Alan H. Simmons

Pre-Neolithic wild boar management and introduction to Cyprus more than 11,400 years ago

The beginnings of pig domestication in Southwest Asia are controversial. In some areas, it seems to have occurred abruptly ca. 10,500 years ago, whereas in nearby locations, it appears to have resulted from a long period of management of wild boar starting at the end of the Late Pleistocene. Here, we present analyses of suid bones from Akrotiri Aetokremnos, Cyprus. This site has provided the earliest evidence for human occupation of the Mediterranean islands. Morphological analysis and direct radiocarbon dating of both degraded collagen and apatite of these bones reveal that small-sized suids were living on Cyprus 11,400–11,700 years ago. We demonstrate that these suids were introduced by humans and that, at this early date, their small size must result from island isolation. This sheds light on the early Holocene colonization of Cyprus and on pre-Neolithic Mediterranean seafaring. We further argue that wild boar were managed on the mainland before their introduction to Cyprus (i.e., before the beginning of the Neolithic and at least 1 millennium before the earliest known morphological modifications attributable to domestication). This adds weight to the theory that pig domestication involved a long period of wild boar management that started about the time of the Pleistocene/Holocene transition.

New Evidence for the Early Use of Cultigens in the American Southwest

Recent excavations near Chaco Canyon in northwestern New Mexico have yielded evidence for the use of cultigens by the early second millennium B.C. and continuing into the first millennium B.C. This information comes from four sites, all of which have been radiocarbon dated. The evidence for the oldest use of a cultigen, maize, is in the form of pollen; however, macrobotanical specimens of maize or squash were also recovered from sites dating to the Late Archaic. These data are summarized, as are their significance and implications.

Prehistoric occupation of Late Quaternary landscapes near Kharga Oasis, Western Desert of Egypt

A systematic geoarchaeological survey conducted north of Kharga Oasis in the Western Desert of Egypt recorded all prehistoric sites in eight transects over a total area of 30 km2. The survey focused on the entire range of landscapes along the fringe of the Libyan Plateau, an area previously assumed by researchers to be uninhabitable. Our objective was to determine the distribution and cultural affiliations of prehistoric sites in relation to different geomorphic settings in this hyperarid environment. The results of the survey reveal temporal and spatial patterns in the record of prehistoric occupation. During the Lower Paleolithic, wadis at the foot of the Plateau escarpment attracted people, as did springs on the floor of the Kharga Depression. During Middle Paleolithic pluvials, wadis and springs were occupied by people, but the archaeological record suggests that human occupation shifted towards small depressions, or pans, on the Libyan Plateau, an area considered uninhabitable by previous researchers. Most of the Middle Paleolithic, Terminal Paleolithic, and Neolithic cultural deposits are associated with the pans. Reduced variability in the geomorphic setting of sites during the Terminal Paleolithic/Neolithic compared to the Middle Paleolithic may reflect reduced effective precipitation during the early Holocene. It is likely that monsoonal summer rains of central Africa periodically penetrated at least as far north as Kharga during the Terminal Paleolithic and Neolithic, supplying water to the pans and wadis. Hence, while wadis and many springs became dry during the Pleistocene–Holocene transition (∼10,000 yr B.P.), the pans remained seasonal ponds with sufficient vegetation to attract game and people to a region that was otherwise a desert.

Geoarchaeology of the Akrotiri Aetokremnos rockshelter, Southern Cyprus

Akrotiri Aetokremnos is a collapsed rockshelter on the southern coast of Cyprus. Excavations revealed a 1-m-thick package of sandy deposits preserved beneath massive roof-fall blocks. These deposits contained cultural materials in direct association with extinct pygmy hippopotamus and other fauna. Based on 31 radiocarbon assays, the site was occupied around 10,600 B.P. Four major stratigraphic units were defined, with cultural features and artifacts concentrated in Strata 2 and 4. Most of the sediments that accumulated in the rockshelter are a product of roof fall, disintegration of bedrock (attrition), and wind action. In addition, a small volume of slopewash entered the back of the shelter through solution cavities and is confined to less than 5% of the site. Although some of the strata have been slightly affected by leaching and clay translocation, there is no evidence of soil development in the shelter. The physical and geochemical properties of the strata indicate that the sediments and associated cultural materials rapidly accumulated on the floor of the shelter soon before the roof collapsed and isolated the underlying deposits from subareal weathering and other site-disturbance processes.

Ghwair I: A Small, Complex Neolithic Community in Southern Jordan

Abstract The past several years have witnessed exciting developments in defining the transition to food production in the Near East. In particula1; the documentation of large mega-sites has caused considerable revision in our comprehension of the trajectory of early Neolithic village life. At the same time, recent excavations at smaller villages have also provided considerable new data. One such site is Ghwair I, a small but exceptionally preserved Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) village located in the Wadi Feinan of southern Jordan. This paper summarizes the results of interdisciplinary archaeological investigations at Ghwair I, One of the projects primary research objectives was to examine if a “rural” and “turban” (or “core/periphery”) distinction could be made between Ghwair I and mega-sites. Our findings suggest that Ghwair I was not a peripheral village linked to larger sites. Rathe1; it was an unexpectedly complex settlement that may have served as a local regional center. we also sought to precisely define the sites chronology, artifactual variability, village development, and social structure. Our results show that Ghwair I isfirmly dated to the Middle PPNB; that artifactual diversity and variability is considerable, especially amongst chipped and ground stone; that the village became increasingly complex throughout its occupation; and that social o1lJanization was sophisticated as reflected by artifacts, burials and both residential and non-residential architectural features. Finally, initiated an ecologicalstudy to determine if small settlements such as Ghwair I caused the same negative efficts as have been proposed for some larger sites. The evidence here is ambiguous, but does not suggest the same degree of human effict as at larger settlements. This paper concludes with a discussion of Ghwair Is place within the wider Neolithic world.

Mediterranean Island Voyages

Archaeological studies show that humans reached Mediterranean islands much earlier than previously thought. Some of the classical worlds most innovative cultures developed on Mediterranean islands, but their earlier human use is poorly known. The islands, particularly those further from the mainland such as Crete and Cyprus, were thought to have been first colonized about 9000 years ago by late Neolithic agriculturalists with domesticated resources. Until about 20 years ago, claims of earlier, pre-Neolithic occupations on any of the islands did not stand up to critical scrutiny (1), but current investigations are challenging these perceptions. Discoveries on Cyprus, Crete, and some Ionian islands suggest seafaring abilities by pre-Neolithic peoples, perhaps extending back to Neanderthals or even earlier hominins. In Cyprus, Neolithic sites have been documented that are nearly as early as those on the mainland.

Not such a new light: a response to Ammerman and Noller

Abstract Ammerman and Noller (2005) question several aspects of investigations at the early Holocene site of Akrotiri Aetokremnos in Cyprus. Here we address their criticisms, paying particular attention to three ambiguities that they noted. We also suggest that their claim to having discovered contemporary sites may be premature.

Ais Giorkis: An unusual early Neolithic settlement in Cyprus

Abstract For over a century, archaeologists have been intrigued by the inception of food production and sedentary lifeways, the so-called “Neolithic Revolution.” Research focused on the Near Eastern and Anatolian mainlands has documented some of the earliest Neolithic cultures known. The adjacent Mediterranean islands were generally believed to have been late recipients of Neolithic economies. Recent research challenges this by establishing both Late Epipalaeolithic and early Neolithic occupations on Cyprus. Ais Giorkis contributes to this revision. It is an early Neolithic site (ca. 7500 cal b.c.) in the uplands, unlike most contemporary sites, which are near the coast. Ais Giorkis is more complex than originally believed, containing unusual architecture, abundant and sophisticated artifacts, and some of the oldest directly dated domesticated plants in the Near East. It also has a faunal assemblage that includes small numbers of cattle bones, previously undocumented before the Bronze Age, but now shown to be present at three early Neolithic sites.

Early neolithic settlement in Western Cyprus: preliminary report on the 1992-1993 test excavations at Kholetria Ortos

The Neolithic occupation of Cyprus represents an apparent late, and quite distinct, phenomenon when compared to the mainland. Although a few early, aceramic Neolithic sites have been excavated, none in the western portion of the island have been well studied. Kholetria Ortos is a large aceramic Neolithic settlement located in the Paphos District of western Cyprus, and this report provides preliminary data on test excavations conducted there during 1992 and 1993. These multidisciplinary investigations revealed a rich, but disturbed, site that has considerable potential for shedding light on early Neolithic adaptive strategies within the ecological confines of an island.

Excavations at Prehistoric Sites on the Navajo Indian Irrigation Project, Northwestern New Mexico

AbstractThe results of a large excavation project in the San Juan Basin of NW New Mexico are summarized in this article. Discussion is limited to prehistoric and protohistoric sites, 22 of which were excavated. The majority of the remains are small, surface aceramic sites that are believed to relate to the Archaic Cultural Complex. These sites reflect a specialized adaptive strategy focusing on seasonal mobility and the exploitation of resources occurring at or adjacent to sand dunes. The lithic assemblages from these sites generally are homogeneous and reflect opportunistic usage. Occupation of the project area during the Anasazi phases was limited. A considerable protohistoric Navajo occupation is apparent, with one excavated site suggesting a very specialized economic orientation emphasizing antelope procurement. The research focus of the project was on comprehensive lithic analysis and on paleoeconomy. Several methodological considerations are discussed, as is the necessity for developing a unified re...