Shells and humans: molluscs and other coastal resources from the earliest human occupations at the Mesolithic shell midden of El Mazo (Asturias, Northern Spain)

Human populations exploited coastal areas with intensity during the Mesolithic in Atlantic Europe, resulting in the accumulation of large shell middens. Northern Spain is one of the most prolific regions, and especially the so-called Asturian area. Large accumulations of shellfish led some scholars to propose the existence of intensification in the exploitation of coastal resources in the region during the Mesolithic. In this paper, shell remains (molluscs, crustaceans and echinoderms) from stratigraphic units 114 and 115 (dated to the early Mesolithic c. 9 kys cal BP) at El Mazo cave (Asturias, northern Spain) were studied in order to establish resource exploitation patterns and environmental conditions. Species representation showed that limpets, top shells and sea urchins were preferentially exploited. One-millimetre mesh screens were crucial in establishing an accurate minimum number of individuals for sea urchins and to determine their importance in exploitation patterns. Environmental conditions deduced from shell assemblages indicated that temperate conditions prevailed at the time of the occupation and the morphology of the coastline was similar to today (rocky exposed shores). Information recovered relating to species representation, collection areas and shell biometry reflected some evidence of intensification (reduced shell size, collection in lower areas of exposed shores, no size selection in some units and species) in the exploitation of coastal resources through time. However, the results suggested the existence of changes in collection strategies and resource management, and periods of intense shell collection may have alternated with times of shell stock recovery throughout the Mesolithic.This research was performed as part of the project “The human response to the global climatic change in a littoral zone: the case of the transition to the Holocene in the Cantabrian coast (10,000–5000 cal BC) (HAR2010-22115-C02-01)” funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. AGE was funded by the University of Cantabria through a predoctoral grant and IGZ was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through a Juan de la Cierva grant. We also would like to thank the University of Cantabria and the IIIPC for providing support, David Cuenca-Solana, Alejandro García Moreno and Lucia Agudo Pérez for their help. We also thank Jennifer Jones for correcting the English. Comments from two anonymous reviewers helped to improve the paper

Population genomics of post-glacial western Eurasia.

Western Eurasia witnessed several large-scale human migrations during the Holocene <sup>1-5</sup> . Here, to investigate the cross-continental effects of these migrations, we shotgun-sequenced 317 genomes-mainly from the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods-from across northern and western Eurasia. These were imputed alongside published data to obtain diploid genotypes from more than 1,600 ancient humans. Our analyses revealed a 'great divide' genomic boundary extending from the Black Sea to the Baltic. Mesolithic hunter-gatherers were highly genetically differentiated east and west of this zone, and the effect of the neolithization was equally disparate. Large-scale ancestry shifts occurred in the west as farming was introduced, including near-total replacement of hunter-gatherers in many areas, whereas no substantial ancestry shifts happened east of the zone during the same period. Similarly, relatedness decreased in the west from the Neolithic transition onwards, whereas, east of the Urals, relatedness remained high until around 4,000 BP, consistent with the persistence of localized groups of hunter-gatherers. The boundary dissolved when Yamnaya-related ancestry spread across western Eurasia around 5,000 BP, resulting in a second major turnover that reached most parts of Europe within a 1,000-year span. The genetic origin and fate of the Yamnaya have remained elusive, but we show that hunter-gatherers from the Middle Don region contributed ancestry to them. Yamnaya groups later admixed with individuals associated with the Globular Amphora culture before expanding into Europe. Similar turnovers occurred in western Siberia, where we report new genomic data from a 'Neolithic steppe' cline spanning the Siberian forest steppe to Lake Baikal. These prehistoric migrations had profound and lasting effects on the genetic diversity of Eurasian populations

The toolkit for pottery production and repair in Prehistory

In this papeer we present the first results of a study focused on both the experimental replication and the analysis of the archaeological materials used for pottery production and repairing from a series of neolithic sites of the NE of the Iberian peninsula

АСТУРИЙСКИЕ ПИКИ ИЗ МЕЗОЛИТИЧЕСКОЙ РАКОВИННОЙ КУЧИ В МАСАКУЛОС II (СЕВЕРНАЯ ИСПАНИЯ): ФУНКЦИОНАЛЬНАЯ ИНТЕРПРЕТАЦИЯ

[EN] The Asturian Mesolithic (Northern Iberia) has traditionally been characterized by the accumulation of huge shell heaps in caves and grottoes, as well as the finds of typical stone tools commonly called Asturian peaks. These products, made of quartzite, have specific and unique characteristics, and from the very beginning of the Mesolithic research in this area, they have been considered an indicator of this chrono-cultural horizon. Over the past century, several hypotheses have been proposed to explain their purpose. In this work, we tested the hypotheses about the use of the Asturian peak using the experimental-trasological method on the experimental and archaeological tools found at the site of Masakoulos II (La Franca, Asturias, Northern Spain). The results obtained in the experimental analytical program showed that Asturian peaks were mainly used to collect shellfish, a key resource for this population in the Mesolithic. The results also showed the existence of a clear strategy in the selection of raw materials, features of the production process, reuse of broken tools in other activities and some other aspects related to the social organization of these mesolithic groups.[RU] Астурийский мезолит (Северная Иберия) традиционно характеризуется накоплением огромных раковинных куч в пещерах и гротах, а также находками типичных каменных орудий, обычно называемых астурийскими пиками. Эти изделия, изготовленные из кварцита, обладают специфическими и уникальными характеристиками, и с самого начала исследований мезолита в этом районе они считаются показателем этого хронокультур- ного горизонта. За последнее столетие было предложено несколько гипотез для объяснения их назначения. В этой работе мы проверили гипотезы об использовании астурийских пик с помощью экспериментально-трасологического метода на экспериментальных и археологических орудиях, найденных на стоянке Масакулос II (Ла-Франка, Астурия, Северная Испания). Результаты, полученные в экспериментальной аналитической программе, показали, что астурийские пики в основном использовались для сбора моллюсков, ключевого ресурса для этого населения в мезолите. Результаты также показали существование четкой стратегии в выборе сырья, особенностей производственного процесса, повторного использования сломанных орудий в других видах деятельности и некоторых других аспектов, связанных с социальной организацией этих мезолитических групп.Peer reviewe