scarre and Luiz Oosterbeek, Megalithic Tombs in Western Iberia: Excavations at the Anta da Lajinha

Chris Scarre and Luiz Oosterbeek, Megalithic Tombs in Western Iberia: Excavations at the Anta da Lajinha Oxford and Philadelphia: Oxbow Books, 2020. Hardback, 242 pp. ISBN 978-1-78570-980-7. £45.00.

Aproximación a la composición demográfica de los sepulcros megalíticos de la submeseta norte española. Un enfoque desde la osteoarqueología = Overview of the Demographic Composition of the Spanish Northern Sub-Plateau Megalithic Monuments: An Approach from Osteoarchaeology

La Submeseta Norte dispone de un importante volumen de sepulcros megalíticos. Las recientes intervenciones arqueológicas, con métodos de excavación cada vez más rigurosos y un sistema de registro exhaustivo, han favorecido la identificación y correcta documentación de curiosas prácticas funerarias en las sepulturas megalíticas. Simultáneamente, la incorporación de antropólogos ha permitido conocer cómo fue el proceso de deposición, las alteraciones postdeposicionales y la reconstrucción del perfil osteobiológico de los fallecidos. El objetivo principal de este artículo es reconstruir la composición paleodemográfica en los monumentos megalíticos meseteños. Para ello, se han analizado los estudios antropológicos publicados de 12 tumbas megalíticas datadas en el IV milenio a.C., con un número total de 298 individuos. Se han estimado determinados parámetros paleodemográficos (coeficientes de mortalidad, esperanza de vida y Sex Ratio) y se han comparado con modelos estimados en poblaciones preindustriales y otras series arqueológicas prehistóricas peninsulares, como medio para identificar y evaluar posibles anomalías demográficas. Con todo, observamos patrones comunes en las 12 sepulturas en lo que respecta a los grupos de edad de los sujetos depositados en las tumbas meseteñas analizadas, así como una marcada variabilidad en lo referente al sexo. Todo ello sugiere el carácter selectivo/exclusivo en los sepulcros megalíticos de esta área geográfica y un posible sesgo metodológico por la naturaleza de la muestra.AbstractThe Northern Subplateau has a large number of megalithic tombs. Recent archaeological interventions, with increasingly rigorous excavation methods and an exhaustive recording system, have favoured the identification and correct documentation of curious funerary practices in the megalithic tombs. At the same time, the incorporation of anthropologists has allowed us to learn about the deposition process, post-depositional alterations, and the reconstruction of the osteobiological profile of the deceased. The main objective of this article is to reconstruct the palaeodemographic composition of the Plateau megalithic monuments. To this end, the published anthropological studies of 12 megalithic tombs dating from the 4th millennium BC, with a total number of 298 individuals, have been analysed. Certain palaeodemographic parameters (mortality rates, life expectancy and Sex Ratio) have been estimated and compared with models estimated in pre-industrial populations and other prehistoric archaeological series on the Iberian Peninsula, in order to identify and evaluate possible demographic anomalies. Nevertheless, we observed common patterns in the 12 burials in terms of the age groups of the subjects deposited in the tombs analysed, as well as a marked variability in terms of sex. All this suggests the selective/exclusive character of the megalithic tombs in this geographical area and a possible methodological bias due to the nature of the sample.

The Deposition of Human Remains Inside Chalcolithic Ditched Enclosures: Ditch 5 at Marroquíes (Jaén, Spain)

In the last few decades, the discovery of large ditched enclosures in Iberia has revealed the diversity and complexity of deposition and manipulation of human bone remains. Alongside traditional ritual burials (mainly megalithic tombs and hypogea), fragmented and scattered human bones mixed with other kinds of material culture began to appear in many features. This is the case for Ditch 5 at Marroquíes, which offers an excellent opportunity to explore this ritual behaviour. Based on a multi-proxy approach, three main conclusions can be drawn: 1) the skeletal elements present show deliberate selection of particular categories of bones; 2) depositional episodes included the remains of people who died at different points in time and were subject to different taphonomic processes, and 3) mobility patterns indicate that all individuals, with one possible exception, were local. The movement and manipulations of body parts may reflect the active role of people after death as social and symbolic elements that retain agency and capacity for action.

Geological Approach In Order to Distinguish the Preference Source of the Raw Material from the Megalithic Tombs in East Sumba, Indonesia

Pulau Sumba sudah lama dikenal dengan tradisi makam megalitiknya yang dijumpai tersebar hampir di semua area di Sumba. Makam megalitik ini dibangun dari potongan-potongan batuan berukuran besar. Berdasarkan aspek geologi, penelitian ini mencoba untuk mencari tahu asal batuan bahan pembuat makam megalitik dan apa yang menjadi alasan untuk memilih suatu batuan untuk bahan makam megalitik. Metode yang digunakan meliputi beberapa tahap. Tahap pertama merupakan pendeskripsian sampel di lapangan. Tahap kedua, analisis geologi digunakan untuk memetakan titik-titik observasi dan singkapan batuan di lapangan. Tahap ketiga, variabel hasil pengamatan kemudian dianalisa menggunakan metode Principle Components Analysis (PCA). Empat variabel digunakan dalam penelitian ini, yaitu: variabel jarak dari sumber, variabel litologi, variabel tekstur dan variabel tingkat kekerasan. Hasil penelitian mengindikasikan bahwa tekstur batuan merupakan pertimbangan utama dalam memilih jenis batuan untuk bahan makam megalitik. Jarak dan tingat kekerasan batuannya juga menjadi alasan penting lainnya dalam mengambil bahan material untuk makam megalitik terlepas apapun jenis batunya. Secara geologi bahan batuan berasal dari batugamping Formasi Kaliangga dan batupasir Formasi Kananggar. Sumba is well known for its megalithic tradition, surviving evidence for which can be observed throughout the island in the form of tombs built from enormous stone slabs. The current study is aimed at identifying the sources of the raw material used to manufacture megalithic tombs and factors underlying the choice of raw material based on geological properties. We report the results of our field observations and geological analysis, including mapping of megalithic tomb sites and geological outcrops. Concerning the latter, field-datasets were analyzed using a Principle Components Analysis (PCA). Based on a sample of 11 megalithic tombs from several different locations, four variables were employed to distinguish the preferred source of the raw material used in tomb construction: 1) distance from the source; 2) lithology; 3) rock texture; and 4) rock hardness. Analytical results indicate that raw material texture was the key factor in the construction of megalithic tombs, followed by distance from source and hardness of the stone selected for making this structures. Finally, we establish that raw materials used for constructing sampled megalithic tomb sites on Sumba included Kaliangga Formation limestone and Kananggar Formation sandstone.

Waar de doden woonden. De samenhang tussen de locaties van laat-prehistorische urnenvelden en nederzettingen

Where the dead dwelt. The relation between the locations of late prehistoric burial grounds and settlements. This article addresses the question whether there is an association between the choice of locations of urnfields and contemporaneous settlements in the province of Drenthe. For both urnfield and settlement, three factors related to location choice have been tested in a GIS: physical geography (soil type, water table and geomorphology), visibility from the surrounding fields, and the presence of visible funerary monuments from earlier periods, especially megalithic tombs (Dutch: hunebedden) and Bronze Age burial mounds. The results have been compared: both urnfields and settlements show a preference for relatively high locations. Probably, this similarity is related to the requirements of dwelling and agriculture: burial follows habitation. However, in the choice of urnfield location, the proximity of earlier funerary elements was also taken into account. This does indicate a difference between urnfield and settlement location choice, despite the earlier-mentioned similarities between the two.

Święte 11: Cemetery of the Corded Ware Culture

The rescue excavations at site 11 in Święte, Radymno Commune, Jarosław District, were conducted prior to the construction of the A4 motorway. Thirteen Corded Ware culture (CWC) features, including eleven graves, were discovered. The Final Eneolithic cemetery was placed in the neighbourhood of FBC graves, possibly at megalithic tombs. Most of the CWC graves have a niche construction – typical of the Lesser Poland funerary rite. The furnishings found in these features are characteristic of Subcarpathia as are inventories from nearby sites in the Lower San Valley and Rzeszów Foothills. Their typo-chronological assessments point to the younger phase of the CWC. Ceramic artefacts include vessels finding analogies in the assemblages of the Middle Dnieper culture and the cultures of the steppe/forest-steppe of the North-Western Black Sea Area. Among the latter is the spectacular find of a round-base pot from Feature 1149B. A series of five dates estimate the origins of the Święte cemetery graves at the interval of 2530-2375 BC.