The widespread use and production of plaster during the Neolithic transition in SW Asia represents a significant technological advancement and development in the material culture of early sedentary farming communities. The Final Pre-Pottery Neolithic case-study of Qdeir (7100 − 5720 cal BCE), located in the Syrian steppe, provides new evidence of resource management and technology in floor plaster manufacture. It also sheds li...

This study aims to characterize the dietary habits of the Barcelona plain (Spain) population during the Early Bronze Age. An analysis of buccal microwear has been performed on 467 samples from 20 individuals buried in the largest cemetery of the plain of Barcelona in this period, the Plaça de la Gardunya, and 1 sample from the site of the Mercat de Santa Caterina. Molars and premolars were examined using a scanning electron mi...

With the advent of the Neolithic, the first manipulation of clay for various purposes was observed. Fingerprints could be imprinted due to the plastic properties of clay. Their study and analysis can allow the estimation of the sex and age of the person who left them, thus providing insight into the social organisation of past populations. In the present study, we have analysed the fingerprints that were identified on a figuri...

The development of the epidermis of sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus along the whole life cycle was studied using conventional staining techniques and lectin histochemistry. The epidermis undergoes variations in morphology and thickness throughout development. The simple cuboidal epithelium found in the epidermis of prolarvae becomes stratified cubic in the adult by increasing the number of cell layers. The cuticle thickness und...

Cutaneous mucus is the first physical and chemical barrier of fish. This slime layer is secreted by mucous cells located in the epidermis and is mainly composed of glycoproteins that have their origin in the diet. Therefore, food deprivation can potentially change the abundance and glucidic nature of skin mucous cells, thus changing the mucus properties. To test this hypothesis, we conducted an experiment with Atlantic salmon,...

The Neolithic transition has been widely debated particularly regarding the extent to which this revolution implied a demographic expansion from the Near East. We attempted to shed some light on this process in northeastern Iberia by combining ancient DNA (aDNA) data from Early Neolithic settlers and published DNA data from Middle Neolithic and modern samples from the same region. We successfully extracted and amplified mitoch...

The analysis of carbon isotope discrimination (Δ) in crop plant remains from archaeological sites may help to assess water availability for early agriculture. This study presents the analysis of Δ in seeds of naked wheat ( Triticum aestivum/durum ), lentil ( Lens orientalis/culinaris ), and flax ( Linum sp.) found at the archaeological site of Tell Halula in the valley of the Middle Euphrates (Syria). This Neolithic site is th...