In this paper, dietary patterns are reconstructed across two phases represented at the Copper Age... more In this paper, dietary patterns are reconstructed across two phases represented at the Copper Age of Scaba 'e Arriu (Sardinia, Italy) via isotopic analysis of human and animal skeletal remains. Collagen carbon, nitrogen, and bioapatite carbon, and oxygen isotopes were used to infer diet, economic practices, and possibly different climatic conditions. Differential management of cattle, sheep/goats, and pigs was detected, with scarce animal products in the human diet in the Early Copper Age, followed by an increase in animal products identifiable in herbivore livestock, coincident with more rainy conditions in the Late Copper Age. Dietary information was then considered in light of the climatic periods already known for the period and compatible with the data presented. The study's outcome indicates generally sedentary and endogamous groups with only a few outliers in both phases.
Bronze Age sites in the coastal area of Sarrala, in Eastern Sardinia, have been subjected to surv... more Bronze Age sites in the coastal area of Sarrala, in Eastern Sardinia, have been subjected to survey and excavation over the last half-century. The study area, whose social and economic evolution and changing scales of interactions are traced through settlement patterns and building analysis, is interpreted in light of more general trends suggested by stable isotopes, archaeogenetics, and paleoclimatology. The local picture of progressive demographic growth and infilling of the landscape, with a subsequent concentration of population and labor, follows a sequence widely detected in Sardinia. More specific identifiable aspects include a comparatively higher fragmentation/competition (ratio of complex vs simple nuraghes; ratio of tombs vs nuraghes) and a consistent pattern in the distribution of non-local building materials in the latest phase at the sites showing archaic features, taken as a clue of a long-lasting authority at select sites. These elements are compatible with organized pastoral exploitation of the available territory, structured according to patrilocality and closeness to ancestral lineages and residences. The interplay of internal dynamics relative to constraints and opportunities is discussed, such as climate change and long-distance trade connections, with possible implications for interpreting Nuragic society.
In the present work, the Authors present a discussion of the pottery typology and sequencing of t... more In the present work, the Authors present a discussion of the pottery typology and sequencing of the Nuragic Middle Bronze Age site of Conca 'e Sa Cresia-Siddi (South-central Sardinia, SU). The excavation of the site has documented a detailed stratigraphic sequence, which has been used as a basis for the pottery sequencing. Seven radiocarbon dates have provided a robust sample for the absolute dating of the site and ceramic phases. The data presented here makes Sa Conca 'e Sa Cresia one of the best documented MBA sites across the island, which has allowed for an in-depth rediscussion of already established pottery sequences and absolute dating of MBA Nuragic sites. This work provides therefore a new point of reference for future studies, and for the dating of well-known Nuragic architectures (archaic and classical nuraghi) in particular, while also allowing for a rediscussion of already published surface findings.
Anthropological Journal of European Cultures, 2021
Sardinia had five centuries of independence up until the fifteenth century, and thereafter partia... more Sardinia had five centuries of independence up until the fifteenth century, and thereafter partial institutional autonomy until 1847. With its inclusion in the Italian state, Sardinia’s cultural, economic, institutional and political systems make it uniquely colonial in comparison to other ethnic/national minorities across Europe (Basque, Welsh, Catalan, etc.), leaving limited real choices for development to the locals and constraining what is seen as real and attainable for its future (Escobar 2020). This contribution demonstrates how Sardinia is an internal colony of Italy. We provide examples of decolonisation initiatives and provoke further interrogation on the ways in which the Black Lives Matter movement (and other efforts) are sustaining alternative visions for Sardinians’ political, economic, cultural and social future.
The stratigraphic situation in which the cultural and biotic remains of the cave Su Stampu de Giu... more The stratigraphic situation in which the cultural and biotic remains of the cave Su Stampu de Giuanniccu Mèli is described within its environmental and speleologic context. Cultural materials, including ceramics, lithics and adornment items, finds specific parallels in the Bonnanaro aspect of the Early Bronze Age, whereas the only absolute date points to an earlier phase, between Monte Claro and Bell Beaker; isolated finds, such as a glass bead, record later frequentation, including during historic times. The human remains, largely commingled, of at least eleven individuals, allow us to infer depositions of different ages and sexes, and to record several pathologies; diet did not involve any foods of aquatic origin.
Bone remains from the necropolis of Su Crucifissu Mannu, Northern Sardinia, have been analyzed by... more Bone remains from the necropolis of Su Crucifissu Mannu, Northern Sardinia, have been analyzed by means of stable isotopy. The results show an increase in diversity from the Copper Age to the Early Bronze Age, which is attributed to a possible combination of variation in diet and in mobility. The group did not exploit marine resources.
CATEGORY Article LANGUAGE Italian ABSTRACT The underground-megalithic tomb at Bingia "e Monti was... more CATEGORY Article LANGUAGE Italian ABSTRACT The underground-megalithic tomb at Bingia "e Monti was discovered by Enrico Atzeni in the fall of 1990, and underwent the first explorative test excavation carried out by Alessandro Usai. In 1991 it was excavated by Mauro Perra under Enrico Atzeni"s scientific supervision. The burial structure, of a hypogeic-megalithic type, features a back room hewn in the soft marl, preceded by an ante-chamber encircled by four massive basalt pillars, flanked by small walls made of middle-and small-sized masonry, over which basalt roofing blocks are arranged inwards in sharp protrusion. The entrance to the tomb has collapsed in ancient times. The recorded layers revealed that the tomb had been built between the Middle and Final Copper Age and was later reused in the initial phase of the Bronze Age. In this contribution, a revision of the sequence of archaeological phases of the tomb is set forth, accompanied by the radiocarbon dates that are so far available, and a comment on their consistency relative to the phases identified through material culture. _______________________________________________________________ LA STRUTTURA DEL SEPOLCRO La tomba I di Bingiaʼe Monti, localizzata a circa 2 km in linea d'aria a SO del moderno abitato di Gonnostramatza (OR), sul versante acclive di un tavolato basaltico i cui versanti settentrionali digradano verso la valle del Rio Mogoro, fu individuata da Enrico Atzeni nell'autunno del 1990 (Fig. 1). Sulla sommità del medesimo plateau sono presenti tracce di un esteso insediamento di facies Monte Claro e i resti del nuraghe omonimo (Atzeni 1998), il quale in quel periodo era in corso d'indagine. Lo scavo del nuraghe venne temporaneamente sospeso al fine di praticare un sondaggio preliminare nella tomba durante lo stesso anno 1990.
The island of Sardinia has been of particular interest to geneticists for decades. The current mo... more The island of Sardinia has been of particular interest to geneticists for decades. The current model for Sardinia's genetic history describes the island as harboring a founder population that was established largely from the Neolithic peoples of southern Europe and remained isolated from later Bronze Age expansions on the mainland. To evaluate this model, we generate genome-wide ancient DNA data for 70 individuals from 21 Sardinian archaeological sites spanning the Middle Neolithic through the Medieval period. The earliest individuals show a strong affinity to western Mediterranean Neolithic populations, followed by an extended period of genetic continuity on the island through the Nuragic period (second millennium BCE). Beginning with individuals from Phoenician/Punic sites (first millennium BCE), we observe spatially-varying signals of admixture with sources principally from the eastern and northern Mediterranean. Overall, our analysis sheds light on the genetic history of Sardinia, revealing how relationships to mainland populations shifted over time.
The island of Sardinia has been of particular interest to geneticists for decades. The current mo... more The island of Sardinia has been of particular interest to geneticists for decades. The current model for Sardinia’s genetic history describes the island as harboring a founder population that was established largely from the Neolithic peoples of southern Europe and remained isolated from later Bronze Age expansions on the mainland. To evaluate this model, we generate genome-wide ancient DNA data for 70 individuals from 21 Sardinian archaeological sites spanning the Middle Neolithic through the Medieval period. The earliest individuals show a strong affinity to western Mediterranean Neolithic populations, followed by an extended period of genetic continuity on the island through the Nuragic period (second millennium BCE). Beginning with individuals from Phoenician/Punic sites (first millennium BCE), we observe spatially-varying signals of admixture with sources principally from the eastern and northern Mediterranean. Overall, our analysis sheds light on the genetic history of Sardinia, revealing how relationships to mainland populations shifted over time.
Joseph H. Marcus et al. with Maria Giuseppina Gradoli, 2020
The island of Sardinia has been of particular interest to geneticists for decades. The current mo... more The island of Sardinia has been of particular interest to geneticists for decades. The current model for Sardinia's genetic history describes the island as harboring a founder population that was established largely from the Neolithic peoples of southern Europe and remained isolated from later Bronze Age expansions on the mainland. To evaluate this model, we generate genome-wide ancient DNA data for 70 individuals from 21 Sardinian archaeological sites spanning the Middle Neolithic through the Medieval period. The earliest individuals show a strong affinity to western Mediterranean Neolithic populations, followed by an extended period of genetic continuity on the island through the Nuragic period (second millennium BCE). Beginning with individuals from Phoenician/Punic sites (first millennium BCE), we observe spatially-varying signals of admixture with sources principally from the eastern and northern Mediterranean. Overall, our analysis sheds light on the genetic history of Sardinia, revealing how relationships to mainland populations shifted over time.
In this paper, dietary patterns are reconstructed across two phases represented at the Copper Age... more In this paper, dietary patterns are reconstructed across two phases represented at the Copper Age of Scaba 'e Arriu (Sardinia, Italy) via isotopic analysis of human and animal skeletal remains. Collagen carbon, nitrogen, and bioapatite carbon, and oxygen isotopes were used to infer diet, economic practices, and possibly different climatic conditions. Differential management of cattle, sheep/goats, and pigs was detected, with scarce animal products in the human diet in the Early Copper Age, followed by an increase in animal products identifiable in herbivore livestock, coincident with more rainy conditions in the Late Copper Age. Dietary information was then considered in light of the climatic periods already known for the period and compatible with the data presented. The study's outcome indicates generally sedentary and endogamous groups with only a few outliers in both phases.
Bronze Age sites in the coastal area of Sarrala, in Eastern Sardinia, have been subjected to surv... more Bronze Age sites in the coastal area of Sarrala, in Eastern Sardinia, have been subjected to survey and excavation over the last half-century. The study area, whose social and economic evolution and changing scales of interactions are traced through settlement patterns and building analysis, is interpreted in light of more general trends suggested by stable isotopes, archaeogenetics, and paleoclimatology. The local picture of progressive demographic growth and infilling of the landscape, with a subsequent concentration of population and labor, follows a sequence widely detected in Sardinia. More specific identifiable aspects include a comparatively higher fragmentation/competition (ratio of complex vs simple nuraghes; ratio of tombs vs nuraghes) and a consistent pattern in the distribution of non-local building materials in the latest phase at the sites showing archaic features, taken as a clue of a long-lasting authority at select sites. These elements are compatible with organized pastoral exploitation of the available territory, structured according to patrilocality and closeness to ancestral lineages and residences. The interplay of internal dynamics relative to constraints and opportunities is discussed, such as climate change and long-distance trade connections, with possible implications for interpreting Nuragic society.
In the present work, the Authors present a discussion of the pottery typology and sequencing of t... more In the present work, the Authors present a discussion of the pottery typology and sequencing of the Nuragic Middle Bronze Age site of Conca 'e Sa Cresia-Siddi (South-central Sardinia, SU). The excavation of the site has documented a detailed stratigraphic sequence, which has been used as a basis for the pottery sequencing. Seven radiocarbon dates have provided a robust sample for the absolute dating of the site and ceramic phases. The data presented here makes Sa Conca 'e Sa Cresia one of the best documented MBA sites across the island, which has allowed for an in-depth rediscussion of already established pottery sequences and absolute dating of MBA Nuragic sites. This work provides therefore a new point of reference for future studies, and for the dating of well-known Nuragic architectures (archaic and classical nuraghi) in particular, while also allowing for a rediscussion of already published surface findings.
Anthropological Journal of European Cultures, 2021
Sardinia had five centuries of independence up until the fifteenth century, and thereafter partia... more Sardinia had five centuries of independence up until the fifteenth century, and thereafter partial institutional autonomy until 1847. With its inclusion in the Italian state, Sardinia’s cultural, economic, institutional and political systems make it uniquely colonial in comparison to other ethnic/national minorities across Europe (Basque, Welsh, Catalan, etc.), leaving limited real choices for development to the locals and constraining what is seen as real and attainable for its future (Escobar 2020). This contribution demonstrates how Sardinia is an internal colony of Italy. We provide examples of decolonisation initiatives and provoke further interrogation on the ways in which the Black Lives Matter movement (and other efforts) are sustaining alternative visions for Sardinians’ political, economic, cultural and social future.
The stratigraphic situation in which the cultural and biotic remains of the cave Su Stampu de Giu... more The stratigraphic situation in which the cultural and biotic remains of the cave Su Stampu de Giuanniccu Mèli is described within its environmental and speleologic context. Cultural materials, including ceramics, lithics and adornment items, finds specific parallels in the Bonnanaro aspect of the Early Bronze Age, whereas the only absolute date points to an earlier phase, between Monte Claro and Bell Beaker; isolated finds, such as a glass bead, record later frequentation, including during historic times. The human remains, largely commingled, of at least eleven individuals, allow us to infer depositions of different ages and sexes, and to record several pathologies; diet did not involve any foods of aquatic origin.
Bone remains from the necropolis of Su Crucifissu Mannu, Northern Sardinia, have been analyzed by... more Bone remains from the necropolis of Su Crucifissu Mannu, Northern Sardinia, have been analyzed by means of stable isotopy. The results show an increase in diversity from the Copper Age to the Early Bronze Age, which is attributed to a possible combination of variation in diet and in mobility. The group did not exploit marine resources.
CATEGORY Article LANGUAGE Italian ABSTRACT The underground-megalithic tomb at Bingia "e Monti was... more CATEGORY Article LANGUAGE Italian ABSTRACT The underground-megalithic tomb at Bingia "e Monti was discovered by Enrico Atzeni in the fall of 1990, and underwent the first explorative test excavation carried out by Alessandro Usai. In 1991 it was excavated by Mauro Perra under Enrico Atzeni"s scientific supervision. The burial structure, of a hypogeic-megalithic type, features a back room hewn in the soft marl, preceded by an ante-chamber encircled by four massive basalt pillars, flanked by small walls made of middle-and small-sized masonry, over which basalt roofing blocks are arranged inwards in sharp protrusion. The entrance to the tomb has collapsed in ancient times. The recorded layers revealed that the tomb had been built between the Middle and Final Copper Age and was later reused in the initial phase of the Bronze Age. In this contribution, a revision of the sequence of archaeological phases of the tomb is set forth, accompanied by the radiocarbon dates that are so far available, and a comment on their consistency relative to the phases identified through material culture. _______________________________________________________________ LA STRUTTURA DEL SEPOLCRO La tomba I di Bingiaʼe Monti, localizzata a circa 2 km in linea d'aria a SO del moderno abitato di Gonnostramatza (OR), sul versante acclive di un tavolato basaltico i cui versanti settentrionali digradano verso la valle del Rio Mogoro, fu individuata da Enrico Atzeni nell'autunno del 1990 (Fig. 1). Sulla sommità del medesimo plateau sono presenti tracce di un esteso insediamento di facies Monte Claro e i resti del nuraghe omonimo (Atzeni 1998), il quale in quel periodo era in corso d'indagine. Lo scavo del nuraghe venne temporaneamente sospeso al fine di praticare un sondaggio preliminare nella tomba durante lo stesso anno 1990.
The island of Sardinia has been of particular interest to geneticists for decades. The current mo... more The island of Sardinia has been of particular interest to geneticists for decades. The current model for Sardinia's genetic history describes the island as harboring a founder population that was established largely from the Neolithic peoples of southern Europe and remained isolated from later Bronze Age expansions on the mainland. To evaluate this model, we generate genome-wide ancient DNA data for 70 individuals from 21 Sardinian archaeological sites spanning the Middle Neolithic through the Medieval period. The earliest individuals show a strong affinity to western Mediterranean Neolithic populations, followed by an extended period of genetic continuity on the island through the Nuragic period (second millennium BCE). Beginning with individuals from Phoenician/Punic sites (first millennium BCE), we observe spatially-varying signals of admixture with sources principally from the eastern and northern Mediterranean. Overall, our analysis sheds light on the genetic history of Sardinia, revealing how relationships to mainland populations shifted over time.
The island of Sardinia has been of particular interest to geneticists for decades. The current mo... more The island of Sardinia has been of particular interest to geneticists for decades. The current model for Sardinia’s genetic history describes the island as harboring a founder population that was established largely from the Neolithic peoples of southern Europe and remained isolated from later Bronze Age expansions on the mainland. To evaluate this model, we generate genome-wide ancient DNA data for 70 individuals from 21 Sardinian archaeological sites spanning the Middle Neolithic through the Medieval period. The earliest individuals show a strong affinity to western Mediterranean Neolithic populations, followed by an extended period of genetic continuity on the island through the Nuragic period (second millennium BCE). Beginning with individuals from Phoenician/Punic sites (first millennium BCE), we observe spatially-varying signals of admixture with sources principally from the eastern and northern Mediterranean. Overall, our analysis sheds light on the genetic history of Sardinia, revealing how relationships to mainland populations shifted over time.
Joseph H. Marcus et al. with Maria Giuseppina Gradoli, 2020
The island of Sardinia has been of particular interest to geneticists for decades. The current mo... more The island of Sardinia has been of particular interest to geneticists for decades. The current model for Sardinia's genetic history describes the island as harboring a founder population that was established largely from the Neolithic peoples of southern Europe and remained isolated from later Bronze Age expansions on the mainland. To evaluate this model, we generate genome-wide ancient DNA data for 70 individuals from 21 Sardinian archaeological sites spanning the Middle Neolithic through the Medieval period. The earliest individuals show a strong affinity to western Mediterranean Neolithic populations, followed by an extended period of genetic continuity on the island through the Nuragic period (second millennium BCE). Beginning with individuals from Phoenician/Punic sites (first millennium BCE), we observe spatially-varying signals of admixture with sources principally from the eastern and northern Mediterranean. Overall, our analysis sheds light on the genetic history of Sardinia, revealing how relationships to mainland populations shifted over time.
The present volume originated in session A25b (‘Current Approaches to Collective Burials in the L... more The present volume originated in session A25b (‘Current Approaches to Collective Burials in the Late European Prehistory’) of the XVII World Congress of the International Union of the Prehistoric and Protohistoric Sciences (UISPP), held in Burgos in September 2014.
Collective burials are quite a common feature in Prehistoric Europe, with the gathering of multiple individuals in a shared burial place occurring in different types of burial structures (natural caves, megalithic structures, artificial caves, corbelled-roof tombs, pits, etc.). Such features are generally associated with communities along the agropastoralist transition and fully agricultural societies of the Neolithic and Chalcolithic.
For a long time, human skeletal remains exhumed from collective burials were dismissed as valuable sources of information, their studies being limited mostly to morphological assessments and subsequent classification in predefined ‘races’. They currently represent a starting point for diversified, often interdisciplinary, research projects, allowing for a more accurate reconstruction of funerary practices, as well as of palaeobiological and environmental aspects, which are fundamental for the understanding of populations in the Late Prehistory of Europe and of the processes leading to the emergence of agricultural societies in this part of the world.
The articles in this volume provide examples of different approaches currently being developed on Prehistoric collective burials of southern Europe, mostly focusing on case studies, but also including contributions of a more methodological scope.
Uploads
Papers by Luca Lai
Collective burials are quite a common feature in Prehistoric Europe, with the gathering of multiple individuals in a shared burial place occurring in different types of burial structures (natural caves, megalithic structures, artificial caves, corbelled-roof tombs, pits, etc.). Such features are generally associated with communities along the agropastoralist transition and fully agricultural societies of the Neolithic and Chalcolithic.
For a long time, human skeletal remains exhumed from collective burials were dismissed as valuable sources of information, their studies being limited mostly to morphological assessments and subsequent classification in predefined ‘races’. They currently represent a starting point for diversified, often interdisciplinary, research projects, allowing for a more accurate reconstruction of funerary practices, as well as of palaeobiological and environmental aspects, which are fundamental for the understanding of populations in the Late Prehistory of Europe and of the processes leading to the emergence of agricultural societies in this part of the world.
The articles in this volume provide examples of different approaches currently being developed on Prehistoric collective burials of southern Europe, mostly focusing on case studies, but also including contributions of a more methodological scope.