The recovery of nearly 250 burials at the El Olivar site provided the opportunity to address questions regarding the groups inhabited coastal settings of the semiarid north of Chile between the 800 and 1540 AD. Stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen were analyzed from 60 human samples. Radiocarbon (14C) analyses were conducted in 20 samples from camelids and 42 human samples. Subsequently, a sample of 25 individuals exhibiting diagnostic cultural features of the Las Ánimas Cultural Complex (LACC) and the Chilean Diaguita Culture (CDC) was selected for the purpose of assessing differences in their diet and mobility and clarifying their chronology. The δ13C and δ15N values obtained revealed the existence of a small group of individuals (n=6) with a diet based on C3 plants and terrestrial protein, and another major group (n=33) with values compatible with the consumption of C4 plants and marine resources. Four of the six individuals of the small group presented Ánimas diagnostic features, and in the major group were identified both Ánimas and Diaguita individuals. The δ18O values exhibited a similarity between the Ánimas and Diaguita individuals, suggesting coastal-to-inland mobility in both groups. Calibrated 14C dates indicate that El Olivar was occupied for a period of nearly 380 years, spanning between 1150 and 1536 AD, and that between the 1300 and 1400 AD, Ánimas and Diaguita individuals coexisted at El Olivar. These findings call into question the current thought that the CDC emerged from the LACC around 1000 AD, and that both represent different archaeological entities.

This study concerns prehistoric amber networks in north-eastern Iberia, emphasizing its distinct exchange dynamics compared to other regions of the Iberian Peninsula. Baltic amber dominated assemblages in this area from the Late Neolithic to the Bronze Age, contrasting with the prevalence of Sicilian amber in southern Iberia, or Cretaceous Iberian amber in the northern region. The findings underscore the region’s connection to southern France, with the Pyrenees serving as a cultural conduit, unlike the river Ebro, which acted as a boundary. Here the authors present the results of a Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) analysis of twenty-one amber beads, primarily from collective burials. Eighteen were made of Baltic succinite. Baltic amber may have begun to arrive as early as 3634–3363 cal bc, and continued to be used until the Late Bronze Age. Exceptions included a unique spacer-bead made of gum and two bolus pigments misidentified as amber. The results highlight Iberia’s regional diversity in raw material sourcing and exchange, reflecting distinct sociocultural dynamics and challenging linear narratives of Iberian prehistory.

This article explores the ancient city of Terracina, its strategic location, and its significant Roman sanctuary dedicated to Iuppiter Anxur. This youthful Jupiter, known for his beardless depiction, oversaw a sanctuary on Monte Sant’Angelo, which remains an important archaeological site. The location of the temple of Iuppiter Anxur, however, despite extensive study over 150 years, has not been precisely identified. The site includes three terraces with structures such as the Great Temple and Terrace A, which features notable architectural and functional elements. Ongoing research since 2021 has aimed to uncover more about the site’s development and its cultural importance. The article examines various hypotheses about the temple’s location and the role of Iuppiter Anxur within the sacred landscape of Terracina. For the first time, a comprehensive architectural reconstruction of the sanctuary has been proposed, offering new insights into its design and cultural significance. This reconstruction suggests a sophisticated architectural complex with important religious and cultural roles in ancient Terracina.

How did resource use, trade, and patterns of everyday life change at visita mission towns in the early decades of the colonial period in northern Yucatán, Mexico? We consider this question with an analysis of archaeological material assemblages from the site of Hunacti, occupied from 1557 to 1572. Household archaeology performed at three elite residences and investigations at the central plaza and church provide evidence of continuity, change, and metrics for assessing relative prosperity by which Hunacti can be compared to its contemporaries. This spectacularly built mission town evinces several signs of initial wealth and privilege enjoyed by the site’s Maya elites, but historical records reveal relentless persecution of these leaders for idolatry, which affected the longer-term prospects of the settlement. Our findings indicate the persistence of Maya religious rites through the site’s occupation, the importance of traditional Maya tools and technologies, and relative impoverishment (as conventionally measured). These patterns offer a profile of material life at a site that chose, ultimately, abiding resistance—and consequently, greater local self-sufficiency—in the face of accelerating external scrutiny and persecution.

Esta investigación, que conjunta el análisis de evidencia etnohistórica y arqueológica, aborda la presencia de la Triple Alianza en provincias de la Huaxteca meridional ubicadas entre Veracruz y Puebla, particularmente en aquellas que fueron afectadas de manera incisiva mediante ocupación territorial como lo fueron Tzicoac, Metlaltoyuca y Tetzapotitlan. Se hace énfasis en los aspectos geográficos de estas localidades pues la empresa militarista de intervención no fue fácil si se atiende a la dificultad de sus accesos (cuyas ubicaciones contaron con barrancas naturales, colinas bajas y cercos de piedra levantados para prevenirse en las guerras). Se explica cómo el dominio de Tzicoac, Metlaltoyuca y Tetzapotitlan permitió el control de redes comerciales hacia la costa y tierra adentro, posibilitando el acceso a otras provincias del norte y sur de la Huaxteca. Metlaltoyuca, además, pudo tener relevancia especial por ser el lugar donde tentativamente se molían las cargas de maíz tributadas para ser trasladadas ya procesadas hacia el Altiplano.

This article addresses a notable gap in the scholarship on rural settlement in northeastern Noricum (today’s Lower Austria/AUT), an area often overlooked despite its extensive archaeological sources. Employing underutilized data, the study scrutinizes settlement patterns in the Danube limes hinterland from the mid-1st to the late 5th c. CE. It identifies key centers – Arelape, Favianis, Augustianis, and Cetium – as essential nodes of functional regions in a diverse landscape of “integrated Roman rural complexes.” However, there was a shift from diversity to more centralized settlement in Late Antiquity, signaling the extensive decline of rural structures. The article examines several factors contributing to this decrease within a “system of ups and downs,” including demographic changes, geopolitical crises, and climatic fluctuations. Crucially, it situates these developments within a broader systemic framework, positing a multi-causal, long-term decline. The study’s findings provide vital insights into volatile societal changes and their implications for current global crises.