Articles producció científica> Història i Història de l'Art

Resinous deposits in Early Neolithic pottery vessels from the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula

  • Identification data

    Identifier: imarina:9287476
    Authors:
    Breu ARosell-Melé AHeron CAntolín FBorrell FEdo MFontanals MMolist MMoraleda NOms FXTornero CVergès JMVicente OBach-Gómez A
    Abstract:
    The use of resinous substances, certainly one of the earliest technologies developed by humans, was well-known by Holocene hunter-gatherers at the onset of the Neolithisation process across Europe. Recent research has revealed the use of birch bark tar in the central Mediterranean far from this taxon's endemic regions both in the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods and shows that the first farmers from the Fertile Crescent hafted lithic tools and waterproofed artefacts using bitumen. The generalised absence of these natural products in south-western Europe may have thus forced a reformulation of Early Neolithic technologies by exploring and benefitting from existing knowledge in local European hunter-gatherer societies. However, information on resin use from the western Mediterranean is still scarce. Here, we report on the analysis of organic residues from 168 pottery sherds by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry from 10 archaeological sites in this region dating from the second half of the VIth millennium to the first half of the Vth millennium cal BC. In a limited number of samples, minor amounts of several diterpenoids diagnostic of aged Pinaceae resins were detected as mixtures with fats. The presence of pine in the palynological and carpological record supports the human exploitation of this taxon, but its minimal incidence in the anthracological record suggests that other species were selected as fuelwood. This supports the hypothesis that Pinaceae resins were used in association with pottery sporadically but ubiquitously either as its contents, or as post-firing treatments to waterproof the vessels. This demonstrates the development of adhesive technologies and resin-involved labour processes specific to Early Neolithic societies.
  • Others:

    Author, as appears in the article.: Breu A; Rosell-Melé A; Heron C; Antolín F; Borrell F; Edo M; Fontanals M; Molist M; Moraleda N; Oms FX; Tornero C; Vergès JM; Vicente O; Bach-Gómez A
    Department: Història i Història de l'Art
    URV's Author/s: Fontanals Torroja, Marta / Vergès Bosch, Josep Maria
    Keywords: Pinaceae resin Organic residue analysis Iberian peninsula Early neolithic Chromatography-mass spectrometry spectroscopy settlement pinaceae resin organic residue analysis near-east lipid residues iberian peninsula holocene exploitation environment classification
    Abstract: The use of resinous substances, certainly one of the earliest technologies developed by humans, was well-known by Holocene hunter-gatherers at the onset of the Neolithisation process across Europe. Recent research has revealed the use of birch bark tar in the central Mediterranean far from this taxon's endemic regions both in the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods and shows that the first farmers from the Fertile Crescent hafted lithic tools and waterproofed artefacts using bitumen. The generalised absence of these natural products in south-western Europe may have thus forced a reformulation of Early Neolithic technologies by exploring and benefitting from existing knowledge in local European hunter-gatherer societies. However, information on resin use from the western Mediterranean is still scarce. Here, we report on the analysis of organic residues from 168 pottery sherds by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry from 10 archaeological sites in this region dating from the second half of the VIth millennium to the first half of the Vth millennium cal BC. In a limited number of samples, minor amounts of several diterpenoids diagnostic of aged Pinaceae resins were detected as mixtures with fats. The presence of pine in the palynological and carpological record supports the human exploitation of this taxon, but its minimal incidence in the anthracological record suggests that other species were selected as fuelwood. This supports the hypothesis that Pinaceae resins were used in association with pottery sporadically but ubiquitously either as its contents, or as post-firing treatments to waterproof the vessels. This demonstrates the development of adhesive technologies and resin-involved labour processes specific to Early Neolithic societies.
    Thematic Areas: Science and technology studies History Geociências Ciencias sociales Ciencias humanas Archeology (arts and humanities) Archeology Archaeology
    licence for use: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/
    Author's mail: josepmaria.verges@urv.cat marta.fontanals@urv.cat marta.fontanals@urv.cat
    Record's date: 2024-08-03
    Papper version: info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
    Link to the original source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352409X22004072?via%3Dihub
    Licence document URL: https://repositori.urv.cat/ca/proteccio-de-dades/
    Papper original source: Journal Of Archaeological Science: Reports. 47
    APA: Breu A; Rosell-Melé A; Heron C; Antolín F; Borrell F; Edo M; Fontanals M; Molist M; Moraleda N; Oms FX; Tornero C; Vergès JM; Vicente O; Bach-Gómez A (2023). Resinous deposits in Early Neolithic pottery vessels from the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula. Journal Of Archaeological Science: Reports, 47(), -. DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2022.103744
    Article's DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2022.103744
    Entity: Universitat Rovira i Virgili
    Journal publication year: 2023
    Publication Type: Journal Publications
  • Keywords:

    Archaeology,Archeology,Archeology (Arts and Humanities),History
    Pinaceae resin
    Organic residue analysis
    Iberian peninsula
    Early neolithic
    Chromatography-mass spectrometry
    spectroscopy
    settlement
    pinaceae resin
    organic residue analysis
    near-east
    lipid residues
    iberian peninsula
    holocene
    exploitation
    environment
    classification
    Science and technology studies
    History
    Geociências
    Ciencias sociales
    Ciencias humanas
    Archeology (arts and humanities)
    Archeology
    Archaeology
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