No abstract

Le Néolithique ancien est connu au Sud du Portugal surtout par des fouilles récentes d’habitats de plein air. Ceux-ci, tels que les habitats mésolithiques, occupent des aires vastes, ouvertes et sablonneuses, situées sur la falaise littorale et sur les rives des cours d’eau, jusqu’à 40 km de la mer. Ces habitats néolithiques ont révélé des structures de combustion : foyers en cuvette à pierres chauffées, empierrements et « fours ». L’industrie lithique révèle des traditions héritées du substrat mésolithique régional. La céramique est décorée par des impressions au poinçon (le cardial est rare) et par des cordons. Au Néolithique ancien évolué, la céramique présente des impressions très variées et des incisions. L’économie paraît se baser sur la chasse, sur la récolte de coquillages et sur la pêche, bien qu’enrichie par des formes élémentaires de production d’aliments.

A large ceramic vessel was discovered at São Brás (southern Portugal) containing a metallic hoard from the Chalcolithic/Early Bronze Age period. These weapons and tools were characterized by microanalytical techniques as being composed of copper with varying arsenic contents (2.2 ± 1.6 wt%) and minor amounts of lead, bismuth and iron. The collection shows a clear association between daggers and copper with a higher arsenic content, which can be explained by the high status of these silvery alloys. Finally, the compositional distribution of the hoard was compared with the metallurgy of the Bell Beaker and non-Bell Beaker communities inhabiting the south-western Iberian Peninsula.

A B S T R A C TThe Mesolithic base-camp of Vale Marim I is located on the seashore of Sines harbour domain and covers a surface of about 1 ha. The archaeological excavation encompassed an area of about 260 m 2 . Several domestic structures were recovered; the fireplaces probably polarized economic and social action, like manufacture of lithic artefacts, cooking and probably the fish smoking activity; some areas without domestic structures and with very low density of lithic artefacts have been interpreted as latent remains of probable huts. The idea of a society based on an incipient kinship structure is admitted. The charcoal analysis has provided substantial information on the spread of pinewood (Pinus pinea) in keeping with a progressively mild climate, in the transition to the sixth millennium cal BC, favouring the development of open-air settlements. In sum, dwelling structures will be discussed in accordance with environmental changes and social organization.

Do We Have the Capacity to Understand the Economy of Lusitanian Commodities? Volumetric Calculations ofLusitanian Amphora Types .