ICArEHB has seen two more applications funded by the portuguese national science foundation (FCT) with an eligible investment of around 500 thousand euros. Although there are still some projects wainting for the evaluation results, ICArEHB is, so far, the most successful archaeology-related center in the context of the latest FCT call for R&D projects.

Fire among Anatomically Modern Humans and Neandertals as revealed from Archaeological Microstratigraphic Evidence (FLAME)

Fire is a key innovation in human evolution that eventually led all modern societies to routinely rely on it. There is growing evidence for fire use prior to the emergence of Neandertals or anatomically modern humans. However, there is debate on whether Neandertals were obligate fire users and there is still little known about the specifics of Neandertal and early modern human pyrotechnology. This project, coordinated by Dr. Vera Aldeias, will address these issues through a multi-scale, geoarchaeological investigation of fire-related behavior of Neandertals and early modern humans. A replicative analytical protocol using cutting-edge techniques (micromorphology, organic chemistry, µFTIR, µAnthracology, and GIS) will be applied to fire features across Europe and through the time span of the Middle and Upper Paleolithic.

Quaternary environmental changes in Inhambane, Southeastern Mozambique, and their role in human evolution

This project focuses on the study of environmental changes in Mozambique for two main reasons: (i) the importance of this area for the research modern human origins and evolution; and (ii) contrasting with the polar regions or with the middle to high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, there are very few palaeoenvironmental studies in the low latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere. The project has an interdisciplinary and international team, coordinated by the Dr. Ana Gomes and Dr. Nuno Bicho. The team will conduct field work in the coastal area of Inhambane and collect cores that will be analyzed with a multiproxy approach to generate a reliable palaeoenvironmental reconstructions.

 


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