A new element of trampling: an experimental application on the Level XII faunal record of Bolomor Cave (Valencia,Spain)

In Level XII of Bolomor Cave (Valencia, Spain) modifications have been observed on some of the bone fragments that make up the faunal record. These alterations consist of small notches located on the oblique fracture angles of some bones. The frequency at which these modifications appear in the assemblage has obliged to plan several experimental series to know the process that causes them. To be more exact, this study aims to verify whether these small chips are the result of trampling. For this purpose, two experimental series have been developed. The first of which has the objective of differentiating between the variables related to the original state of the bone (green, semi-dry and dry) and the second is aimed at reproducing the modifications observed in the archaeological set, taking into account the data obtained in the previous series. Following these experiments, the appearance of small notches is observed on the oblique fracture angles of some bones in semi-dry state. These resulting chips are similar to those documented in Bolomor Cave, Level XII. Therefore, it is deduced that trampling is the principle cause of these modifications in the bone record. This fact has important archaeological implications, as the spatial distribution of this modification can provide information about the intrasite movements of the human groups.     

Lo que le sucedió a María Zambrano: Dulcinea

Don Quijote is constantly present in María Zambrano’s works, especially in the years of exile. Along her career, Zambrano wrote many essays about Cervantes, in which she reflects on love, always about the character of Dulcinea. One of these essays, significantly titled “Lo que le sucedió a Cervantes: Dulcinea,” raises the lack of love as the most important topic in Quijote, and discusses from this point of view the ideal image of Dulcinea contradicted by the carnal Aldonza.     

Technology and decay of magnesian lime plasters: the sculptures of the funerary crypt of Palenque,Mexico

The full-relief lime plaster sculptures of the funerary crypt of Palenque, Mexico, suffer from advanced decay due to the cave-like environment in which they are located. Macroscopically, the sculptures have a soft consistency, but there is a hard crust over their surface. Some of the features observed by microscopy are the neomorphism of minerals as a consequence of permanent water seepage, and the formation of wide shrinkage cracks as a result of drying. The mineral hydromagnesite Mg₅(CO₃)₄(OH)₂·4H₂O was identified by X-ray diffraction and microscopy; its relation with the shrinkage observed in the samples and its possible role in the decay of the sculptures are discussed in this paper. A short discussion is also made about the likely raw materials that were employed to manufacture the sculptures.     

Agricultural slope management and soil erosion at La Laguna,Tlaxcala, Mexico

Several superimposed systems of agricultural terracing are preserved at the archaeological site of La Laguna in central Mexico. Excavations uncovered complex stratigraphic sequences of terrace fills and colluvial deposits. Their chronology was established by radiocarbon, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), and the presence of diagnostic features and artifacts. The Formative occupations of the site (ca. 600–400 BC and 100 BC–AD 100) resulted in severe erosion and exposure of indurated subsoil horizons. In the Middle to Late Postclassic (AD 1150–1520) stone-walled terraces were built to recover the degraded slopes for cultivation. Renewed reclamation works have been undertaken since the Colonial period, eventually taking the form of sloping-field terraces with berms planted in maguey. The reconstructed sequence of local land use underscores the risks of dating agricultural features by association with sherd scatters, as well as the complexity of the relationships between demographic variables, agricultural intensity and terracing.     

Coalition-building in Portuguese Spatial Planning: Is There a Southern European Context?

This paper aims to discuss institutional capacity building in spatial planning focussing on two experiences of public policy in Portugal involving institutional cooperation. These experiences reveal the importance of factors associated with the roles of the central state and local political leadership in the way integrated tools of urban and territorial policy are implemented. They also show that the capacity to mobilize local agents is mitigated by the deep-rooted presence of highly personalized institutional ties, reflecting a relational model that is particularly characteristic of Portuguese society. We will conclude that territorial policies may be jeopardized when these policies are centred mainly upon the mobilization of local agents. In fact, these two case-studies, as well as similar experiences in Italy, suggest that, in southern Europe, two other aspects are central for the definition of territorial policies on the inter-municipal and local scales: the influence of the state, and the role of political leadership at local level.     

On Women's Reason,Education and Love: Women and Men of the Enlightenment in Spain and France

This article is an exploration of the ways in which Enlightenment discourse constructed the sentimental and intellectual ‘nature’ of women and of the ways cultivated women could situate themselves within this context. They were able to produce a discourse which shared Enlightenment arguments but also displayed a vital and intellectual distance from restrictive definitions of femininity. The lives and writings of three eighteenth-century French and Spanish women, Mme d'Épinay, Josefa Amar y Borbón and Inés Joyes y Blake are taken as case-studies. Their participation in the cultural debate of their time and their agreements and disagree-ments with intellectuals and politicians such as Rousseau, Thomas and Cabarrús are examined. The terms of the debate on gender were established in two different national contexts, particularly in regard to the thorny issue of the politics of love and feelings: the similarities and differences between France and Spain are discussed.     

Reconstruction of Caprine Management and Landscape Use Through Dental Microwear Analysis: The Case of the Iron Age Site of El Turó de la Font de la Canya (Barcelona,Spain)

This paper presents the results of a pilot study using dental microwear analysis on 23 sheep and goat teeth dated to the 6th century BC from the Iron Age site of El Turó Font de la Canya (Barcelona, Spain). This study aimed to reconstruct livestock management practices and landscape use. The dental microwear pattern indicates that sheep and goats could have been grazing in the same area where vegetation was composed of shrubs, bushes and non-graminaceous plants on an eroded landscape, although additional supplies of fodder cannot be excluded. This scenario is compatible with the archaeological and palaeoenvironmental data which suggest a possibly increased territoriality, land degradation and an increase of woodland clearance during Iron Age in the North-east of the Iberian Peninsula. Furthermore, we applied two recent microwear approaches which provide more information about mortality events and the possibility of distinguishing between an intensive and extensive management. This paper demonstrates how this method can be used to better understand animal husbandry practices and landscape use in Late Prehistory.