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.

Thursday 3 September 2020

LA MARMOTTA AT THE EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION OF ARCHAEOLOGISTS (EAA) 2020 VIRTUAL ANNUAL MEETING

The EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION OF ARCHAEOLOGISTS (EAA) 2020 VIRTUAL ANNUAL MEETING took place on 24-30 August of 2020. The EAA Annual Meetings bring together colleagues from all over Europe and beyond to discuss important issues in archaeological research, heritage, commercial practice, ethics, and the latest results of fieldwork. With over 1,800 presentations and more than 150 sessions, the EAA has become a key event of the archaeological scene in Europe.

The session PLANTS MEET ARTIFACTS: DEVELOPING INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACHES TO IDENTIFY PLANT PROCESSING AND USE IN ARCHAEOLOGY bring together specialists on the study of different archaeological artefacts (e.g. pottery, ground stone and flint tools), archaeobotanists (plant macro- and microremains), biomolecular archaeologists (organic residue analyses) and experimental archaeology to discuss current approaches to identify plant use in the past.

The oral paper OF PLANTS AND GRINDING STONE TOOLS: PHYTOLITH AND USE-WEAR FUNCTIONAL EVIDENCE FROM EARLY NEOLITHIC LA MARMOTTA (LAKE BRACCIANO, ITALY), was presented by Marta Portillo and colleagues from the IMF-CSIC, CNRS, ReGiraRocs, and the Museo delle Civiltà / Museo Nazionale Preistorico Etnografico “L. Pigorini”.

More info:
https://www.e-a-a.org/EAA2020virtual




Saturday 13 June 2020

Recently We have presented our project around the La Marmotta Neolithic site at:

- Conference at the "Escuela Española de Historia y Arqueología en Roma (EEHAR-CSIC)" with the title "El asentamiento neolítico de La Marmotta: un proyecto apasionante para un yacimiento excepcional".

You can see the conference at:

https://youtu.be/yzJEdjPepr4





- Mario Mineo has presented La Marmotta site in the Museo delle Civiltà in the program "Oggetto del mese":

https://youtu.be/9IxMSuDPsUQ


Thanks for their collaboration to the Museo delle Civiltà and Spanish National Research Council (represented by the Istitución Milá y Fontanals, Barcelona (IMF-CSIC) and Escuela Española de Historia y Arqueología en Roma (EEHAR-CSIC).

Tuesday 5 May 2020

Migration, adaptation, innovation: The spread of Neolithic harvesting technologies in the Mediterranean


A new article with data from our projects has been published in PloS One:

Migration, adaptation, innovation: The spread of Neolithic harvesting technologies in the Mediterranean


The article is OpenAccess at the following page:



Thanks to our colleagues all across the Mediterranean that made this study possible.

Wednesday 22 April 2020

New Book: Use-wear Analyses of Polished and Bevelled Stone Artefacts during the Sepulcres de Fossa/ Pit Burials Horizon (NE Iberia, c. 4000–3400 cal B.C.)

We are very pleased to announce that our colleague Alba Masclans has published her book Use-wear Analyses of Polished and Bevelled Stone Artefacts during the Sepulcres de Fossa/ Pit Burials Horizon (NE Iberia, c. 4000–3400 cal B.C.) (BAR International Series, S2972), which is now available to order at https://www.barpublishing.com/use-wear-analyses-of-polished-and-bevelled-stone-artefacts-during-the-sepulcres-de-fossa-pit-burials-horizon-ne-iberia-c.-40003400-cal-b.c..html


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