For the first time direct 14C dating was undertaken on two black parietal marks in Nerja cave (Ma... more For the first time direct 14C dating was undertaken on two black parietal marks in Nerja cave (Malaga province, Southern Spain). Analyses were conducted on charcoal splinters (conifer wood) from the marks but also on the carbonate deposits underlying and overlying one of them.
The satisfactory correlation between the ages of the black marks and those of the carbonate deposits validates the use of 14C to date these two materials in Nerja and other decorated caves. The ages of the two marks fall in the same time range, between 20,000 and 18,000 years cal BP, evidencing human presence during the Early Magdalenian period in the upper galleries of Nerja cave.
ABSTRACT When, and by what route, did farming first reach Europe? A terrestrial model might envis... more ABSTRACT When, and by what route, did farming first reach Europe? A terrestrial model might envisage a gradual advance around the northern fringes of the Aegean, reaching Thrace and Macedonia before continuing southwards to Thessaly and the Peloponnese. New dates from Franchthi Cave in southern Greece, reported here, cast doubt on such a model, indicating that cereal cultivation, involving newly introduced crop species, began during the first half of the seventh millennium BC. This is earlier than in northern Greece and several centuries earlier than in Bulgaria, and suggests that farming spread to south-eastern Europe by a number of different routes, including potentially a maritime, island-hopping connection across the Aegean Sea. The results also illustrate the continuing importance of key sites such as Franchthi to our understanding of the European Neolithic transition, and the additional insights that can emerge from the application of new dating projects to these sites.
Radiocarbon dates for the ancient drawings in the Chauvet-Pont d’Arc Cave revealed ages much olde... more Radiocarbon dates for the ancient drawings in the Chauvet-Pont d’Arc Cave revealed ages much older than expected. These early ages and nature of this Paleolithic art make this United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) site indisputably unique. A large, multidisciplinary dating program has recently mapped the an- thropological evolution associated with the cave. More than 350 dates (by 14C, U-Th, TL and 36Cl) were obtained over the last 15 y. They include 259 radiocarbon dates, mainly related to the rock art and human ac- tivity in the cave. We present here more than 80 previously unpublished dates. All of the dates were integrated into a high-precision Bayesian model based on archaeological evidence to securely reconstruct the com- plete history of the Chauvet-Pont d’Arc Cave on an absolute timescale. It shows that there were two distinct periods of human activity in the cave, one from 37 to 33,500 y ago, and the other from 31 to 28,000 y ago. Cave bears also took refuge in the cave until 33,000 y ago.
Des données chronologiques directes de la chauffe ancienne de parois de la Grotte Chauvet Pont-d’... more Des données chronologiques directes de la chauffe ancienne de parois de la Grotte Chauvet Pont-d’Arc ont été obtenues à la Galerie des Magacéros et dans l’Eboulis d’Entrée. Des fragments de calcaire rubéfié ont été extraits des parois et ont été étudiés par thermoluminescence (TL). Un nouveau protocole de mesure de la dose équivalente a été développé et optimisé en fonction de la nature du matériau daté (de la calcite) et de la faible quantité de matière disponible. La présence d’un niveau élevé de radon dans l’air de la grotte et d’un large excès de 210Pb a impliqué le développement d’un modèle d’irradiation adapté à l’histoire de la grotte en vue de l’évaluation de la dose annuelle moyenne depuis la chauffe. Les résultats suivants ont été obtenus : - BDX 14338b, Galerie des Mégacéros, 36.9±2.3 ka (dont écart-type statistique : 0.9 ka), - BDX 14341b, Eboulis d’Entrée, 34.3±2.9 ka (dont écart-type statistique : 1.0 ka). Ces données sont en accord avec les datations radiocarbone cali...
Direct chronological data of the ancient heating of calcitic walls at the Chauvet-Pont d'Arc Cave... more Direct chronological data of the ancient heating of calcitic walls at the Chauvet-Pont d'Arc Cave (Ard eche, France) were obtained at the Galerie des M egac eros and at the Eboulis d'Entr ee. Fragments of reddened limestone were extracted from the walls and were studied by thermoluminescence (TL). A novel measurement protocol of the equivalent dose (ED) was implemented and was optimized with respect to the nature of the material being dated (calcite), to the small quantities of sample available and to the relatively low heating of the rock surface in the past (close to 350 C). The presence of a high level of free radon in the cave and 210 Pb in large excess in samples implied the development of a specific irradiation model allowing the evaluation of the mean annual dose over time, taking into account possible scenarios of radon and daughters migration from the bedrock. The following dating results were obtained (in ka before the present and associated total estimated standard deviation):
As part of a Franco-Algerian research project, micro-samples of paint were taken in the decorated... more As part of a Franco-Algerian research project, micro-samples of paint were taken in the decorated shelters at Sefar in order to study the painting technique used. Identification of mineral-phases by XRD and chemical analysis (EDX and PIXE) show that the red pigments were based on alumino-silicates and iron oxides (hematite). Observations revealed several technical differences between the Bovidian paintings of the figures belonging to the Round-Head style.
Dans le cadre d'un projet de recherche Franco-Algérien, un programme de caractérisation et de dat... more Dans le cadre d'un projet de recherche Franco-Algérien, un programme de caractérisation et de datation directe et indirecte des peintures rupestres du le Tassili-n'Ajer, a été lancé récemment [1]. Lors des premières missions à Séfar, des témoins de l'occupation ancienne des sols ont été analysés pour dater le site (6000 -4000 cal.BC) et des micro-prélèvements de peinture ont été effectués sur la paroi des abris ornés afin d'étudier la technique picturale employée.
La caractérisation des pigments picturaux montre l’absence d’éléments organiques pouvant indiquer... more La caractérisation des pigments picturaux montre l’absence d’éléments organiques pouvant indiquer l’emploi de liants. Le rôle négatif des méthodes anciennes de relevé se confirme, et, même si des liants avaient été découverts et datés, les nombreuses sources de pollution auraient rendu les datations suspectes. Dorénavant, les microprélèvements devront être effectués sur des peintures vierges de toute intervention humaine. Dans l’état des connaissances, les datations des dépôts archéologiques font remonter l’occupation holocène aux Vie-Viie millénaires CalBC. Le Bovidien est plus sûrement daté du Ve millénaire CalBC, mais ses caractéristiques sont celles des phases moyenne et récente de cette culture. Il se pose la question de l’absence d’un holocène ancien et de celle de la culture matérielle des auteurs des Têtes Rondes.
In the Mediterranean, the island dwarf megafaunas became extinct around the end of the Pleistocen... more In the Mediterranean, the island dwarf megafaunas became extinct around the end of the Pleistocene, during a period of rapid and global climate change. In Cyprus, this coincided with the first human presence on the island, as attested by the rock shelter of Akrotiri-Aetokremnos where an Epipaleolithic anthropogenic layer (stratum 2) was found overlying a massive accumulation of pygmy hippopotamus (Phanourios minor (Desmarest, 1822)) bones (stratum 4). The relationship between the two layers is highly controversial and the role played by humans in hippo extinction remains fiercely debated. Here, we provide new, direct radiocarbon and physico-chemical analyses on calcined bones which elucidates the complex depositional history of the assemblage. Bone turquoise was identified using micro-PIXE analysis and depth-profiling together with Vis spectroscopy, demonstrating that these bones were not freshly burned. Bayesian modeling of the radiocarbon dates indicates that stratum 4 accumulated during the first half of the 13 th mill cal BP and that calcination occurred several hundred years later. We conclude that accumulation occurred naturally during the beginning of the Younger Dryas and that Epipalaeolithic visitors subsequently used the bones as fuel, starting from the mid-13 th mill cal BP. At that time, dwarf hippos were probably already extinct or at least highly endangered. Our results shed new light on the possible causes of hippo extinction, on the subsequent introduction of the wild boar and on the earliest occupation of the island by humans.
The historical chronologies for dynastic Egypt are based on reign lengths inferred from written a... more The historical chronologies for dynastic Egypt are based on reign lengths inferred from written and archaeological evidence. These floating chronologies are linked to the absolute calendar by a few ancient astronomical observations, which remain a source of debate. We used 211 radiocarbon measurements made on samples from short-lived plants, together with a Bayesian model incorporating historical information on reign lengths, to produce a chronology for dynastic Egypt. A small offset (19 radiocarbon years older) in radiocarbon levels in the Nile Valley is probably a growing-season effect. Our radiocarbon data indicate that the New Kingdom started between 1570 and 1544 B.C.E., and the reign of Djoser in the Old Kingdom started between 2691 and 2625 B.C.E.; both cases are earlier than some previous historical estimates.
For the first time direct 14C dating was undertaken on two black parietal marks in Nerja cave (Ma... more For the first time direct 14C dating was undertaken on two black parietal marks in Nerja cave (Malaga province, Southern Spain). Analyses were conducted on charcoal splinters (conifer wood) from the marks but also on the carbonate deposits underlying and overlying one of them.
The satisfactory correlation between the ages of the black marks and those of the carbonate deposits validates the use of 14C to date these two materials in Nerja and other decorated caves. The ages of the two marks fall in the same time range, between 20,000 and 18,000 years cal BP, evidencing human presence during the Early Magdalenian period in the upper galleries of Nerja cave.
ABSTRACT When, and by what route, did farming first reach Europe? A terrestrial model might envis... more ABSTRACT When, and by what route, did farming first reach Europe? A terrestrial model might envisage a gradual advance around the northern fringes of the Aegean, reaching Thrace and Macedonia before continuing southwards to Thessaly and the Peloponnese. New dates from Franchthi Cave in southern Greece, reported here, cast doubt on such a model, indicating that cereal cultivation, involving newly introduced crop species, began during the first half of the seventh millennium BC. This is earlier than in northern Greece and several centuries earlier than in Bulgaria, and suggests that farming spread to south-eastern Europe by a number of different routes, including potentially a maritime, island-hopping connection across the Aegean Sea. The results also illustrate the continuing importance of key sites such as Franchthi to our understanding of the European Neolithic transition, and the additional insights that can emerge from the application of new dating projects to these sites.
Radiocarbon dates for the ancient drawings in the Chauvet-Pont d’Arc Cave revealed ages much olde... more Radiocarbon dates for the ancient drawings in the Chauvet-Pont d’Arc Cave revealed ages much older than expected. These early ages and nature of this Paleolithic art make this United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) site indisputably unique. A large, multidisciplinary dating program has recently mapped the an- thropological evolution associated with the cave. More than 350 dates (by 14C, U-Th, TL and 36Cl) were obtained over the last 15 y. They include 259 radiocarbon dates, mainly related to the rock art and human ac- tivity in the cave. We present here more than 80 previously unpublished dates. All of the dates were integrated into a high-precision Bayesian model based on archaeological evidence to securely reconstruct the com- plete history of the Chauvet-Pont d’Arc Cave on an absolute timescale. It shows that there were two distinct periods of human activity in the cave, one from 37 to 33,500 y ago, and the other from 31 to 28,000 y ago. Cave bears also took refuge in the cave until 33,000 y ago.
Des données chronologiques directes de la chauffe ancienne de parois de la Grotte Chauvet Pont-d’... more Des données chronologiques directes de la chauffe ancienne de parois de la Grotte Chauvet Pont-d’Arc ont été obtenues à la Galerie des Magacéros et dans l’Eboulis d’Entrée. Des fragments de calcaire rubéfié ont été extraits des parois et ont été étudiés par thermoluminescence (TL). Un nouveau protocole de mesure de la dose équivalente a été développé et optimisé en fonction de la nature du matériau daté (de la calcite) et de la faible quantité de matière disponible. La présence d’un niveau élevé de radon dans l’air de la grotte et d’un large excès de 210Pb a impliqué le développement d’un modèle d’irradiation adapté à l’histoire de la grotte en vue de l’évaluation de la dose annuelle moyenne depuis la chauffe. Les résultats suivants ont été obtenus : - BDX 14338b, Galerie des Mégacéros, 36.9±2.3 ka (dont écart-type statistique : 0.9 ka), - BDX 14341b, Eboulis d’Entrée, 34.3±2.9 ka (dont écart-type statistique : 1.0 ka). Ces données sont en accord avec les datations radiocarbone cali...
Direct chronological data of the ancient heating of calcitic walls at the Chauvet-Pont d'Arc Cave... more Direct chronological data of the ancient heating of calcitic walls at the Chauvet-Pont d'Arc Cave (Ard eche, France) were obtained at the Galerie des M egac eros and at the Eboulis d'Entr ee. Fragments of reddened limestone were extracted from the walls and were studied by thermoluminescence (TL). A novel measurement protocol of the equivalent dose (ED) was implemented and was optimized with respect to the nature of the material being dated (calcite), to the small quantities of sample available and to the relatively low heating of the rock surface in the past (close to 350 C). The presence of a high level of free radon in the cave and 210 Pb in large excess in samples implied the development of a specific irradiation model allowing the evaluation of the mean annual dose over time, taking into account possible scenarios of radon and daughters migration from the bedrock. The following dating results were obtained (in ka before the present and associated total estimated standard deviation):
As part of a Franco-Algerian research project, micro-samples of paint were taken in the decorated... more As part of a Franco-Algerian research project, micro-samples of paint were taken in the decorated shelters at Sefar in order to study the painting technique used. Identification of mineral-phases by XRD and chemical analysis (EDX and PIXE) show that the red pigments were based on alumino-silicates and iron oxides (hematite). Observations revealed several technical differences between the Bovidian paintings of the figures belonging to the Round-Head style.
Dans le cadre d'un projet de recherche Franco-Algérien, un programme de caractérisation et de dat... more Dans le cadre d'un projet de recherche Franco-Algérien, un programme de caractérisation et de datation directe et indirecte des peintures rupestres du le Tassili-n'Ajer, a été lancé récemment [1]. Lors des premières missions à Séfar, des témoins de l'occupation ancienne des sols ont été analysés pour dater le site (6000 -4000 cal.BC) et des micro-prélèvements de peinture ont été effectués sur la paroi des abris ornés afin d'étudier la technique picturale employée.
La caractérisation des pigments picturaux montre l’absence d’éléments organiques pouvant indiquer... more La caractérisation des pigments picturaux montre l’absence d’éléments organiques pouvant indiquer l’emploi de liants. Le rôle négatif des méthodes anciennes de relevé se confirme, et, même si des liants avaient été découverts et datés, les nombreuses sources de pollution auraient rendu les datations suspectes. Dorénavant, les microprélèvements devront être effectués sur des peintures vierges de toute intervention humaine. Dans l’état des connaissances, les datations des dépôts archéologiques font remonter l’occupation holocène aux Vie-Viie millénaires CalBC. Le Bovidien est plus sûrement daté du Ve millénaire CalBC, mais ses caractéristiques sont celles des phases moyenne et récente de cette culture. Il se pose la question de l’absence d’un holocène ancien et de celle de la culture matérielle des auteurs des Têtes Rondes.
In the Mediterranean, the island dwarf megafaunas became extinct around the end of the Pleistocen... more In the Mediterranean, the island dwarf megafaunas became extinct around the end of the Pleistocene, during a period of rapid and global climate change. In Cyprus, this coincided with the first human presence on the island, as attested by the rock shelter of Akrotiri-Aetokremnos where an Epipaleolithic anthropogenic layer (stratum 2) was found overlying a massive accumulation of pygmy hippopotamus (Phanourios minor (Desmarest, 1822)) bones (stratum 4). The relationship between the two layers is highly controversial and the role played by humans in hippo extinction remains fiercely debated. Here, we provide new, direct radiocarbon and physico-chemical analyses on calcined bones which elucidates the complex depositional history of the assemblage. Bone turquoise was identified using micro-PIXE analysis and depth-profiling together with Vis spectroscopy, demonstrating that these bones were not freshly burned. Bayesian modeling of the radiocarbon dates indicates that stratum 4 accumulated during the first half of the 13 th mill cal BP and that calcination occurred several hundred years later. We conclude that accumulation occurred naturally during the beginning of the Younger Dryas and that Epipalaeolithic visitors subsequently used the bones as fuel, starting from the mid-13 th mill cal BP. At that time, dwarf hippos were probably already extinct or at least highly endangered. Our results shed new light on the possible causes of hippo extinction, on the subsequent introduction of the wild boar and on the earliest occupation of the island by humans.
The historical chronologies for dynastic Egypt are based on reign lengths inferred from written a... more The historical chronologies for dynastic Egypt are based on reign lengths inferred from written and archaeological evidence. These floating chronologies are linked to the absolute calendar by a few ancient astronomical observations, which remain a source of debate. We used 211 radiocarbon measurements made on samples from short-lived plants, together with a Bayesian model incorporating historical information on reign lengths, to produce a chronology for dynastic Egypt. A small offset (19 radiocarbon years older) in radiocarbon levels in the Nile Valley is probably a growing-season effect. Our radiocarbon data indicate that the New Kingdom started between 1570 and 1544 B.C.E., and the reign of Djoser in the Old Kingdom started between 2691 and 2625 B.C.E.; both cases are earlier than some previous historical estimates.
7 ] Páginas 7-9 isbn 978-84-617-2993-7 ÍNDICE 1. Las soCieDaDes PreDaDoras y sus manifestaCiones ... more 7 ] Páginas 7-9 isbn 978-84-617-2993-7 ÍNDICE 1. Las soCieDaDes PreDaDoras y sus manifestaCiones PLástiCas .
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Papers by Anita Quiles
The satisfactory correlation between the ages of the black marks and those of the carbonate deposits validates the use of 14C to date these two materials in Nerja and other decorated caves. The ages of the two marks fall in the same time range, between 20,000 and 18,000 years cal BP, evidencing human presence during the Early Magdalenian period in the upper galleries of Nerja cave.
The satisfactory correlation between the ages of the black marks and those of the carbonate deposits validates the use of 14C to date these two materials in Nerja and other decorated caves. The ages of the two marks fall in the same time range, between 20,000 and 18,000 years cal BP, evidencing human presence during the Early Magdalenian period in the upper galleries of Nerja cave.