This is the blog of the project "Neo-Innova: The diffusion of Neolithic in the Central-Western Mediterranean: agriculture, technological innovations and radiocarbon dating" (HAR2016-75201-P). This research project focuses on one of the main turning points of human history: the diffusion of Neolithic. Even if it is well established that the Near East was the first focus of the invention of farming, around X-IX milenium BC, the mechanisms and the paths of its spreading in the rest of the Mediterranean are yet to be unfolded. During the last decades, the origin of European Neolithic has been explained as result of a diffusion process through two main axes: a Northern one, crossing central Europe, and a Southern one along the Mediterranean coasts. The current project is aimed to analyse the process of Neolithic diffusion through the Central-Western Mediterranean through analysis of the techniques and tools associated with the crop-harvesting and -processing tools. Analysis of those tools has to be supported by an extensive program of radiocarbon dating and a cross-analysis of the crop-harvesting/14C with the information proceeding from the environmental/ecological, the technological and the cereals consumed.

Saturday 21 December 2019

Workshop: "The Neolithic Settlement of “La Marmotta”: A View on the Neolithic Expansion

On December 10 and 11 we organized the workshop: "The Neolithic Settlement of “La Marmotta”: A View on the Neolithic Expansion"

It was a fantastic meeting to know the first results obtained in La Marmotta neolithic site within the project “Expansión y desarrollo del neolítico en el Mediterráneo central: tecnología y producción de alimentos en el asentamiento lacustre de La Marmotta (Roma, Italia)” Proyectos Intramurales para Arqueología en el Exterior (201818008). Ministerio de Ciencia Innovación y Universidad / CSIC.

It was also incredible to know the new lines of work that will begin in the coming months and the possibilities of requesting projects with the participants.

Thanks to all the participants, the Pigorini Museum (especially his director Filippo Maria Gambari), La Escuela Española de Historia y Arqueología en Roma (EEHAR-CSIC) (especially their Directors José Ramón Urquijo and Antonio Pizzo), La Institución Milá y Fontanals (IMF-CSIC) (especially his director Luis Calvo) and all the people who attended the workshop.

                                                                                                             
Mario Mineo, Niccolò Mazzucco and Juan F. Gibaja





















Tuesday 19 November 2019

INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP: The Neolithic Settlement of “La Marmotta”. A View on the Neolithic Expansion

Dear Colleagues

On December 10 and 11 2019 we present the International Workshop:

The Neolithic Settlement of “La Marmotta”. A View on the Neolithic Expansion





We wait for you!

Organization:
Mario Mineo
Niccolò Mazzucco
Juan F. Gibaja

Monday 11 November 2019

Presenting our results at the Barcelona ENE2019 Conference on the Early Neolithic in Europe !


Proud to have been at Barcelona presenting results from our projects at the ENE2019 Conference on Early Neolithic in Europe. Three days of Neolithic in the beautiful Maritim Museum of Barcelona.






We have been presenting :

M. Mineo - Sea as a pathway of spread of Neolithic populations in the Mediterranean: La Marmotta (Italy), a village on the edge of the agricultural frontier (Welcome Seminar)

N. Mazzucco et al. - The Origins and Spread of Neolithic Harvesting Technologies from the Near East to Europe (Oral Communication)

J. F. Gibaja, L. Caruso et al. - Woodworking Technology and Navigation during the Early Neolithic: First Results of the Manoxiles Canoes and Objects Related to Navigation. Site of La Marmotta (Anguillara Sabazia, Roma) (Poster).

For more details see: https://ene2019.org/






Thursday 19 September 2019

Presentation of "La Marmotta" site in the University of York

Today we have presented the neolithic settlement of La Marmotta in BioArCh -University of York, United Kingdom.

https://www.york.ac.uk/archaeology/centres-facilities/bioarch/

Conference: The complexity of Neolithic societies in the Mediterranean area: ‘La Marmotta’, a village on the shore of Lake Bracciano (Rome, Italy). Juan F. Gibaja, Mario Mineo and Niccolò Mazzucco

It has been fantastic to show the site, the archaeological material the team and the project.

This presentation has been possible thanks to the invitation of Oliver Craig.

https://www.york.ac.uk/archaeology/staff/academic-staff/oliver-craig/

We hope to collaborate in the future with researchers of Bioarch specialized in different molecular analyzes!!!
Also...Thanks to Maria Fontanals with the presentation and traslation







Friday 13 September 2019

Presentation of La Marmotta site in the Seminar: Nuevas perspectivas de investigación y gestión del patrimonio cultural subacuático

Recently our colleague Mario Mineo has presented the Neolithic settlement of La Marmotta and the project between the Museo delle Civilta and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) in the seminar "Nuevas perspectivas de investigación y gestión del patrimonio cultural subacuático".

https://www.eehar.csic.es/nuevas-perspectivas-de-investigacion-y-gestion-del-patrimonio-cultural-subacuatico-11-septiembre-2019/

Thanks to Mario, Arturo Rey for the invitation to participate in this seminar and to the director and co-director (José Ramón Urquijo and Antonio Pizzo) of the Escuela Española de Historia y Arqueología in Rome (EEHAR-CSIC) for the excellent reception and organization.







Monday 12 August 2019

The Marmotta site in the spanish newspaper "La Razón"


This Monday a news about La Marmotta was published in the spanish newspaper "La Razón".

This work is possible thanks to the collaboration between Museo delle Civiltà - Museo preistorico etnografico «Luigi Pigorini and the CSIC (Spanish National Research Council) 

This work is supported by Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades and CSIC with the projects: 

- "La difusión del neolítico en el Mediterráneo centro-occidental: agricultura, innovaciones tecnológicas y carbono 14". Programa I+D (HAR2016-75201-P)
- "Expansión y desarrollo del neolítico en el Mediterráneo central: tecnología y producción de alimentos en el asentamiento lacustre de La Marmotta (Roma, Italia)". Proyectos Intramurales para Arqueología en el Exterior (201818008). 


We want to thank the work of the journalist Javier Ors


Mario Mineo
Niccolo Mazzucco
Juan F. Gibaja


Monday 3 June 2019

Marmotta Neolithic site. New analysis about lithic tools

These days we returned to the Pigoniri Museum to continue our work with the materials of the Marmotta site. In this case, the team members were Niccolo Mazzucco (use-wear analysis), Denis Guibaud (lithic knapping technology), Caroline Hamon (morphology, technology and use-wear of macro-tools related to grinding, and elaboration of polished instruments), Marta Portillo (phytoliths analysis), Alba Masclans (morphology, technology and use-wear of polished axes and adzes) and Gerard Remolins (GIS and recovery of graphical information). All under the direction and supervision of Mario Mineo.
We also had the opportunity to visit Lake Bracciano -where the site is located- and to celebrate the super-team that we have in the Marmotta, which is getting bigger every day!

In recent months we have incorporated the aforementioned Denis Guibaud, as well as Eva Birgitta Andersson Strand and Christina Margariti (Copenhaguen University) to work with the tools and remains linked to the textile production








Saturday 1 June 2019

Strontium isotopic analyses to characterise mobility at "La Marmotta"

We started sampling for strontium isotopic analyses to characterise mobility at La Marmotta. We did a pilot study on the first excavated materials – chemically consolidated – and the more recent ones (not chemically consolidated) to check if consolidated tooth enamel preserved the original strontium signature. These studies will be key to assess the use of chemically consolidated teeth in strontium isotopic studies and, in a second stage, to provide insights in the Neolitisation process in the Mediterranean (Silvia Valenzuela and Ariadna Nieto)





Monday 13 May 2019

Pottery and food remains analysis in neolithic site of "La Marmotta" (Italy)

Recently, we have begun to study the first sample of pottery vessels of La Marmotta archaeological site. The objective is to evaluate its function and the possible conservation of residues. Also, we have begun to work on the analysis of food remains.

This work has been carried out in the Pigorini Museum thanks to the collaboration of Amaia Arranz, Miriam Cubas, Julien Vieugue and Izaro Quevedo. This is a study carried out within the framework of two projects coordinated by Mario Mineo, Juan F. Gibaja and Niccolo Mazzucco:

- "La difusión del neolítico en el Mediterráneo centro-occidental: agricultura, innovaciones tecnológicas y carbono 14" . Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. Programa I+D (HAR2016-75201-P)
- "Expansión y desarrollo del neolítico en el Mediterráneo central: tecnología y producción de alimentos en el asentamiento lacustre de La Marmotta (Roma, Italia)" Proyectos Intramurales para Arqueología en el Exterior (201818008). Ministerio de Ciencia Innovación y Universidad / CSIC.




Friday 3 May 2019

MAY 14th 2019: "Knowing the complex Neolithic societies: ‘La Marmotta’ a village on the shores of Lake Bracciano (Roma, Italy)"

Next TALK at University of Copenhagen - Centre for Textile Research 

MAY 14th 2019

Knowing the complex Neolithic societies: ‘La Marmotta’ a village on the shores of Lake Bracciano (Roma, Italy)


A lecture by:
Mario Mineo (Museo delle civiltà –MPE L. Pigorini)
Niccolò Mazzucco (Spanish National Research Council, IMF-CSIC)
Juan F. Gibaja (Spanish National Research Council, IMF-CSIC)

The lakeshore settlement of ‘La Marmotta’ represents some of the earliest evidence for seafaring farmers in Italy (ca. 5690-5250 cal BC) and one of the earliest wetland sites of the entire Central Mediterranean Basin. The site is unique for the richness and variety of organic materials preserved (i.e. fragments of textile and textile tools, foodstuff, wood and plant crafts, house remains, pirogues, etc.), especially if compared with the rest of Early Neolithic sites in the Italian Peninsula. Nevertheless, for a number of reasons, the site is still not integrated within the debate on the Neolithization process. We have currently started a research project to analyze the complex society of La Marmotta. This has been made possible thanks to the collaboration of many specialists from numerous international institutions.


Thursday 7 March 2019

Talking About Harvesting Techniques... Changes and Innovations at Neolithic Times

Today we have been giving a talk on our projects on Neolithic Harvesting Techniques 
(NEO-INNOVA, ÉXODO, QUANT) - ASD-CSIC / MSCA-IF
http://www.asd-csic.es/research/ongoing-projects/the-spread-of-the-neolithic-in-the-central-western-mediterranean-agriculture-technological-innovations-and-14c/
https://www.asd-csic.es/research/ongoing-projects/quant/
https://niccomazzucco.wixsite.com/quant

Thanks to all that attended the talk!