Books by Marta Díaz-Zorita Bonilla
The prehistoric communities in Iberia have never been investigated before using a cutting-edge an... more The prehistoric communities in Iberia have never been investigated before using a cutting-edge and multidisciplinary approach. In this research, the latest techniques are applied in order to allow a reconstruction of prehistoric social structure and social organization. Specifically, this investigation uses bioarchaeological methods, such as osteological, paleopathological and biochemical approaches (stable isotopes), in combination with funerary context to reconstruct the mortality, morbidity, dietary and mobility patterns of two human skeletal populations from the Copper Age (c. 3300-2100 cal BC). The main objective was to test whether social differences were already present during the 3rd millennium BC in southern Iberia. For this purpose, two main Copper Age sites, Valencina de la Concepción (Seville) and La Pijotilla (Badajoz), were analysed and then compared to many other contemporary sites from the same geographical location. In sum, the results of this research demonstrate the complexity of the funerary patterns in the Iberian Copper Age, providing evidence for social inequality and differentiation.
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.
by Marta Díaz-Zorita Bonilla, Rosa Barroso, Mimi Bueno, Victoria Aranda Sánchez, Francisco Borja Barrera, Ana Pajuelo, Maria Fontanals-Coll, Francisco Borja, F. Carrera-Ramírez, Cesar Borja, and César Esteban
Papers by Marta Díaz-Zorita Bonilla
Scientific Reports
The excavations undertaken at the Campo de Hockey site in 2008 led to the identification of a maj... more The excavations undertaken at the Campo de Hockey site in 2008 led to the identification of a major Neolithic necropolis in the former Island of San Fernando (Bay of Cádiz). This work presents the results of the latest studies, which indicate that the site stands as one of the oldest megalithic necropolises in the Iberian Peninsula. The main aim of this work is to present with precision the chronology of this necropolis through a Bayesian statistical model that confirms that the necropolis was in use from c. 4300 to 3800 cal BC. The presence of prestige grave goods in the earliest and most monumental graves suggest that the Megalithism phenomenon emerged in relation to maritime routes linked to the distribution of exotic products. We also aim to examine funerary practices in these early megalithic communities, and especially their way of life and the social reproduction system. As such, in addition to the chronological information and the Bayesian statistics, we provide the results ...
This research uses a bioarchaeological approach to explore social structure and social difference... more This research uses a bioarchaeological approach to explore social structure and social differences during the 3 rd millennium BC in southwest Spain. The study tests the overall hypothesis that social differences are present at different sites during the 3 rd millennium BC in southwest Spain using the following research questions: (1) are there social differences manifested in mortality, morbidity, diet and mobility patterns, and (2) what was the relationship between Copper Age social differences and funerary patterns? Specifically, this research uses osteological, biochemical, and paleopathological analyses in combination with the funerary context to reconstruct mortality, morbidity, dietary and mobility patterns of two human skeletal populations from the Copper Age (c. 3300-2100 cal BC). The fragmented skeletal collections derive from the Extremadura and Western Andalusia, specifically Tomb 3 at La Pijotilla (Solana de los Barros, Badajoz) (283,329 human bone and teeth fragments, MNI= 178), and from different sectors at Valencina-Castilleja (Seville) (MNI= 36), respectively. Data from previously excavated human remains at La Orden-El Seminario (Huelva) were also included. In total, bioarchaeological data from 44 comparative Copper Age funerary sites were used to contextualize intra-and inter-site differences throughout the region at this time. Results showed an equal distribution of adults by sex and by type of funerary structure (megalithic and non-megalithic), while non-metric trait data showed close biological relationships between both the sample populations and with the whole of southwest Spain during the Copper Age. Health status was mainly identified through the presence of joint disease. Calculus and linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) were the most frequently represented dental pathologies, both diet-related and associated with megalithic structures; the individuals represented by the teeth were interpreted as higher status. Díaz-Zorita Bonilla, M.
European Journal of Archaeology, 2020
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2019
Previous multi-isotopic research on the human remains of the Neolithic cave-cemetery of Bom Santo... more Previous multi-isotopic research on the human remains of the Neolithic cave-cemetery of Bom Santo (Lisbon, Portuguese Estremadura) led to the conclusion that this fourth millennium BC population was very heterogeneous at several levels. Two in particular were subsistence habits and mobility: although consumption of terrestrial foods was the norm, aquatic food sources totalling > 20% of overall diets were detected in 60% of the population, and, surprisingly, 79% of the individuals were classed as non-local, having lived most of their life in geologically older regions. These figures were however obtained on a sample of 15 individuals. Further isotopic analyses have enlarged the original sample to 35 individuals (i.e., half of the exhumed population) and were also employed in the study of the coeval cave-cemeteries of Barrão and Mureta. This has permitted a sounder depiction of past behaviours, with a structural difference being observed at both levels between Bom Santo and the latter sites: at the former cave, 70% of the population consumed > 20% of aquatic foods and 34% were non-local (23% from outside Estremadura), whereas the latter were all local and showed no signals of aquatic diets. Comparison with other fourth millennium BC populations in central-southern Portugal suggests a model where the exploitation of locally available aquatic/marine food sources was not mandatory but optional and that human mobility represented an important socioeconomic behavioural feature of these (presumably) segmentary societies. How both aspects related to the then-emerging megalithic phenomenon is a question that should be investigated in future research.
El Asentamiento Prehistorico De Valencina De La Concepcion Investigacion Y Tutela En El 150 Aniversario Del Descubrimiento De La Pastora 2013 Isbn 978 84 472 1465 5 Pags 359 368, 2013
El Asentamiento Prehistorico De Valencina De La Concepcion Investigacion Y Tutela En El 150 Aniversario Del Descubrimiento De La Pastora 2013 Isbn 978 84 472 1465 5 Pags 387 404, 2013
Actas de la I Reunión Científica de Arqueología de Albacete, 2016, ISBN 978-84-944819-3-2, págs. 331-343, 2016
We present the data generated in the context of the latest research projects on the Bronze Age se... more We present the data generated in the context of the latest research projects on the Bronze Age settlement of El Acequión (Albacete). These have been oriented to refine its chronological sequence through new radiocarbon dates and the reconstruction of mobility patterns and nutritional models of individuals buried at the site through stable isotope analyses (13C, δ15N and 87Sr/86Sr, δ18O). They aim at providing a better knowledge on the lifestyles of the inhabitants of La Mancha during the Bronze Age.
Journal of Archaeological Science, 2021
Abstract In this paper we present data from multi-isotopic analyses (87Sr/86Sr, δ18O, δ13C) of hu... more Abstract In this paper we present data from multi-isotopic analyses (87Sr/86Sr, δ18O, δ13C) of human individuals buried in the Neolithic communities of the north-eastern Iberian Peninsula. The sites researched were Bobila Madurell, Can Gambus and Puig d'en Roca, all dated to the late 5th and early 4th millennia cal BC. The main objective was to explore chronological movement and the extent to which these communities moved and interacted with their Neolithic counterparts. The results show that the mobility of these communities was limited, as only 8.3% of the individuals exhibited non-local values. In addition, the chronological analysis confirmed their same horizon and temporal distribution. This means that they used resources and raw materials found in the immediate vicinity. It also implies that they had a certain degree of social organization and were already engaged in the trading of raw materials, some of which came from Central Europe and the Mediterranean islands.
Journal of Archaeological Science, 2022
Our ability to build precise narratives regarding megalithic societies largely depends on the chr... more Our ability to build precise narratives regarding megalithic societies largely depends on the chronology of the multi-ritual events that usually shaped these complex sites. The cemetery of Panoría offers an excellent opportunity for exploring ritual complexity in Iberia through radiocarbon chronology, as four of the nine recently excavated dolmens are remarkably well preserved. For this purpose, seventy-three radiocarbon dates were obtained and analysed within a Bayesian framework. The resulting refined chronology has led us to three main conclusions: i) in all tombs, the second half of the 4th millennium cal BC was an intensive but brief period of funerary depositions, probably over three to six generations; ii) after a long hiatus, most of the dolmens were reused in the 25th and 21st centuries cal BC during even shorter periods, spanning just a few decades and approximately one to four generations; and (iii) long after the funerary rituals had ended in the 21st century, the memory of the cemetery was revived in Late Antiquity. These short, punctuated periods of use are highly consistent with those seen in a growing number of European megalithic monuments. From Britain to Iberia, a pattern of short spans of use is dramatically changing our perception of the social and political roles of these complex monuments.
Anales de Arqueología y Etnología, 2021
En este trabajo abordamos distintas vías de aproximación a las identidades corporales femeninas y... more En este trabajo abordamos distintas vías de aproximación a las identidades corporales femeninas y a su agencia, desde una perspectiva transversal, tomando como referencia algunos casos de estudio procedentes de contextos seleccionados de la prehistoria y protohistoria de la península ibérica, así como del Mediterráneo Antiguo. Tres ejes principales ordenarán este acercamiento: en primer lugar, una reflexión sobre los estereotipos de las imágenes de la prehistoria, que han generado modelos comprensivos sobre el pasado que están profundamente distorsionados; en segundo lugar, el estudio de las identidades corporales, a través del análisis de los cuerpos depositados y representados en distintos casos seleccionados y, por último, una mirada desde la bioarqueología sobre el rol, los cuidados y las transformaciones de los cuerpos femeninos contextualizados en su propio ciclo vital. Esta reflexión colectiva nos permite ofrecer una puesta al día aproximativa a las líneas de investigación q...
This paper presents the prehistoric ditched enclosure of Cerro de los Vientos located in Puente d... more This paper presents the prehistoric ditched enclosure of Cerro de los Vientos located in Puente del Obispo (Jaen, Spain). The study has made possible the characterization of the site, including its complete layout, main architectural features, two unpublished radiocarbon dates, and the pottery, lithic, and pollen analyses. The site consists of two concentric circular ditches and more than ninety pits built during the Copper Age. In addition, new structures, masonry constructions and the final infilling of the central ditch were carried out in the Bronze Age.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2021
Significance The microbiome plays key roles in human health, but little is known about its evolut... more Significance The microbiome plays key roles in human health, but little is known about its evolution. We investigate the evolutionary history of the African hominid oral microbiome by analyzing dental biofilms of humans and Neanderthals spanning the past 100,000 years and comparing them with those of chimpanzees, gorillas, and howler monkeys. We identify 10 core bacterial genera that have been maintained within the human lineage and play key biofilm structural roles. However, many remain understudied and unnamed. We find major taxonomic and functional differences between the oral microbiomes of Homo and chimpanzees but a high degree of similarity between Neanderthals and modern humans, including an apparent Homo -specific acquisition of starch digestion capability in oral streptococci, suggesting microbial coadaptation with host diet.
European Journal of Archaeology, 2020
In 2012, the authors undertook a radiocarbon dating programme to explore the chronology of southe... more In 2012, the authors undertook a radiocarbon dating programme to explore the chronology of southern Iberian megalithic societies. Thirty new radiocarbon dates were obtained for two tholos-type tombs, Loma de Belmonte and Loma del Campo 2, and analysed within a Bayesian framework. Results are discussed in the context of the prehistoric societies of the region and four main conclusions were reached: i) in both tombs, mortuary activity started in the last century of the fourth millennium although with significant differences in their timespan; ii) funerary rituals ended in Loma de Belmonte at least five centuries later than in Loma del Campo 2; iii) the tholoi can be considered the most recent type of tomb compared to other megalithic monuments with mortuary activity beginning in the first centuries of the fourth millennium; iv) the largest and most prominent settlement of the region, Las Pilas, was closely associated with this funerary and sacred landscape.
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Books by Marta Díaz-Zorita Bonilla
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.
Papers by Marta Díaz-Zorita Bonilla
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.
In a diachronic view over large parts of the last 5000 years which focuses mainly on the Chalcolithic/Bronze Age, Roman Period, Late Middle Ages and the Modern era, Sierra Morena appears as a ResourceAssemblage in which livestock farming and the associated cattle drive, forestry and ore mining played a central role. Over time, different strategies are becoming visible with which the specific natural conditions of this mountain landscape are being countered. These are often complementary to the resources and their forms of use in the neighbouring fertile river valleys of the Guadalquivir and Guadiana. In a historical view, the ways of dealing with the respective important resources in the Sierra Morena are examined in relation to the ways of using the neighbouring landscapes. Long-term trends are also sought which characterise the specific ResourceCultures, perceptions, use and representations of the landscape in the Sierra Morena. Important aspects are the associated effects on the socio-cultural dynamics in the region.