Marine and Inland Water Resources in Eneolithic Communities. New Data from Sardinia （Italy）

This paper presents research aimed at identifying the methods with which prehistoric man interacted with marine and inland water environments. The objective is to determine the degree to which resources from these environments influenced the socio-economic organization of these peoples. The coastline around Cagliari and its hinterland （southern Sardinia, Italy） were chosen as the subject, on the basis of the presence of both the sea and several ponds. The territory is noted as being home to both Neolithic and Eneolithic settlements. Among these the archaeological excavation of the village of Su Coddu/Canelles produced a large quantity of malacofauna. Data has been processed from part of the settlement that gave radiocarbon dating from the period between 3640 and 2900 cal. BC, and in which it was possible to carry out the level of sampling that was necessary to complete the research. In particular this interdisciplinary project, which aims to make an overall study of the settlement, the data relating to the geography of the area, the archaeological documentation, the fauna and shell artefacts will be extrapolated. Numerous methods are applied above all in reference to the marines and ponds resources. Additionally, the morphological anatomical-comparative analysis （in order to determine the typology of the faunal remains and to identify each individual species） and the technological analysis of the manufactured shells （so as to detect the selection and the transformation type of raw materials） are accomplished. The research has led to the identification of a settlement model in which agriculture formed the primary means of subsistence, that was complemented by the rearing of livestock, through hunting and gathering. The exploitation of marine and inland waters resources, as food source, have to be important because 99% of the faunal remains are shells. Different shell species are recognized, among those the Ostrea edulis provides the raw material to produce bevelled objects, which are documented inside the settlement in considerable number. Some plant species, typical of the lagoon ecosystem, were used for building and craft production.

A first comparison of bone histomorphometry in extant domestic horses(Equus caballus)and a Pleistocene Indian wild horse(Equus namadicus)

The microstructural features of the tissue of long bones subjected to different biomechanical stresses could be a helpful tool for a better understanding of locomotor behavior in extant and extinct mammals,including equids.However,few researches have attempted to describe the bone tissue of extinct horses.In our study,we analyze and compare the histomorphometric features of the bone tissue in extant modern horses,Equus caballus,and Equus namadicus,a Pleistocene Indian extinct wild horse.The number,position,and size of the osteons and Haversian canals of the bone tissue,classifiable as dense Haversian tissue,were considered for the comparison.The results obtained highlight some differences between the analyzed species,E.caballus having fewer and bigger osteons than E.namadicus.The microstructural differences may depend on the different lifestyles and environmental conditions characterizing the two species.The results obtained suggest that comparing the biomechanical properties of extinct and modern horse species may provide indirect information on their paleoenvironment.

The intriguing giant deer from the Bate cave (Crete): could paleohistological evidence question its taxonomy and nomenclature?

The research describes for the first time a possible case of pituitary gigantism in fossil mammals,precisely in deer.The pathology was detected in 2 long bones(tibia and metatarsus)belonging to an individual of an unusual large size found at the Bate cave(Rethymnon,Northern Crete).It formed the basis of Candiacervus major,the largest among the endemic deer species recorded in the Pleistocene-Early Holocene of Crete.Radiological and histomorphological examinations highlighted a reduction in cortical bone thickness and the presence of wide lacunae inside of the bone tissue.The pathological conditions suggest a pituitary gigantism diagnosis also supported by some morphological evidence,such as the extremely elongated distal part of the metatarsal diaphysis,the proportionally small proximal epiphysis,and some bone gracility.The diagnosis of a case of pituitary gigantism as presumed responsible for the extraordinary elongation of the tibia and the metatarsal bone is intriguing as they are,respectively,the paratype and the holotype of the C.major.The species represents a case of a deviation from the“island rule”in Pleistocene large mammals.The new evidence recommends a taxonomic and nomenclatural revision of this species.The main outcomes of this research are as follows:(i)a case of pituitary gigantism is described for the first time in an extinct mammal;(ii)it is underlined that paleohistology may provide interesting clues for disentangling taxonomic and nomenclatural issues;(iii)one of the very few cases of gigantism in insular mammals is being questioned.