IPHES-CERCA participates in two international meetings on plant resource management and the paleoenvironment on Mediterranean islands
The research staff has participated in the “Island Legacies” congress in Malta and in the first international dendroanthracology workshop held in Mallorca, presenting advances in the projects they are carrying out on island contexts and resource managemen
The month of June has been particularly active for IPHES-CERCA researchers, with notable participation in two international scientific meetings focused on the study of forest landscapes and the use of plant resources on Mediterranean islands: the Island Legacies conference , held in Malta, and the Dendro-Anthracology International Workshop, held in Mallorca. Both activities are part of research projects funded at state and European level, such as ARCHBOTANKA (GA 101130984), PALFUEL (PID2023-148678NB-I00) and DENDROLANDSCAPES (PID2023-148651NB-I00).
Cutting-edge research in Malta: the Island Legacies conference
The international conference Island Legacies, organized by the University of Malta, is a new initiative led by Professor Eleanor Scerri (Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology) and Professor Nicholas Vella (University of Malta), with the support of experts in Mediterranean prehistory. IPHES-CERCA was represented by several researchers who presented papers on archaeobotany, paleoecology, and fire uses in island contexts.
Among the oral presentations, Aitor Burguet-Coca and Ethel Allué presented the results of research at Latnija Cave (Malta), focusing on fire use, fuel management, and the paleoecological environment. Claudia Speciale presented an analysis of the vegetation of Pantelleria Island (Sicily) within the framework of the SILVA project , while Vincenza Forgia offered a summary of the excavations at the Mesolithic site of Vallone Inferno, located in the Madonie Mountains (Sicily), co-directed by Josep Maria Vergès and Andreu Ollé (IPHES-CERCA researchers). Claudia Speciale also moderated one of the conference sessions.
Regarding the posters, two collaborative projects were presented. One, led by Ethel Allué, explores fire practices from the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean through the study of firewood and its transformation. The other, coordinated by Isabel Expósito (IPHES-CERCA), shows the long history of plant exploitation in the Madonie Mountains since prehistoric times.
First international dendroanthracology workshop in Mallorca
Dendro-Anthracology International Workshop was held from June 11 to 13 at the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB) , a pioneering scientific meeting focused on the historical reconstruction of forest landscapes from the archaeobotanical record.
Under the theme "Deciphering Woodland Ecology and Management through Archaeological Charcoal Fragments," the workshop brought together specialists in anthracology, dendroanthracology, dendroecology, and wood anatomy. It featured around twenty presentations on case studies, technical advances, and new methodological approaches. The event was promoted by the ArqueoUIB group and included an international scientific committee, including Ethel Allué (IPHES-CERCA), Alexa Dufraisse (CNRS-MNHN, France), Oliver Nelle (Landesamt für Denkmalpflege Baden-Württemberg), Sabrina Bianco (IPHES-CERCA, UIB), and Llorenç Picornell-Gelabert.
researchers affiliated with IPHES-CERCA had prominent participation. Claudia Speciale presented a study on the use of firewood and charcoal in Lipari during the Neolithic; Sabrina Bianco presented a study on forestry practices in Early Modern Barcelona. Also participating were young researchers in training, such as Noa Lachman and Alba Vidal (students of the Master's Degree in Quaternary Archaeology and Human Evolution) and Tomás Fernández Iriarte (FPI IPHES, UIB).
The workshop fostered scientific exchange between established specialists and young researchers, with interdisciplinary debates, field trips, and training activities, thus contributing to the consolidation of this emerging discipline.
Research with a Mediterranean and interdisciplinary vocation
IPHES-CERCA's participation in these two meetings demonstrates its active role in archaeological and paleoenvironmental research in the Mediterranean. Through an interdisciplinary approach that integrates archaeology, botany, dendroecology, and landscape science, these studies contribute to a better understanding of plant resource management over time and the sustainability of past landscapes.
