Seascapes

During the 3rd millennium BCE, seaborne travel progressively linked the coastal societies along the shores of the Central and Western Mediterranean into a series of interlocked maritime networks. Archaeologists view the so-called Bell Beaker ceramics as the most conspicuous material expression of these maritime networks. Bell Beakers are found from the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the coast of Italy in the east, including the Balearic islands, Sardinia and Sicily, Morocco and coastal Algeria. However, our understanding of the early maritime connections behind these artefacts is limited by the lack of robust and accurate dates. In this project, we will conduct the first large-scale radiocarbon dating programme of Mediterranean Bell Beakers. We will extract lipid (fat and oil) molecules from pottery to trace the sources of their original contents, including carcass and dairy products from ruminant (e.g. cattle/sheep/goat/deer) and non-ruminant (e.g. pig, wild boar) animals. The large-scale application of lipid extraction to hundreds of sherds will help to understand the diet and subsistence of Bell Beaker-using people across time and space. Importantly, the lipid residues will also provide us a short-lived dateable material, from which we will obtain 100 accurate and precise (typically 25 years) direct dates using a recently developed methodology for compound-specific radiocarbon analysis (CSRA). In addition to CSRA, we will perform 260 radiocarbon dates on other short-lived material, more than doubling the number of high-quality radiocarbon dates from Mediterranean Bell Beaker sites and providing the first adequate dating for a number of its regional variants. Using radiocarbon dates and shared material culture, we will explore a range of possible Medite rranean network structures through computational modelling and simulation. The project will illustrate long-held interactions, movements (of objects and people) and networks around the Mediterranean Sea, and between Europe and Africa. As such it is of significant societal relevance today within the wider context of contemporary migration, globalization and cultural interactions. We will communicate the longevity and importance of long-distance networks of seaborne interaction for the subsequent emergence of major Mediterranean cultures through illustrated narratives, public workshops and multi-lingual teaching resources.

The SEASCAPES project investigated the development of maritime connectivity in the Central and Western Mediterranean during the 3rd millennium BCE, using so-called "Bell Beaker ceramics" and associated material culture as key archaeological indicators of long-distance interaction. The project produced a substantially improved empirical foundation for understanding maritime interaction networks during the third millennium BCE. Its primary outcome was the generation of a large, high-quality new radiocarbon dataset for Bell Beaker ceramics and associated materials, addressing a long-standing chronological weakness in Mediterranean prehistory. Through the application of compound-specific radiocarbon analysis (CSRA) to lipid residues preserved in pottery, the project obtained direct and precise dates from ceramic vessels. In parallel, radiocarbon dates were produced from other short-lived archaeological materials such as charcoal, charred seeds as well as human and animal bones. Together, these results more than doubled the number of reliable radiocarbon determinations available for Mediterranean Bell Beaker contexts and provided the first robust chronological frameworks for several regional variants. A second major project outcome was the systematic analysis of lipid residues from hundreds of ceramic sherds across a wide geographic area, including mainland Spain, Portugal, the Balearic Islands, southern France, Sardinia and Sicily. These analyses identified the original contents of vessels, distinguishing between ruminant and non-ruminant carcass products as well as dairy resources. The resulting dataset enabled comparative assessment of dietary practices and subsistence strategies among Bell Beaker-using communities across time and space. This evidence demonstrated both shared practices and regional variability, contributing to a more nuanced understanding of economic behaviour within interconnected maritime networks. The improved chronological resolution and expanded material evidence supported computational modelling and simulation of possible Mediterranean network structures. By integrating radiocarbon dates with patterns in material culture, the project evaluated alternative models of interaction, including the tempo, directionality, and intensity of seaborne connections. These analyses provided empirical support for long-term, recurring maritime interactions rather than isolated or short-lived contacts, and highlighted the role of the Mediterranean Sea as a connective medium linking Europe and North Africa. Finally, the project generated outcomes of broader relevance beyond academic research. By documenting the deep historical roots of long-distance maritime connectivity, it contributed evidence relevant to contemporary discussions of mobility, interaction, and cultural exchange. Overall, the project significantly advanced chronological precision, economic interpretation, and network-based understanding of the "Bell Beaker phenomenon" in the Mediterranean.