Renato Nisbet

The prehistoric fisher-gatherers of the western coast of the Arabian Sea: a case of seasonal sedentarization?

Abstract The analysis of the settlement structures, material culture assemblages and handicraft activities of the aceramic, fifth millennium bp shell middens of the coast of Oman has shown that sedentarization had already taken place in this area among the Middle Holocene fisher-gatherers. These observations have been possible thanks to the study of four settlements and their habitation structures that indicate the relative permanence of their inhabitants throughout a long period of the year, at least during the autumn and winter months. The archaeological evidence for seasonal movements towards the regions of the interior is very limited, although ethnographic parallels would suggest that they occurred at least in the summer. Of particular importance are the observations regarding the handicraft activities. They show that some of the sites were related to the production of specific prestige and utilitarian goods such as polished stone earrings, different types of necklace beads and marine shell fishhooks.

Soil exploitation and early agriculture in northern Italy

The current state of research on the environmental impact of early agriculture in northern Italy is reported with particular reference to the region between the Emilian Apennines and the Lombard Pre-Alps. Cultural and palaeoenvironmental evidence supports the view that the location of Neolithic settlements largely depended on the distribution of soils suitable for agriculture. This is particularly evident for the late-seventh millennium BP (Fiorano) and the sixth millennium BP (Square Mouthed Pottery) sites, which are located on well drained, silt-clay-loams.

Environmental history and plant exploitation at the aceramic sites of RH5 and RH6 near the mangrove swamp of Qurm (Muscat - Oman)

SummaryExcavations of two main mid-Holocene shell middens near Muscat, Oman, have shown a careful choice of the sites, settled along the mouth of a wadi channel between the middle of the seventh and the first centuries of the sixth millennium BP. The analysis on charred materials (from pits and hearths) gives informations about the essential aspects of the territory exploited by the communities of fisher-gatherers. In particular, it is shown that a mangrove ecosystem was widely exploited both in terms of wood (Avicennia marina) and meat (Terebralia palustris). Other aspects of wood collection (Tamarix, Ziziphus, Acacia) show no differencies with the present ecology. Carbonized fruits of Ziziphus and Setaria are also present in the sites.

P. Biagi, R. Nisbet, B. Gratuze 2017 - Discovery of obsidian mines on Mount Chikiani in the Lesser Caucasus of Georgia

The volcanic Javaketi Range (Lesser Caucasus, Georgia) has recently aroused the interest of both geologists and archaeologists on account of its rich environmental and geological history, the prehistoric exploitation of its raw materials and the discovery of archaeological sites ranging from the Palaeolithic to the Historical Ages (Gogadze 1980; Kikodze 1983). In 2012 and 2014, two systematic surveys were conducted on Mount Chikiani (Koyundağ) with the aim of defining the areas from which obsidian was obtained during different prehistoric periods, and to characterise its sources (Biagi & Gratuze 2016). A longer season of archaeological prospection was carried out in 2016. Among the many important finds was the discovery of a large number of obsidian mining pits along the northern and north-eastern lower slopes of the volcano (Figure 1), as well as several obsidian workshops. During the 2016 season, research focused on the 2417m-high trachyrhyolitic dome—a source of high-quality obsidian—emerging from the plain around 300m north-east of Lake Paravani.