Bone Diagenesis and Taphonomic History of the Paso Otero 1 Bone Bed, Pampas of Argentina

Samples of guanaco bone from an archaeological site in the Pampas of Argentina have been analysed to understand the diagenetic profile of the bone assemblages that characterized the taphonomic history of the site. Two archaeological occupations of Paso Otero 1 were investigated, encompassing similar landscape settings, climates, and depositional environments. The time span is a c. 2000 year period from c. 4800 to 2800 years . A total of 30 bone samples taken from both occupations were used to provide a preliminary characterization of the diagenetic pathways at the site. The parameters investigated provide a comprehensive account of how both mineral (hydroxyapatite) and bone protein (collagen) have been altered. In order to compare the two bone assemblages in terms of their diagenetic parameters, multivariate analyses were conducted. Results indicate two different diagenetic profiles in the site, % N being one of the variables that accounts for most of the variation in Paso Otero 1. The diagenetic analyses indicate that protein is less preserved in the bone assemblage from the middle stable landscape. Alternative interpretations of the diagenetic profiles are discussed in light of the taphonomic history of the site, and palaeoenvironmental information of the region. One hypothesis stresses the importance of the role of climate in defining the different diagenetic pathways, and the other the continued action of the combined diagenetic factors along time as the main explanation for the variability in the state of preservation of the bones in Paso Otero 1.     

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE WORKING QUALITY OF ASTURIAN JETS (SPAIN) AND THEIR STRUCTURE USING PARAMETERS DEFINED BY 1H‐NMR*

A collection of seven representative jets from Asturias (Spain) was studied. Some artisans of the Asturian jet industry established the quality criteria of the jet based on the user‐friendly properties of this material. In this work, we study the relationship between the working quality of asturian jets and their structure using parameters defined by liquid ¹H‐NMR. With this aim, certain parameters calculated from the NMR results were used to provide information about the structure of compounds extracted from jets.     

Reconnaissance of the Hannibalic Route in the Upper Po Valley,Italy: Correlation with Biostratigraphic Historical Archaeological Evidence in the Upper Guil Valley,France

Controversy over the alpine route taken by the Hannibalic Army from the Rhône Basin into Italia in 218 bc (2168 cal bp ) has raged amongst classicists for over two millennia. Because Hannibal crossed the Alps, the significance for identifying the route taken by the Punic Army lies more in its potential for identifying sites of historical archaeological significance than a resolution of one of history's most enduring questions. While compelling stratigraphic, geochemical and microbiological evidence has been recovered from an alluvial floodplain mire in the upper Guil Valley, located below the Col de la Traversette (about 3000 masl) on the French–Italian border, it potentially identifies the invasion route as the one originally proposed by Sir Gavin de Beer in 1974. The dated layers in several sections, termed the MAD (mass animal deposition) beds based on disrupted/churned bedding and key/specialized biological components strongly supports de Beer's thesis that Hannibal chose the highest transit col into Italia. In addition to other physical evidence, we present here new physical, geomorphological and stratigraphic evidence, all calibrated by radiocarbon dating, that suggests Hannibal's imprint on the landscape exists in coalescing alluvial fans in the upper Po catchment of northern Italy.