Multidisciplinary micro- and bioarchaeological analyses of late medieval deposits from suburban Cártama, Málaga, Spain, have, for the first time, confidently identified open air fumier deposits, which are supported by preliminary analysis of the faunal assemblage. This demonstrates that Andalusi livestock husbandry practices included periodically burning animal dung within corrals and pens, which is a long-standing practice in the Mediterranean region also observed in prehistoric transhumance. These techniques have commonly been applied to prehistoric fumier or pastoral sites and now demonstrate the importance of expanding micro- and bioarchaeological work to fumier sequences from other periods. This research from Cártama offers a window into the so-called medieval “Green Revolution” associated with Arab migrations and highlights the necessity of identifying in situ penning deposits on archaeological sites and of applying high resolution analyses to examine them. The analyses reveal data on animal feeds, including pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) which are rare in the Iberian Peninsula at this time, the use of plant resources in livestock husbandry, and the preparation of fertiliser, which are central to understanding farming practices in Al-Andalus.

This paper considers the value of past and prospective applications of key environmental archaeological and earth science fields relating to the historical ecology of Mauritius and the Mascarene islands more broadly: palaeoecology, geoarchaeology, zooarchaeology and climate studies. The contribution of each subfield is outlined with the aim of demonstrating the potential value of an integrated environmental archaeological approach for developing a long-term understanding of the human ecology of Mauritius and its associated islands. The paper considers the potential and limitations of existing approaches and data, as well as future challenges. Beyond solely reconstructing the nuances of anthropogenic impact on the environment in relation to the island’s history of settlement, we argue that environmental archaeology can contribute to an understanding of “biocultural diversity” as an integral element of Mauritian heritage, bridging the divide between cultural and natural heritage.

The archaeological excavations carried out in the medieval Jewish quarter of Atienza (Guadalajara) in 2022 constitute the first comprehensive approach to the archaeological site of the walled quarter in which this religious minority resided. Although there are numerous reports from written sources of the presence of an important Jewish community in Atienza during the late medieval centuries, until now there had only been a few superficial approaches to its archaeological remains. The planned archaeological excavation summarised here, carried out as part of a wider territorial study project, has documented a 13th and 14th century domestic context in the central sector of the Jewish quarter. The analysis of the exhumed structures and the archaeological materials found in context, especially ceramics and archaeozoology, allows us to establish relevant considerations regarding the processes of occupation and abandonment of the quarter and about the central question of the archaeological identification of the late medieval Jewish communities. The site is also an exceptional space for the collection of archaeobiological samples, whose potential for advancing the study of the relationship between these medieval communities and the natural environment has barely been glimpsed.

Horse sacrifice and deposition are enigmatic features of funerary rituals identified across prehistoric Europe that persisted in the eastern Baltic. Genetic and isotopic analysis of horses in Balt cemeteries [1st to 13th centuries CE (Common Era)] dismantle prevailing narratives that locally procured stallions were exclusively selected. Strontium isotope analysis provides direct evidence for long-distance (~300 to 1500 kilometers) maritime transport of Fennoscandian horses to the eastern Baltic in the Late Viking Age (11th to 13th centuries CE). Genetic analysis proves that horses of both sexes were sacrificed with 34% identified as mares. Results transform the understanding of selection criteria, disprove sex-based selection, and elevate prestige value as a more crucial factor. These findings also provide evidence that the continued interaction between pagans and their newly Christianized neighbors sustained the performance of funerary horse sacrifice until the medieval transition. We also present a reference 87 Sr/ 86 Sr isoscape for the southeastern Baltic, releasing the potential of future mobility studies in the region.

The archaeological excavations carried out in hill known as "cerro de la Juderia" in Atienza (Guadalajara) in 2022 constitute the first comprehensive approach to the archaeological site of the walled quarter in which it is assumed that this religious minority lived during the Middle Ages. Although there are numerous reports from written sources of the presence of an important Jewish community in Atienza during the late medieval centuries, until now there had only been a few superficial approaches to its archaeological remains. The planned archaeological excavation summarised here, carried out within the framework of a wider territorial study project, has documented a 13th and 14th century domestic space in the central sector of the Jewish quarter. The analysis of the exhumed structures and the archaeological materials found in context, especially ceramics and archaeozoology, allows us to establish relevant considerations regarding the processes of occupation and abandonment of the quarter and about the central question of the archaeological identification of the late medieval Jewish communities. The site is also an exceptional space for the collection of archaeobiological samples, whose potential for advancing the study of the relationship between these medieval communities and the natural environment has been barely glimpsed.

Over 20 years ago, the publication of Adrian Boas' Crusader Archaeology brought the material culture of the Latin East to an international audience and included the rural landscape as one of its key themes. This was reiterated in his ground-breaking synthesis Archaeology of the Military Orders published in 2006, which emphasised the role of the military orders in shaping rural settlement, agriculture and industry. Landscape approaches had become a staple of medieval archaeology in many parts of Europe in the 1990s, but their application in the context of the societies transformed by the crusading movement at the frontiers of Latin Christendom, and particularly involving the integration of environmental archaeology, had until then remained limited. In the last decade, this has begun to change. This paper reviews the current state of research in all the major theatres of crusading and considers the value of a landscape approach. This approach encompasses the study of settlements and the environment at multiple scales, using a broad range of analytical techniques. This research has been largely empirical, with theory playing a minor role, as remains the case for later medieval archaeology in general. A comparative overview indicates that elements of the landscape were transformed by similar political, social and economic impacts as a result of crusading, particularly reflected in the varied dynamics of encounters between migrant and resident populations in these frontiers. These can be compared to other medieval frontier societies which did not include a crusading component in their historical development.

Soil micromorphology data from the analysis of samples collected during excavations by the University of Granada on the campus of Cartuja from 2013-2019. Analysis of the samples was supported by AHRC ‘Landscapes of (Re)Conquest’ project (Grant no. AH/R013861/1, PI Pluskowski, Co-PIs García-Contreras Ruiz and (Michelle) Alexander).Micromorphological investigation was carried out using a Leica DMLP polarising microscope at magnifications of x40 - x400 under Plane Polarised Light (PPL), Crossed Polarised Light (XPL), and where appropriate Oblique Incident Light (OIL). Thin-section description is conducted using the identification and quantification criteria set out by Bullock et al. (1985) and Stoops (2003), with reference to Courty et al. (1989), Mackenzie and Adams (1994) and Mackenzie and Guilford (1980) for rock and mineral identification, Nicosia and Stoops (2017) for anthropogenic inclusions, and Stoops et al. (2018) for further identification of post-depositional alterations. The tables of results use the descriptions, inclusions and interpretations format following Bullock et al. (1985).List of tables: Summary Table Cartuja, Granada, Spain (LoR Project) Micromorphology Summary Table 1 Cartuja, Granada Spain (LoR Project) Micromorphology: Deposit type descriptions Table 2 Cartuja, Granada (LoR Project) Micromorphology: Abundance of inclusions (% of area of thin section). Table 3 Cartuja, Granada (LoR Project) Micromorphology: abundance of post-depositional alterations and pedofeaturesReferences Bullock, P., Fedoroff, N. Jongerius, A. Stoops, G. Tursina, T. 1985– Handbook for Thin Section Description. Wolverhampton: Waine Research. Courty, M. A., Goldberg, P., Macphail, R. 1989 – Soils and Micromorphology in Archaeology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Mackenzie, W. S., Adams, A. E. 1994 – A Colour Atlas of Rocks and Minerals in Thin Section. New York: John Wiley and Sons. Mackenzie, W. S., Guilford, C. 1980 – Atlas of Rock Forming Minerals. Harlow: Longman Group Ltd. Nicosia, C., Stoops, G. 2017 – Archaeological Soil and Sediment Micromorphology. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons. Stoops, G. 2003 – Guidelines for Analysis and Description of Soil Thin Sections. Madison: Soil Science Society of America. Stoops, G., Marcelino, V., Mees, F. 2018 – Interpretation of Micromorphological Features of Soils and Regoliths. Amsterdam: Elsevier

In this project, a number of faunal samples recovered from different site-types and dated to the medieval period in Sicily are analysed and compared. Zooarchaeological results reveal significant changes in the use of the main domesticates in the Byzantine-Arab and in the Arab-Norman/Swabian transitional periods. In the Arab period, the socio-cultural effects of the Islamisation of the island are attested by an overall dearth of pigs at most urban sites. By contrast, similarly to the Byzantine period, pigs continue to be represented at contemporary rural settlements, thus suggesting a higher resilience of rural communities toward the newly imposed socio-cultural and religious rules. Sheep become larger in Arab times; such phenomenon was likely driven by an interest to maximise outputs from caprine husbandry, and can be seen as part of the ‘Arab Green Revolution’. During the Norman/Swabian rule, changes in dietary practices with the previous period are noticed. Although caprines maintain an important economic role, pigs are again present at urban and military sites; such result might be an indicator of an ongoing ‘de-Islamisation’ of the island. At the same time, a further improvement of sheep size indicates a continuity in the Norman/Swabian period of animal husbandry strategies initiated by the Arabs.

"Animals and Their Roles in the Medieval Society of Sicily from Byzantines to Arabs and from Arabs to Normans/Aragoneses (7th–14th c ad)." Medieval Archaeology, 67(2), pp. 506–507

"The Rural World in the Sixteenth Century. Exploring the Archaeology of Innovation in Europe." Medieval Archaeology, 67(1), pp. 247–248

From the seventh century AD, successive Islamic polities were established around the Mediterranean. Historians have linked these caliphates with the so-called ‘Islamic Green Revolution’—the introduction of new crops and agricultural practices that transformed the economies of regions under Muslim rule. Increasingly, archaeological studies have problematised this largely text-based model of agrarian innovation, yet much of this research remains regionally and methodologically siloed. Focusing on the Western Mediterranean, the authors offer a theoretically informed, integrated environmental archaeology approach through which to contextualise the ecological impact of the Arab-Berber conquests. Its future application will allow a fuller evaluation of the scale, range and significance of agricultural innovations during the ‘medieval millennium’.

"Agricultural Landscapes of Al-Andalus, and the Aftermath of the Feudal Conquest." Medieval Archaeology, 67(1), pp. 233–234

This paper presents the results of geophysical surveys conducted within two castles in central Iberia: the fortifications of Molina de Aragón and Atienza, both located within the modern province of Guadalajara in Spain. They represent essential case studies for understanding the transformations of the frontier societies of medieval south‐western Europe, because both were founded during the Andalusi period, both played a fundamental role at the time of the military confrontations between opposing Islamic and Christian states, and both became capitals within the feudal dependencies of the Crown of Castile during the Late Middle Ages. At present, these castles are uninhabited and protected archaeological sites, with no modern developments within their wards; the adjacent towns have developed on the outskirts of their outer walls. Although both castles have been the focus of uneven amounts of archaeological research, geophysical surveys, the first conducted at these sites, have proved to be a fundamental tool not only for planning future archaeological investigations but also for the data that they have provided on the potential roles of these castle wards.

This study explores the dietary habits of various social groups in Medieval and Early Modern Period Tartu in Estonia. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios from bone collagen were measured for 137 humans (115 adults and 22 non-adults) and 50 faunal specimens (including terrestrial mammals, birds, and fish). The results are in keeping with other comparable medieval and early modern European populations and indicate a diet largely based on terrestrial resources. Higher social status individuals from Tartu cathedral consumed significantly more marine protein than those from other burial locations. Dietary habits among commoners did not differ greatly between urban, suburban and rural locations. However, a distinct gender bias was apparent regarding access to higher trophic level protein with males having statistically significantly higher carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios compared to females.

The Black Death (1347–1352 ce ) is the most renowned pandemic in human history, believed by many to have killed half of Europe’s population. However, despite advances in ancient DNA research that conclusively identified the pandemic’s causative agent (bacterium Yersinia pestis ), our knowledge of the Black Death remains limited, based primarily on qualitative remarks in medieval written sources available for some areas of Western Europe. Here, we remedy this situation by applying a pioneering new approach, ‘big data palaeoecology’, which, starting from palynological data, evaluates the scale of the Black Death’s mortality on a regional scale across Europe. We collected pollen data on landscape change from 261 radiocarbon-dated coring sites (lakes and wetlands) located across 19 modern-day European countries. We used two independent methods of analysis to evaluate whether the changes we see in the landscape at the time of the Black Death agree with the hypothesis that a large portion of the population, upwards of half, died within a few years in the 21 historical regions we studied. While we can confirm that the Black Death had a devastating impact in some regions, we found that it had negligible or no impact in others. These inter-regional differences in the Black Death’s mortality across Europe demonstrate the significance of cultural, ecological, economic, societal and climatic factors that mediated the dissemination and impact of the disease. The complex interplay of these factors, along with the historical ecology of plague, should be a focus of future research on historical pandemics.