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Sea harvesting in the transition from hunter-gatherer to farmer societies. Archeological microscopic and molecular approaches to shell midden stratigraphy

Project description

Aquatic resources as key Neolithic transformation factors

Although marine resources were known and used by Mesolithic societies, coastal adaptations are associated with the farmers of the Neolithic era. However, this period is yet quite unknown. The EU-funded SEArch project will explore Mesolithic and Neolithic shell midden formation based on sedimentary microscopic human-generated deposits from Atlantic Iberia. The project aims to understand behavioural and environmental transformation generated by the exploitation of aquatic resources. It will create experimental data sets on the thermal alteration of bioclasts and establish an advanced marine biomarker database for archaeologists. By applying a contextualised method, it will research the coastal adaptations and their use for resilient reactions during the Neolithisation process of western Europe.

Objective

While marine resources played a crucial role in Mesolithic societies, the role of coastal adaptations associated with the first Neolithic farmers is still poorly known. The present project aims to investigate Mesolithic and Neolithic shell midden formation using sedimentary microscopic signatures on anthropic deposits from Atlantic Iberia. SEArch will apply state-of-the-art developments on lipid biomarkers and stable isotopes analysis of organic molecular data stored in archaeological sediments. The main objective is to understand behavioural and environmental changes associated with the exploitation of aquatic resources. SEArch will achieve this goal with a three-fold approach: (1) by reconstructing formation processes at key shell midden sites; (2) by identifying (macroscopically invisible) fish and shellfish to infer foraging locals and processing strategies, and (3) by inferring temporality of foraging behaviour using C and N stable isotopes. The project will create experimental datasets on thermal alteration of bioclasts and construct a novel marine biomarker database for archaeologists. The SEArch project seeks to contribute to the debate on the Neolithization process of western Europe by taking a contextualized approach to the study of coastal adaptations and their role as possible resilient behaviours during the Neolithization process.

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MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)

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(opens in new window) H2020-WF-2018-2020

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Coordinator

UNIVERSIDADE DO ALGARVE
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 147 815,04
Address
CAMPUS DE PENHA
8005 139 FARO
Portugal

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Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 147 815,04
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