The Spanish Merino is the most significant sheep breed globally due to its economic and cultural importance in human history. It has also had a substantial influence on the development of other Merino and Merino-derived breeds. Historical sources indicate that crossbreeding to produce finer, higher-quality wool was already taking place in the south of the Iberian Peninsula during the Roman era. This evidence suggests that individuals with a racial pattern very similar to that of the modern Merino may have already existed on the peninsula. The presence of the skeletal remains of these animals at various human settlements dated to the late fourth and third millennia BC could provide insights into the genomics of these ancestral sheep. This study analyses ancient DNA extracted from nine skeletal remains from three archaeological sites in Southern Iberia, dated to the third millennium BC. The samples were sequenced and aligned with the ovine genome. The genetic distances observed among the samples indicate a closer relationship between several animals from the Marinaleda (Seville) and Grañena Baja (Jaén) sites. The study of the slaughter/death age profiles identified at La Minilla (La Rambla, Córdoba) suggests an approach centred on meat exploitation, while the data from Marinaleda (Seville) and Grañena Baja (Jaén) indicate the potential exploitation of secondary resources. A review of the composition of these small ruminant herds could provide insights into the type of secondary resource exploitation that may have been prioritised. Our aim is to investigate the presence of distinct production systems, differentiating between those aimed primarily at meat use and those focused on secondary products. This is the first approach to exploring the genetic evidence for sheep livestock related to its productive use during this period and in this geographical area.

Este trabajo constituye una contribución decisiva a la cronología absoluta del foso-trinchera de Contrada Stretto, en Partanna (Trapani, Sicilia), una de las más espectaculares construcciones realizadas por sociedades neolíticas del Mediterráneo Central. Esta estructura, excavada en el banco natural calcáreo hasta alcanzar una profundidad de 13 m, a juicio de algunos autores, formó parte de un complejo sistema hidráulico en el cual pudieron desempeñar un papel importante ciertos aspectos simbólicos o cultuales. Las cinco dataciones radiocarbónicas presentadas en este trabajo corresponden a los últimos 2 m de estratificación. Éstas apuntan a un inicio del proceso de colmatación a comienzos del V milenio cal AC, entre el 4950 y el 4800 cal AC. Defendemos como probable su construcción en un momento inmediatamente anterior, considerando el periodo de uso previo a su condena definitiva.

En este trabajo se presenta el estado de la cuestión y nuevos hallazgos sobre la constatación arqueológica de la presencia de dromedario, Camelus dromedarius L., en el sur de al-Andalus. De igual modo, se aborda el uso al que fueron destinados a partir del análisis de las noticias aportadas por las fuentes escritas, así como una primera aproximación a la significación simbólica de este animal. Por otra parte, se evidencia que la mayoría de las manipulaciones observadas en los restos óseos de dromedario analizados estaría relacionada con la fabricación de distintos utensilios de hueso. En cuanto a la distribución geográfica que alcanzaron estos animales en la península ibérica y su aumento o disminución en al-Andalus, concluimos que estuvieron presentes a lo largo del periodo islámico.

The adoption of horse riding profoundly reshaped mobility, exchange, and socio-economic organization, yet identifying early ridden horses in Iberian archaeological contexts remains challenging due to the poor preservation of tack and other perishable equipment. Here we present an exceptional equine cranial specimen from the Late Bronze Age site of Castillo Reyes (Pinto, Madrid, central Iberia), assigned to the Cogotas I horizon and directly dated by radiocarbon. The rostral skull fragment displays a well-developed groove on the dorsal margin and medial surface of the nasal process of the incisive bone. This feature is consistent with mechanically induced bone remodelling linked to prolonged pressure and friction in the nasal region, as documented in modern ridden horses and interpreted as a marker associated with early bridle/noseband control. The specimen was analysed using radiography, multidetector computed tomography, and 3D volume rendering to quantify groove position (relative to the nasoincisive notch and incisival length) and maximum depth. In addition, sequential stable isotope analyses of adult horse tooth enamel were conducted at millimetre-scale resolution, yielding 179 paired measurements of enamel carbonate δ13C and δ18O. Enamel δ13C values indicate a diet dominated by C3 plant resources, whereas enamel δ18O exhibits wide intra- and inter-individual variability. Several horses show isotopically homogeneous profiles consistent with local residency, while others present structured intradental shifts incompatible with sustained formation under a single local water signature, supporting individual mobility across climatically distinct regions. Taken together, osteological and isotopic evidence indicates the presence of domesticated, ridden horses and mixed local/non-local individuals at Castillo Reyes during the Late Bronze Age, highlighting the value of integrating cranial activity markers and sequential enamel isotopes to reconstruct early horse management, movement, and exchange in Iberia.

The Spanish Merino is the most significant sheep breed globally due to its economic and cultural importance in human history. It has also had a substantial influence on the development of other Merino and Merino-derived breeds. Historical sources indicate that crossbreeding to produce finer, higher-quality wool was already taking place in the south of the Iberian Peninsula during the Roman era. This evidence suggests that individuals with a racial pattern very similar to that of the modern Merino may have already existed on the peninsula. The presence of skeletal remains of these animals at various human settlements dated to the late fourth and third millennia BC could provide insights into the genomics of these ancestral sheep. This study analyzes ancient DNA extracted from nine skeletal remains from three archaeological sites in southern Iberia, dated to the third millennium BC. The samples were sequenced and aligned with the ovine genome. The genetic distances observed among the samples indicate a closer relationship between several animals from the Marinaleda (Seville) and Grañena Baja (Jaén) sites, suggesting possible shared livestock practices among these communities, while this was not evident at the La Minilla site (La Rambla, Córdoba). The varying ages of sacrifice or death identified in the faunal studies of the sites producing the samples suggest a focus on meat exploitation at La Minilla (La Rambla, Córdoba), while in Grañena Baja (Jaén) and Marinaleda (Sevilla), the emphasis appears to have been on the use of secondary products. The genomic results of the nine Ovis aries individuals support this hypothesis.

Se presentan los resultados obtenidos en la excavación de los cortes B, C y A de la Cueva del Cañaveralejo. Aunque gran parte de los sedimentos han sido alterados por la acción humana y de los animales por medio de excavación de madrigueras, el estudio de los materiales, combinando la secuencia estratigráfica con la morfología, permiten plantear una ocupación inicial que se remonta al neolítico antiguo, al menos en el tránsito del VI a V milenio a.C., que se continúa con algún hiatus durante el IV y el III milenio a.C. La cueva continuó siendo frecuentada durante el III y II milenio a.C. de forma temporal y relacionada con la ocupación del territorio exterior a la cavidad.