https://hdl.handle.net/10481/73083 2026-04-26T14:00:38Z https://hdl.handle.net/10481/112734 Gender identities in the prehistoric societies of south-eastern Iberia: New insights from non-masticatory dental wear analysis and peptide-based sex identification Vílchez Suárez, Miriam; Aranda Jiménez, Gonzalo; Rebay‑Salisbury, Katharina; Kanz, Fabian; García González, Rebeca; Cirotto, Nico; Becerra Fuello, Paula; Sánchez Romero, Margarita; Díaz-Zorita Bonilla, Marta; Milesi García, Lara; González Fernández, Pablo; Rivera-Hernández, Aurora Anthropological skeletal remains provide access to the embodied dimensions of daily life, allowing the exploration of how gender was shaped through culturally specific practices. Non-masticatory dental wear has recently emerged as a valuable proxy for identifying craft-related activities and their potential association with gendered roles. The aim of this study is to explore gender identities through non-masticatory dental wear analysis and the chromosomal sex estimation of 16 teeth from the megalithic the cemeteries of Panoría and Los Milanes. As a result, three main aspects can be highlighted: i) dental marks reveal a standardised pattern of grooves, polished enamel and microstriations produced by textile activities; ii) all individuals with these marks were identified as females and iii) this pattern appears widespread and persistent across different social groups and throughout time from the Late Neolithic to the Copper Age (ca. 3600-2200 cal BC). Notably, this gendered extra-masticatory dental wear pattern remained basically unchanged during the Bronze Age, which emphasises the deep-rooted nature of gender identities. This research reveals the potential of combining proteomic and atypical dental wear analyses to refine interpretations of gendered practices in prehistoric societies. This research was supported by the grant PID2023-148744NB-I00 funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, and by ERDF, EU. It was also supported by the European Regional Development Fund, FEDER–programme (C-HUM-005-UGR23), the University of Granada (PPJIA2024-29) and the PALARQ Foundation. RGG is funded by Bioarqueología de la reproducción humana: una perspectiva evolutiva sobre los problemas actuales (JCYL BU010P24) financed by Junta de Castilla y León and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional. https://hdl.handle.net/10481/99417 A radicocarbon dating approach to the deposition and removal of human bone remains in megalithic monuments Díaz-Zorita, Marta; Hamilton, Derek; Milesi García, Lara; Sánchez Romero, Margarita; Aranda Jiménez, Gonzalo The formation of commingled human bone assemblages is a key aspect for better understanding funerary rituals. The megalithic cemetery of Panoría (Spain) provides an excellent opportunity to explore bone assemblage formation thanks to the recent excavation of an undisturbed burial. For this purpose, we have approached the differential skeletal representation found between bone and teeth at the site through radiocarbon (14C) dating and Bayesian modeling. The comparison between the series of 14C dates on bone (n=12) and teeth (n=14) stress three main aspects: (1) the dates of teeth show a long period of funerary use before the deposition of the human bone remains; (2) both kinds of samples appear to be chronologically sequenced; the end of the teeth 14C series matches with the beginning of human bone deposition; and (3) bone remains span a short period, not more than a few decades, which probably represents the last episode of intense mortuary activity. These differences suggest that teeth could be the evidence of skeletal depositions subsequently removed from the tomb. The deposition and removal of bone remains emerge as key aspects in the formation of the bone assemblage. https://hdl.handle.net/10481/79545 Burial taphonomy and megalithic ritual practices in Iberia: the Panoría cemetery Vílchez Suárez, Miriam; Aranda Jiménez, Gonzalo; Díaz‑Zorita Bonilla, Marta; Robles Carrasco, Sonia; Sánchez Romero, Margarita; Milesi García, Lara Bibiana; Esquivel Sánchez, Francisco Javier Our ability to build precise narratives regarding megalithic funerary rituals largely depends on an accurate understanding of bone assemblage formation. The cemetery of Panoría offers an excellent opportunity for exploring the ritual variability through the study of funerary taphonomy, as four of the nine recently excavated dolmens are remarkably well-preserved. Based on a multi-proxy approach that includes the contextual archaeological features, skeletal preservation and representation indexes, taphonomic processes, and radiocarbon chronology, three main ritual practices can be outlined: (i) primary sequential inhumations followed by the differential in situ decomposition of skeletal remains; (ii) the selective removal of crania and long bones; and (iii) the curation of subadult crania and probably long bones. The use-life of tombs, the intensity of mortuary depositions, and the intentional protection of specific bones appear as key aspects for understanding the variability in bone assemblage formation. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplemen- tary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-023-01716-5. https://hdl.handle.net/10481/73089 The tempo of the Iberian megalithic rituals in the European context: The cemetery of Panoría Aranda Jiménez, Gonzalo Our ability to build precise narratives regarding megalithic societies largely depends on the chronology of the multi-ritual events that usually shaped these complex sites. The cemetery of Panoría offers an excellent opportunity for exploring ritual complexity in Iberia through radiocarbon chronology, as four of the nine recently excavated dolmens are remarkably well preserved. For this purpose, seventy-three radiocarbon dates were obtained and analysed within a Bayesian framework. The resulting refined chronology has led us to three main conclusions: i) in all tombs, the second half of the 4th millennium cal BC was an intensive but brief period of funerary depositions, probably over three to six generations; ii) after a long hiatus, most of the dolmens were reused in the 25th and 21st centuries cal BC during even shorter periods, spanning just a few decades and approximately one to four generations; and (iii) long after the funerary rituals had ended in the 21st century, the memory of the cemetery was revived in Late Antiquity. These short, punctuated periods of use are highly consistent with those seen in a growing number of European megalithic monuments. From Britain to Iberia, a pattern of short spans of use is dramatically changing our perception of the social and political roles of these complex monuments.