The Chronology of the First Settlement of the Balearic Islands

Abstract

The goal of this paper is to establish a solid chronology which spans the earliest human presence in each of the three larger Balearic Islands. For this purpose, a review is undertaken of archaeological evidence and associated absolute dating related to the period before the 2nd millennium Cal BC. Additionally, palaeoecological, sedimentological and palaeocultural evidence for human absence on these islands during the middle Holocene is introduced. The most recent values for ranges of the earliest reliable radiocarbon dates relating to human occupation of the three islands indicate, with p > 95%, human presence on Mallorca before 2030 cal BC, on Menorca before ca. 1930 Cal BC, and on Eivissa before 1880 Cal BC. On the other hand, the evidence for human absence indicates that, on Mallorca and Menorca the human irruption must have occurred during the 3rd millennium cal BC, whereas on Eivissa it can only be said that this irruption was later than 6th millennium Cal BC.

Three islands, three worlds: Paleogeography and evolution of the vertebrate fauna from the Balearic Islands

“…The first archaeological record showing unquestionable human presence in Mallorca can be dated in the last century of the III millennium BC (e.g., Alcover et al, 2001;Ramis et al, 2002). A more recent analysis of the chronology suggests that the first human arrival in Mallorca could have occurred at an unknown moment between 2350 and 2150 BC, a date highly compatible with the evidence available.…”

“…Although until 2001 human arrival was assumed to have occurred 8000 years ago (or even more) (e.g., Guerrero, 2000Guerrero, , 2001, some recent reviews document the first evidence of human presence in Mallorca in the third millennium BC Ramis et al, 2002), and the human settlement occurred probably in the last third of the millennium (Alcover, submitted).…”

On the extinction of the Dune Shearwater (Puffinus holeae) from the Canary Islands

“…The 14 C age is expressed as 2r intervals (i.e., p = 95.45%), and its interpretation is based exclusively on the extreme values of this interval (in order to have a p [ 95.45% indicating that the true age of the dated material is more recent than the lower extreme value of the 2r interval and, independently, it is more ancient than the upper extreme value of the 2r interval) (see Tuggle and Spriggs 2000;Alcover et al 2001;Zilhâo 2001;Ramis et al 2002;Bover and Alcover 2003;. Dates derived from the calibration of radiometric results are reported here as 'cal (calendar) year BC'.…”

Origin and Diffusion of the House Mouse in the Mediterranean

“…These elements constitute undeniable evidence of seafaring navigation before material evidences of Bronze Age. Nevertheless, the first great Mediterranean navigations should be linked with the Neolithic given that, with the exception of the Balearic islands [1,47,48], the large Mediterranean islands were colonised at that time [17,19,63]. Cyprus was the first to be colonised by Neolithic people at the end of 9 th millennium B.C.…”