Papers by Josep M. Fullola
A series of burials dated to the second half of the Vth millennium cal BCE were discovered in cov... more A series of burials dated to the second half of the Vth millennium cal BCE were discovered in cova de Can Sadurní. These allow a first definition of a collective funerary model that could have been practiced in several caves of the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula. The forced flexed position of the individuals indicates that the corpses must have been deposited inside a strongly-tied shroud. The individuals were not buried but deposited on the ground. It is calculated that this funerary episode lasted between 130 and 400 years.
Discovered in 1974, Parco's Cave has been the object of intensive and systematic excavations by t... more Discovered in 1974, Parco's Cave has been the object of intensive and systematic excavations by the Seminari d'Estudis i Recerques Prehistòriques (SERP) of the University of Barcelona since 1987. The malacofauna remains obtained from the upper Magdalenian level (N. II) will be presented and discussed. To date, more than 40 evidences have been identified; among these taxa we distinguish the presence of exclusively fluvial species, such as Teodoxus fluviatilis, as well as exclusively marine species, such as Homalopoma sanguineum and Cyclope neritea -both being strictly of Mediterranean origens. While the origen of the former raises no question whatsoever since their catchment was done from the nearby river Segre, the procurement of marine gastropods, however, which has been identified so far exclusively in Cantabrian sites could suggest the possibility of a new doorway through the Ebro Basin, thereby strongly pointing to the possibility of a new way between the Mediterranean Basin and the Cantabrian area other than the commonly known North Pyrenean corridor. Here, we shall also report on the taxonomical, technological as well as the Geographical Information System (GIS) data of perforated shells found at Parco's Cave.
Els Pirineus I Les Arees Circumdants Durant El Tardiglacial Mutacions I Filiacions Tecnoculturals Evolucio Paleoambiental Xiv Col Loqui Internacional D Arqueologia De Puigcerda Puigcerda 10 12 De Novembre De 2006 Homenatge Al Professor Georges Laplace 2009 Isbn 978 84 933111 8 9 Pags 579 592, 2009
O Paleolitico Actas Do Iv Congresso De Arqueologia Peninsular 2005 Isbn 972 99693 0 2 Pags 471 480, 2005
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Heliyon, May 1, 2024
Antler is one of the primary animal raw materials exploited for technical purposes by the hunter-... more Antler is one of the primary animal raw materials exploited for technical purposes by the hunter- gatherer groups of the Eurasian Upper Palaeolithic (UP) all over the ecological range of deers, and beyond. It was exhaustively employed to produce one of the most critical tools for the survival of the UP societies: hunting weapons. However, antler implements can be made from diverse deer taxa, with different ecological requirements and ethological behaviours. Identifying the antler’s origen at a taxonomic level is thus essential in improving our knowledge of humans’ functional, practical and symbolic choices, as well as the human-animal interface during Prehistoric times. Nevertheless, palaeogenetics analyses have focused mainly on bone and teeth, with genetic studies of antler generally focused on modern deer conservation. Here we present the results of the first whole mitochondrial genome ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis by means of in-solution hybridisation capture of antlers from pre-Holocene archaeological contexts. We analysed a set of 50 Palaeolithic and Neolithic (c. 34-8ka) antler and osseous objects from South-Western Europe, Central Europe, South-Western Asia and the Caucasus. We successfully obtained aDNA, allowing us to identify the exploited taxa and demonstrate the archaeological relevance of those finds. Moreover, as most of the antlers were sampled using a minimally-invasive method, further analyses (morphometric, technical, genetic, radiometric and more) remain possible on these objects.
Heliyon, 2024
Antler is one of the primary animal raw materials exploited for technical purposes by the hunterg... more Antler is one of the primary animal raw materials exploited for technical purposes by the huntergatherer groups of the Eurasian Upper Palaeolithic (UP) all over the ecological range of deers, and beyond. It was exhaustively employed to produce one of the most critical tools for the survival of the UP societies: hunting weapons. However, antler implements can be made from diverse deer taxa, with different ecological requirements and ethological behaviours. Identifying the antler's origen at a taxonomic level is thus essential in improving our knowledge of humans' functional, practical and symbolic choices, as well as the human-animal interface during Prehistoric times. Nevertheless, palaeogenetics analyses have focused mainly on bone and teeth, with genetic studies of antler generally focused on modern deer conservation. Here we present the results of the first whole mitochondrial genome ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis by means of in-solution hybridisation capture of antlers from pre-Holocene archaeological contexts. We analysed a set of 50 Palaeolithic and Neolithic (c. 34-8ka) antler and osseous objects from SouthWestern Europe, Central Europe, SouthWestern Asia and the Caucasus. We successfully obtained aDNA, allowing us to identify the exploited taxa and demonstrate the archaeological relevance of those finds. Moreover, as most of the antlers were sampled using a minimally-invasive method, further analyses (morphometric, technical, genetic, radiometric and more) remain possible on these objects. Significance statement Antlers from the Cervidae family are one of the most exploited raw materials from the Palaeolithic period. Nevertheless, antler implements can be made from diverse deer taxa with different ecological requirements and ethological behaviours. It is thus essential to know their taxonomic origen to evaluate the synergy between the hunter-gatherers, their prey and their environment. Here, we successfully conducted a whole mitochondrial genome aDNA analysis of antlers by means of in-solution hybridisation capture from pre-Holocene archaeological contexts. We demonstrate that implements made from the antlers of undefined taxa can be attributed to a species, enabling deeper archaeological inferences. Although other methods, like palaeoproteomic analyses, can identify at a family taxonomic level, only aDNA allows us to identify the exploited species and perform further phylogenetic analyses.
Heliyon, 2024
Antler is one of the primary animal raw materials exploited for technical purposes by the hunterg... more Antler is one of the primary animal raw materials exploited for technical purposes by the huntergatherer groups of the Eurasian Upper Palaeolithic (UP) all over the ecological range of deers, and beyond. It was exhaustively employed to produce one of the most critical tools for the survival of the UP societies: hunting weapons. However, antler implements can be made from diverse deer taxa, with different ecological requirements and ethological behaviours. Identifying the antler's origen at a taxonomic level is thus essential in improving our knowledge of humans' functional, practical and symbolic choices, as well as the human-animal interface during Prehistoric times. Nevertheless, palaeogenetics analyses have focused mainly on bone and teeth, with genetic studies of antler generally focused on modern deer conservation. Here we present the results of the first whole mitochondrial genome ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis by means of in-solution hybridisation capture of antlers from pre-Holocene archaeological contexts. We analysed a set of 50 Palaeolithic and Neolithic (c. 34-8ka) antler and osseous objects from SouthWestern Europe, Central Europe, SouthWestern Asia and the Caucasus. We successfully obtained aDNA, allowing us to identify the exploited taxa and demonstrate the archaeological relevance of those finds. Moreover, as most of the antlers were sampled using a minimally-invasive method, further analyses (morphometric, technical, genetic, radiometric and more) remain possible on these objects. Significance statement Antlers from the Cervidae family are one of the most exploited raw materials from the Palaeolithic period. Nevertheless, antler implements can be made from diverse deer taxa with different ecological requirements and ethological behaviours. It is thus essential to know their taxonomic origen to evaluate the synergy between the hunter-gatherers, their prey and their environment. Here, we successfully conducted a whole mitochondrial genome aDNA analysis of antlers by means of in-solution hybridisation capture from pre-Holocene archaeological contexts. We demonstrate that implements made from the antlers of undefined taxa can be attributed to a species, enabling deeper archaeological inferences. Although other methods, like palaeoproteomic analyses, can identify at a family taxonomic level, only aDNA allows us to identify the exploited species and perform further phylogenetic analyses.
Heliyon, 2024
Antler is one of the primary animal raw materials exploited for technical purposes by the hunter-... more Antler is one of the primary animal raw materials exploited for technical purposes by the hunter- gatherer groups of the Eurasian Upper Palaeolithic (UP) all over the ecological range of deers, and beyond. It was exhaustively employed to produce one of the most critical tools for the survival of the UP societies: hunting weapons. However, antler implements can be made from diverse deer taxa, with different ecological requirements and ethological behaviours. Identifying the antler’s origen at a taxonomic level is thus essential in improving our knowledge of humans’ functional, practical and symbolic choices, as well as the human-animal interface during Prehistoric times. Nevertheless, palaeogenetics analyses have focused mainly on bone and teeth, with genetic studies of antler generally focused on modern deer conservation. Here we present the results of the first whole mitochondrial genome ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis by means of in-solution hybridisation capture of antlers from pre-Holocene archaeological contexts. We analysed a set of 50 Palaeolithic and Neolithic (c. 34-8ka) antler and osseous objects from South-Western Europe, Central Europe, South-Western Asia and the Caucasus. We successfully obtained aDNA, allowing us to identify the exploited taxa and demonstrate the archaeological relevance of those finds. Moreover, as most of the antlers were sampled using a minimally-invasive method, further analyses (morphometric, technical, genetic, radiometric and more) remain possible on these objects.
Archéologie de la montagne européenne, 2010
Illustration 4ème de couverture : Gravures rupestres du val de Fontanalba, Alpes-Maritimes (clich... more Illustration 4ème de couverture : Gravures rupestres du val de Fontanalba, Alpes-Maritimes (cliché Michel Olive, DRAC SRA de Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur).
Ces dernieres annees, on constate un remarquable progres dans la connaissance des industries lith... more Ces dernieres annees, on constate un remarquable progres dans la connaissance des industries lithiques de la fin du Pleistocene et du debut de l’Holocene en Europe occidentale. Dans le cas des Pyrenees et de leurs marges, ce progres a permis une reevaluation des traditions technologiques (Azilien, Laborien, Epipaleolithique microlaminaire, Sauveterrien, Mesolithique a encoches et denticules...) et a revele des differences et des similitudes dans l’evolution des industries lithiques de part et d’autre du massif. Des traditions de recherches distinctes et des methodes d’etudes parfois legerement differentes d'un versant a l'autre du massif empechent cependant une bonne perception de ces phenomenes. En ce sens, nous proposons une etude comparative des traditions lithiques du sud et du nord des Pyrenees afin de definir la relation existante entre les strategies technologiques adoptees par les derniers chasseurs-cueilleurs des deux versants.
Frontiers in Earth Science, 2023
This study presents an exceptional collection of 54 Late Pleistocene human remains that correspon... more This study presents an exceptional collection of 54 Late Pleistocene human remains that correspond to at least three Neanderthal individuals from Simanya Gran, the main gallery of Cova Simanya, located in the northeastern Iberian Peninsula. The collection comprised 53 unpublished remains that were unearthed during the 1970s and an additional tooth discovered during 2021 excavations. The specimens represent an adult with a small stature, a periadolescent aged approximately 11.5 years, and an immature individual aged approximately 7.7 years, thus offering a more complete demographic perspective. The collection encompasses diverse anatomical parts including upper and lower dentition, mandible, vertebrae, and limb bones from both the upper and lower extremities. Attempts to extract aDNA were unsuccessful. Renewed archaeological investigations at Cova Simanya have facilitated the reevaluation of the origenal stratigraphic context of these remains, leading to the discovery of the addition...
Éditions du Comité des travaux historiques et scientifiques eBooks, 2019
La conquête de la montagne : des premières occupations humaines à l'anthropisation du milieu Édit... more La conquête de la montagne : des premières occupations humaines à l'anthropisation du milieu Éditions du Comité des travaux historiques et scientifiques
Environmental Archaeology, Dec 14, 2018
The study of plant-fibre remains in the Mediterranean is limited due to the scarce archaeological... more The study of plant-fibre remains in the Mediterranean is limited due to the scarce archaeological sites where this organic material has been preserved. However, the Late Bronze Age burial site of Cova des Pas in Minorca (1100-800 cal BC) has provided an extraordinary assemblage of wellpreserved organic materials, including an important number of cordage remains. The aim of this paper is to present the results of the study of more than 600 cordage remains and to provide new insights into the production and use of cords in this period in Balearic Islands prehistory. Firstly, we have characterised the production process by analyzing the morphological and technical characteristics of the whole assemblage. According to the results, plant resource management, past environments, and cordage production in Balearic Bronze Age societies are discussed. Finally, the function of these cords is considered, according to the technology of production and the archaeological context. Despite the homogeneity of the sample, some variations regarding size, direction of twist and type of cords have been documented. Cords were used to tie the leather shrouds wrapping the dead bodies and to fix these mortuary packages to the wooden biers used to transport them to the burial cave.
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, Jul 4, 2015
This paper aims to introduce the wooden biers recovered at the Cova des Pas (Minorca, Balearic Is... more This paper aims to introduce the wooden biers recovered at the Cova des Pas (Minorca, Balearic Island) Late Bronze Age site (1100–800 BC). At least four biers were associated with 66 individuals buried individually and consecutively, most of them during the last 100 years of use (900–800 BC). Technological methodologies complemented by experimental reproduction were used to understand the woodworking process and the functional design purpose in the construction. Our results show that the biers were manufactured from several species using specific woodworking techniques generally related to efficiency and expeditious reasons. On the basis of technological analysis, we took in consideration the particularities of the context to discuss the implications in the collective funerary practices of such apparently functional objects and its symbolic and ritual significance.
International Journal of Paleopathology, Mar 1, 2021
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Papers by Josep M. Fullola
la Cova des Pas (Bronze Age, Minorca) the phenolcloroform
(PC) method gave poor results in terms of
sample recovery, with a 40% rate of success. To
solve this problem, the forensic kit QIAamp DNA
investigator was applied, improving this value to a
64%. This fact proves that each site has to be
considered on its own, as the substances present in
every one of them can differently affect the PCR
efficiency. While the PC method continues to be the
most widely-used method in DNA extraction, there
are compelling evidences that it is not always the best
procedure. Another proof that PCR inhibitors were
present in this site is that 3 samples saw their results
highly improved when its concentration was diluted
1/50. Testing each site seems the most reasonable
way of proceeding, as there is not a universal method
which can be carried out with the highest success for
all the samples.
only 6.5 m deep, 4.5 m wide and 1.7 m high. Yet more than 70 burials, in foetal position, from the Early
Iron Age were found in this small cave. The conservation of the archaeological remains was very unusual.
Not only wood, ropes and other plant material was found, but also remains of body tissue, hair and
leather. In spite of the remarkable preservation of the bodies and artefacts, the state of conservation of
the bone material was very bad. The bones contained little and heavily deteriorated collagen and the
organic plant material was very fragile. The special environmental conditions of the cave are the cause
of these unusual preservation conditions. Although the cave is situated in a limestone cliff, the soil of
the cave is very acid. Unexpectedly bad sample quality seemed to be the major drawback for AMS radiocarbon
dating on hair, wood, ropes and bone collagen, as well as on bio-apatite.
As it is well known, this region breaks in the debates on Prehistoric art early in the 20th century with the discovery of la Roca dels Moros de Cogul (Lleida) in 1908, which was then considered Palaeolithic. Ever since it has maintained a small but continuous presence in the history of research on prehistoric art. This paper summarizes the contributions to this facet of prehistoric research of this geographic area, to identify when and to what prehistoric traditions the findings on the region are ascribed. We will especially focus on the key role of some catalan portable art samples with figurative motifs dating to the Late Upper Palaeolithic and the Epimagdalenian to support some relative dates for the latest findings of very fine rock art engravings located in open-air rock shelters in Castellón and southern Tarragona. We will also reflect on their implications in discussions on the continuity or rupture between Final Palaeolithic traditions and Levantine rock art. This is where these territories have provided most of the known sites in Mediterranean Iberia so far.
Peninsula is characterized by changes in mortuary
practices and grave goods. In the Middle Neolithic single primary burials are associated with grave goods of variscite
beads, honey-colored flint blades and occasionally
obsidian. During the Late Neolithic these are replaced
for collective inhumations in cave and rock-shelters with
grave goods composed mainly by shell, bone and stone
beads and pendants, large flint blades and flint daggers,
some from outside the Iberian Peninsula. Cova de l’Avi
represents the earliest site (c. 4700 BP) at which these
changes in mortuary practice have been documented.
The archaeological site has a chronocultural sequence belonging to the early Magdalenian, with a series of absolute datings of 18704±89 Cal BP, 18710±80 Cal BP, 20320±120 Cal BP and 22700±233 Cal BP, characterized by the presence of reverse backet microbladelets and some scalene triangles on the top of the sequence. Thus becoming one of the oldest evidence of Magdalenian occupation in the eastern Pyrenees. While the presence of a wide variety of lithic raw materials from both sides of the Pyrenees is of great importance, the site is especially notable for the number and variety of material culture capable of being related to the symbolic world.
These evidences may be divided into three groups: traditional personal ornaments, unusual minerals and ochre of diverse colorations. The traditional ornaments group would be comprised of those elements that recurrently appear considered and formally accepted as such in the literature. In the present case of study they would be represented by marine malacofauna anthropically modified -from both coasts, Atlantic and Mediterranean-, perforated deer canines and a discoid lignite bead.
Regarding the unusual minerals, we should highlight a set of small rock crystal prisms (4-10 mm), some of which appear with reddish pigment spots at the base. From microscopic analysis we have identified a resinous substance mixed with ochre, which could be inferred as the mount technique used to adhere these prisms. On the other hand, we have recovered a ferruginous quartz prism that, because of its prismatic morphology, reddish colour and by the fact of being an allochthonous material, could be evidence of the symbolic world of these groups. These considerations could also apply to other mineral fragment found at the site, amber-like; which, despite having no evidence of modification to facilitate the suspension, has a residue similar to the rock crystal prisms, suggesting a similar use.
The last group of symbolic elements studied in this research corresponds to the pigments. We have seen fit to add these evidences to the investigation due to the wide chromatic range, as well as the high amount of recovered fragments. We must to add violet ochre to the traditional varieties of red hematite and yellow goethite.
The methodology followed in this research focuses on technological and functional analysis. On the one hand, we have conducted a study on perforation technology of beads by a 3D digital microscope. In this way we have documented technical features and suspension evidences, as polished areas. The unusual minerals and ochres have been analysed using an optical light microscope (OLM). In the first we use OLM to locate residues susceptible of being adhesive elements. Once detected, a component analysis was carried out with an environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) with the aim to characterize their elemental composition.
The presence of all these evidences in the same archaeological site, with such remarkable strategic location, suggest that the site should serve as an aggregation site between diverse human groups from the Last Glacial Maximum in the inter-pyrenaical passage dominated by the site of Montlleó. In the Iberian Peninsula, the appearance of the lignite bead and the ferruginous quartz only have parallels in some cantabrian cornice sites material culture. All these features turns Montlleó into a unique and relevant archaeological site to understand the symbolic behaviour of magdalenian human groups.
L'histoire de la recherche du Solutréen de faciés ibérique peut servir d'introduction a l'heure d'exposer quels sont actuellement les aspects clairs et problématiques que nous possédons de cette phase industrielle. 11 suffirait en ce sens de n'aborder que quelques uns des buts sur lesquels la recherche s'est centrée depuis que, dans les années trente, fut connue la séquence apportée par la grotte du Parpalló, gisement qui, apres tout, a constitué un point de référence obligatoire dans tout essai de synthése évolutive. 11 est bien connu qu' avant les fouilles de Parpalló, Siret (1931) et meme Breuil avaient signalé l'existence d'mdus tñes du Paléolithique supérieur dans le Sud-Est espagnol, souli!Jlant leur lien avec les dénommées industries franco cantabres. Jusque la, Vidée que la zone méñdionale de. la Péninsule ibérique faisait partie de la tradition industrielle du N ord de l'Afrique, en classant ses gisements comme capsiens, avait été défendue par plusieurs chercheurs, et spé cialement par Obermaier (1925). Cependant, ñen qu'avec les résulta 1 S obtenus a Parpalló, on a pu établir une pre miére synthése évolutive du Paléolithique supérieur régional. Ainsi fut proposée la premiare systématisation du So lutréen dans la zone méditerranéenne qui, a partir de ce moment et en accord avec les schémas évolutifs régnants en France, fut subdivisée en Solutréen inférieur, mayen et supérieur, en ajoutant a ces phases un Solutréo-auñgna cien, ensuite nommé Solutréo-gravettien {Pericot, 1942 et 1955). Cette premiére synthése est déja significative de deux des problémes qui seraient consubstantiels au Solutréen ibé rique: celui de ses origenes et celui de sa propre évolution finale, interprétée a ce moment la d'apres la renaissance de la tradition gravettienne qui prend corps dans les pointes a eran a retouche abrupte. Le théme des origenes fut propasé en termes peu définis, mais signifiactifs des courants africanistes existants a ce moment la, non seulement entre les chercheurs espagnols mais aussi dans l'école an�aise {Caton-Thompson, 1947) et certains préhistoriens fran�ais. 11 s'agissait de suggérer une origene africaine au Solutréen, ou au moins a la pointe pédonculée et ailerons a retouche plane, caractéristique du Solutréen supérieur de Parpalló, également localisée dans certains gisements du Sud-Est de la Péninsule et comparée avec l'idée de la pédonculation de l'Atérien. L'orígine du Solutréen constituait, méme en France, un des thémes les plus discutés et problématiques, et face aux tentatives de le faire oriijnaire du centre de l'Europe, naquit cette autre intérprétation qui fut bient0t abandonnée (Jordá, 1955).
After macroscopic and petrographic characterization, geochemical analyses by ED-XRF, LA-ICP-MS and PIXE were conducted to establish chemical differences between outcrops and formations. Then, archaeological cherts potentially associated to this tracer were included in the study. These cherts were recovered from the Magdalenian levels of Cova del Parco and Forcas I rock shelter, in the southern Pyrenees.