The SEArch project advanced in the knowledge of discrete, though relevant, sedimentary signatures of different activities carried in shell middens by its inhabitants. However, shell mounds pose a difficult challenge for archaeologists since it is difficult to recognise individual depositional phases during excavation. This greatly limits the study of artefacts and their contexts. The systematic micromorphological analysis of an array of site across Atlantic Iberia, allowed by the EU-funded SEArch project, is a determinant step to overcome this challenge. The preservation of the microstratigraphic integrity in micromorphological samples allowed for the study of in situ shell heating through mineralogical thermal alterations. This study suggested that shellfish was probably processed by simple roasting combustion features (instead of boiling techniques), while the use of fire also occurred unrelated to cooking, in shelly surfaces where the usual traces of archaeological fire use are not evident. Apart from shellfish, it is largely if the organic matter present in the sediments results from local terrestrial plants, or if it corresponds to the use of available aquatic resources (e.g. marine plants and algae). This knowledge gap greatly hampers our understanding of the extent into which past hunter-gatherers made use of the entirety of resources available in marine environments. The biomolecular studies specifically targeting organic matter from shell midden sediments aims to address this question by detecting the presence of such materials and have measurable data to balance the importance of terrestrial vs aquatic resources in these sites. If the resources and modes of shell mound growth show no changes, that would suggest a resilient behaviour from coastal hunter-gatherers. If, in contrast, these aspects show changes between the earlier and later occupations, the possibilities of different coastal adaptations strategies, or environmental changes must be investigated, combining with other paleoenvironmental records from around the sites. The work that is being developed on stable isotope analysis from shell’s growth lines is something not done previously for Portuguese coastal sites. In sum, the evolution of these activities and environmental changes throughout such an impactful process as the neolithization, reveals how this process occurred amongst coastal populations . The project so far has impacted society at both local and national levels, by reaching municipal policy makers regarding the communication and preservation of coastal cultural heritage, and through a partnership with another EU-funded project in the enterprise sector of Archaeology, fostering knowledge transfer between this sector and the academic one.
