Sickles tools in south of France...

Recently, two of us (Bernard Gassin and Juan F. Gibaja) travelled through the south of France. Our aim was to analyze the lithic instruments of several emblematic sites of the Early Neolithic: Jean Cros, Grotte Gazel, Leucate, Font Juvenal and Baume de Ronze.

We spent three intense days of work in Carcassonne, Toulouse and Narbonne.

Next year we will return to the south of France to work with other archaeological deposits. We want to get an accurate view of the sickles of the first agricultural communities that came to this territory.

We thank the curators of the museums and research centres we have visited. We want to give special thanks to Professor Jean Guilaine, Elsa Defranould, Marion Audoly, Aurélie Devos, Sylvie Philibert and Claire Manen for their help and kindness.

 Toulouse

Narbonne

 lithic tool from Jean Cros 

  Geometrics from Grotte Gazel 

Bernard Gassion working in Carcassonne 

Participation in the 24th EAA Annual Meeting held in Barcelona

This week we have participated with several presentations at the 24th EAA Annual Meeting (Barcelona)

The presentation were:

- THE SPREAD OF CROP HARVESTING TECHNOLOGIES IN THE MEDITERRANEAN: A VIEW FROM THE SOUTHERN BALKANS
Mazzucco, Niccolo; Gibaja, Juan Francisco; Conolly, James; Naumov, Goce; Fidanoski, Ljubo

- THE DIFFUSION OF NEOLITHIC HARVESTING TOOLS INTO THE MEDITERRANEAN AREA, DEMIC DIFFUSION OR CULTURAL INNOVATION?
Capuzzo, Giacomo; Mazzucco, Niccolò; Ibañez, Juan José; Gibaja, Juan Francisco

- A SPARK IN THE DARK. ‘LA MARMOTTA’ LAKESHORE VILLAGE IN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE IMPRESSED WARE NEOLITHIC
Mineo, Mario; Mazzucco, Niccolo; Gibaja, Juan F.; Mozota, M.; Gassin, B.

We show some pictures of the presentation A SPARK IN THE DARK. ‘LA MARMOTTA’ LAKESHORE VILLAGE IN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE IMPRESSED WARE NEOLITHIC
Mario Mineo and Niccolo Mazzucco. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!

Conference around the use-wear Analysis

We have recently participated in the International Archaeological Campus in Bedmar (Andalusia, Spain).

We have explained the methodology we use to analyze the use of lithic instruments. Among the examples of sites studied, we explain our project around the analysis of the Neolithic sickles tools in the Mediterranean area

We want to thank Marco Antonio Bernal for his invitation and the archaeologists for their kindness

Analysis of Neolithic sickles from northern Greece

At the end of June, we travelled to Thessaloniki to analyze several Neolithic sites in northern Greece. Thanks to professors Kostas Kotsakis and Maria Pappa we were able to study the deposits of Paliambela, Thermi and Kyparissi. 

To know more about the work of these two researchers, we invite you to consult their profiles in Academia.edu: 

https://culture.academia.edu/MariaPappa

https://auth.academia.edu/KostasKotsakis

The results have been superb and we hope to publish them in the near future.

We want to thank them for their collaboration, as well as the staff of the laboratories where we were working, and especially Angeliki Kita, for the help.

In the coming months, we will return to Greek lands to continue studying new deposits.

Niccolò Mazzucco and Angeliki Kita 

The Time is Ripe for a Change - New Publication

In frame of the Neo-Innova project a new research article has been published in the last issue of the Journal of Anthropological Archaeology: "The time is ripe for a change. The evolution of harvesting technologies in Central Dalmatia during the Neolithic period (6th millennium cal BC)" by Mazzucco, N., Guilbeau, D., Kačarc, S., Podrug, E., Forenbaher, S., Radić, D., Moor, A. 

The paper investigates changes in the harvesting toolkit during the Neolithic in Central Dalmatia. Get free access to our paper following this link: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1XF13-JVbh49I

Awarana Congress - Use Wear Analysis

On May 30 we participated in the "Awrana-Nice 2018" congress with two works related to the theme of our project:

1. Mineo, M., Mazzucco, N., Gibaja, J.F., Gassin B., Mozota, M.: "‘Sabres’ from the Neolithic. The Sickles from La Marmotta"


2. Mazzucco, N., Gibaja, J.F., Ibáñez, J.J.: "A Long-term Perspective on Agricultural Technologies: design, evolution and diffusion of Neolithic harvesting tools in the central west Mediterranean (7th-3 mill. cal BC)"


We want to use this post to thank all the colleagues who have worked with us. We aim to publish the results soon.

Poster:  "‘Sabres’ from the Neolithic. The Sickles from La Marmotta"

Three generations of specialists: María Estela Mansur, Juan F. Gibaja and Niccolò Mazzucco

Studying La Dehesilla tools (Cádiz, Andalusia)

For several weeks we have been working in the Neolithic settlement of La Dehesilla (Cádiz, Andalusia). This is one of the most well-known sites in the South of Spain. Is was excavated at the end of the 20th century by Manuel Pellicer and Pilar Acosta, and recently taken up by Daniel Garcia Rivero (University of Seville).

The results will help us to know the tooling of the first Neolithic communities of the SW of the Iberian Peninsula, of which we had very little information.

More information in:http://institucional.us.es/evocultura/dehesilla/index.php?page=historiografia

Professor Pellicer has recently died. From this blog we thank you for your excellent work

Thanks also to Daniel Garcia for being able to work with him in the study of the materials found in the last excavations

New papers on a monograph about Neolithic expansion

With enthusiasm, we present the monograph that we recently published in the journal Quaternary International. Under the title of The Neolithic expansion in the Western Mediterranean: Understanding a global phenomenon from regional perspectives.

Edited by Juan F. Gibaja, Juan J. Ibáñez, Niccolò Mazzucco and Xavier Terradas, several researchers of the project have collaborated in the edition and publication of some of the articles:

The beginning of the Neolithic in the Po Plain (northern Italy): Problems and perspectives Original Research Article
Pages 301-317
Elisabetta Starnini, Paolo Biagi, Niccolò Mazzucco

Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in the northeast of Iberia: Chronology and socioeconomic dynamics Original Research Article
Pages 383-397
F. Xavier Oms, Xavier Terradas, Berta Morell, Juan F. Gibaja

When the Mediterranean met the Atlantic. A socio-economic view on Early Neolithic communities in central-southern Portugal Original Research Article
Pages 472-484
António Faustino Carvalho

Harvesting tools and the spread of the Neolithic into the Central-Western Mediterranean area Original Research Article
Pages 511-528
Niccolò Mazzucco, Giacomo Capuzzo, Cristiana Petrinelli Pannocchia, Juan José Ibáñez, Juan Francisco Gibaja

From this blog we offer our greatest congratulations to all the authors who have collaborated.

Studying sickles in Thessaloniki

At the beginning of April, we travelled to Thessaloniki for a collaboration with Foteini Adaktylou and Maria Pappa to analyze the Neolithic tools of the settlements of Revenia and Makriyalos.

We have been able to study a small number of pieces from both sites since the archaeological record is enormously rich. The data obtained is excellent and helps us understand the Neolithic sickles of Northern Greece.

It has been great to be able to collaborate with Foteini and María, as well as with the curators and technicians of the Makriyelos Museum and Angeliki Kita, to whom we thank for their help.

In June we will return to Thessaloniki to continue working on new deposits. This will allow us to complete our knowledge about these Neolithic lithic tools.

Museum of Makriyalos. Wonderful to work! 

In front of Mount Olympus

The Neolithic Sickles in the Republic of Macedonia

These days we had the opportunity to study the sickles of several Neolithic sites in the Republic of Macedonia.

The results are enormously interesting because of the links with other Neolithic manifestations of neighbouring areas.

This work is only a first step for new jobs that will start soon.

All this has been thanks to the collaboration of Goce Neumov, Fidanoski Ljubo, Aleksandar Mitkoski and other colleagues from City Museum of Skopje, Archaological Museum of Prilep and Archaeological Museum of Stip. 

From this post we thank you. It has been fantastic to share with great professionals and now friends this unforgettable experience.

Sickles f Govrlevo site 

 Niccolo Mazzucco and Juan Gibaja

Niccolo Mazzucco presenting our project at the Museum of Skopje 

 Fidanoski Ljubo presenting Niccolo Mazzuco

Goce Neumov presenting our project and collaboration

Archaeological Museum of Stip

Niccolo Mazzucco working in the Museum of Skopje

Museum of Macedonia

Goce Naumov and Niccolo Mazzucco in the Archaeological Museum of Prilep

Niccolo Mazzucco working in he Archaeological Museum of Prilep 

New Paper in Arkeogazte

We are happy to present a new paper that has been published in Arkeogazte journal. It is a final revision of the data we currently have on the Neolithic sickles from Italy to Portugal.

Authors: Juan F. Gibaja, Niccolo Mazzucco, Juan José Ibáñez, Mario Mineo, Amelia Rodríguez, Bernard Gassin, Unai Perales, Ignacio Martín-Lerma and Cristina López-Rodríguez

Title: Reconociendo el camino seguido por las primeras comunidades neolíticas asentadas en el Mediterráneo centro-occidental a través del análisis de sus hoces.

(Click on tittle to download)