M B Toffolo
Biographic Data
| ID | 980463 |
|---|---|
| NAME | M B Toffolo |
| GIVEN NAMES | M B |
| FAMILY NAME | Toffolo |
| SIGNATURE | TOFFOLO M B |
| AFFILIATIONS | Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-5894-4301 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 30 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 130 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 30 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2012 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 7 |
Combining chronostratigraphy and cyclostratigraphy in Quaternary lacustrine deposits of the Baza Formation (Orce, Granada Geopark, Southern Spain)
A stratigraphic section made of Quaternary alluvial–lacustrine sediments belonging to the Baza Formation (South Spain) has been logged and studied for paleomagnetism, rock magnetic cyclostratigraphy, and electron spin resonance (ESR) quartz dating. Our results indicate that the section, which is found in the vicinity of a number of paleontological and archaeological localities, falls within the mid-Early Pleistocene (Calabrian), within the Matuya…
Stone Age archaeology of the Riet River dongas, Free State, South Africa
Recent research on the Middle Stone Age of southern Africa’s central interior underscores the pivotal role played by this region in the emergence and cultural evolution of African Homo sapiens. In the central interior, specifically the Grassland and Savanna Biomes of South Africa’s Free State Province, the earliest southern African Homo sapiens fossil originates from the site of Florisbad. Despite this, archaeological data remain sparse, hinderin…
Examining indicators of hunter-gatherer mobility in arid environments: The example of the final Middle Paleolithic site of Besor 37 (Northern Negev, Israel)
Besor 37 is an open-air site in the northwestern Negev Desert (Israel). Excavations at the site in 2020 uncovered a rich, in situ Middle Paleolithic assemblage composed of flint and limestone artifacts, animal bones and charcoal. The good preservation of the site is due to its rapid burial by overbank deposition of fluvially reworked loess. Dating using both Optically Stimulated Luminescence and 14 C suggests an average age of 46.6 ± 2.4 ka. Usin…
Archaeological survey of the Modder River dongas, Free State, South Africa
The semi-arid grasslands of the Free State Province of South Africa have produced the earliest evidence of the presence of Homo sapiens in the subcontinent, together with an extensive Pleistocene palaeoenvironmental record based on fossil assemblages. However, the known Middle Stone Age (MSA) archaeological sites in the Free State are limited to a few major localities that cannot be integrated into a unitary narrative, thus hindering our understa…
The Early Upper paleolithic deposit of Mughr el-Hamamah (Jordan): Archaeobotanical taphonomy and site formation processes
Chronology of Upper Paleolithic human activities recorded in a stalagmite at Points Cave (Aiguèze, Gard, France)
In this article, we propose an approach to reconstruct the timing of human activity at Points Cave, an Upper Paleolithic rock art site located in the middle of the Ardèche River Gorge (Rhône valley, France), based on the dating and characterisation of a stalagmite containing soot. Points Cave (‘Grotte aux Points’ in French), also called the ‘little sister of Chauvet Cave’, is famous for its parietal art including a series of dots made of palm pri…
Pleistocene archaeology and environments of the Free State, South Africa
Pleistocene climate variability is often seen as a major cause of much of the evidence observed in the archaeological and palaeontological record of Africa. While continent-wide climate systems play an important role when testing pan-African human evolutionary processes, a more focused perspective centred on specific ecosystems at a regional level allows a detailed assessment of the different spatiotemporal scales of the proxies used to reconstru…
Cornelia-Uitzoek, South Africa
Dolomite in archaeological plaster: An FTIR study of the plaster floors at Neolithic Motza, Israel
Micro-contextual characterization of pyrogenic aragonite diagenesis in archaeological ash: Implications for Radiocarbon Dating of Calcium Carbonate in Combustion Features
Living in an ecotone: Late Middle Palaeolithic occupations in the lower Besor Basin, north-western Negev Desert, Israel
The north-western Negev is an under-researched ecotonal region. We excavated two late Middle Palaeolithic open-air sites and recovered rich lithic industries that could be refitted, as well as remains of fauna, and charcoal. Palaeoenvironmental information and dates indicate interesting inter-site differences
The early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B site at Nesher-Ramla Quarry, Israel
Cathodoluminescence and Laser-Induced Fluorescence of Calcium Carbonate: A Review of Screening Methods for Radiocarbon Dating of Ancient Lime Mortars
Accurate radiocarbon ( 14 C) dating of lime mortars requires a thorough mineralogical characterization of binders in order to verify the presence of carbon-bearing contaminants. In the last 20 years, cathodoluminescence (CL) has been widely used for the identification of geologic calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) aggregates and unreacted lime lumps within the particle size fraction selected for carbon recovery. These components are major sources of old…
Radiocarbon Dating of Anthropogenic Carbonates: What Is the Benchmark for Sample Selection
Anthropogenic carbonates are pyrotechnological products composed of calcium carbonate, and include wood ash, lime plaster/mortar, and hydraulic mortar. These synthetic materials are among the first produced by humans, and greatly influenced their biological and cultural evolution. Therefore, they are an important component of the archeological record that can provide invaluable information about past lifeways. One major aspect that has been long …
The significance of aragonite in the interpretation of the microscopic archaeological record
Aragonite is one of the metastable polymorphs of calcium carbonate and is commonly found at archaeological sites in the form of mollusk shells and speleothems. Other occurrences include corals, fish otoliths, seed endocarps, wood ash, and lime plaster. These materials contain microscopic embedded information of fundamental importance for the assessment of the state of preservation of the archaeological record, the reconstruction of paleoenvironme…
Preface from the Guest Editors
International audience
Structural Characterization and Thermal Decomposition of Lime Binders Allow Accurate Radiocarbon Age Determinations of Aerial Lime Plaster
Radiocarbon ( 14 C) dating of anthropogenic carbonates (CaCO 3 ) such as ash, lime plaster and lime mortar, has proven a difficult task due to the occurrence of a number of contaminants embedded within the CaCO 3 pyrogenic binder. These include 14 C-free geologic components and/or secondary phases bearing an unknown amount of 14 C, and thus the alteration of the original pyrogenic isotopic signature of the material results in major age offsets wh…
Hunting in the skies: Dating, paleoenvironment and archaeology at the late Pre-Pottery Neolithic B site of Naḥal Roded 110, Eilat Mountains, Israel
Cet article présente les résultats de la première saison de fouilles menées sur le site montagneux de Naḥal Roded 110, situé dans le sud du désert du Néguev près d'Eilat, en Israël. Les datations 14 C et par luminescence datent toutes deux le site de la fin du Néolithique acéramique B (LPPNB, fin du 8 e millénaire av. J.-C.). Les données paléo-environnementales extraites des traces de pollen et de charbon de bois indiquent que des conditions arid…
Microstratigraphic reconstruction of formation processes and paleoenvironments at the Early Pleistocene Cornelia-Uitzoek hominin site, Free State Province, South Africa
Bridging prehistoric caves with buried landscapes in the Swabian Jura (southwestern Germany)
Microarchaeology of a grain silo: Insights into stratigraphy, chronology and food storage at Late Bronze Age Ashkelon, Israel
Combustion features from short-lived intermittent occupation at a 1300-year-old Coast Salish rock shelter, British Columbia: The microstratigraphic data
A 10,400-year-old sunken lime kiln from the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B at the Nesher-Ramla quarry (el-Khirbe), Israel
A microstratigraphic reevaluation of the Florisbad spring site, Free State Province, South Africa: Formation processes and paleoenvironment
The Florisbad spring site has produced a large collection of fossil bones dating to the Middle Pleistocene and several assemblages of Middle Stone Age (MSA) artifacts. The species featured in the faunal collection define the Florisian Land Mammal Age, characterized mainly by grazing ungulates that reflect an open grassland environment. Early MSA artifacts found within the basal layers represent the earliest evidence of human presence at Florisbad…
Accurate Radiocarbon Dating of Archaeological Ash Using Pyrogenic Aragonite
Obtaining accurate age determinations from minerals in archaeological ash is a major unsolved issue in radiocarbon ( 14 C) dating. This is because the original 14 C content of calcite, the main component of ash, is altered by isotopic exchange. Pyrogenic aragonite, another mineral phase recently discovered in ash, might preserve its 14 C signature through time. Using a new method based on density separation and step combustion, we were able to is…
Nucleation of aragonite upon carbonation of calcium oxide and calcium hydroxide at ambient temperatures and pressures: A new indicator of fire-related human activities
Absolute Chronology of Megiddo, Israel, in the Late Bronze and Iron Ages: High-Resolution Radiocarbon Dating
Megiddo (Israel) is a key site for the study of the stratigraphy, chronology, and history of the Bronze and Iron ages in the Levant. The article presents a Bayesian chronological model for seven ceramic typology phases and 10 stratigraphic horizons at this site, covering the Late Bronze and much of the Iron Age. The model is based on 78 samples, which provided 190 determinations—the most thorough set of radiocarbon determinations known so far in …
A 10,400-year-old sunken lime kiln from the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B at the Nesher-Ramla quarry (el-Khirbe), Israel
A microstratigraphic reevaluation of the Florisbad spring site, Free State Province, South Africa: Formation processes and paleoenvironment
The Florisbad spring site has produced a large collection of fossil bones dating to the Middle Pleistocene and several assemblages of Middle Stone Age (MSA) artifacts. The species featured in the faunal collection define the Florisian Land Mammal Age, characterized mainly by grazing ungulates that reflect an open grassland environment. Early MSA artifacts found within the basal layers represent the earliest evidence of human presence at Florisbad…
An early Iron Age assemblage of faience beads from Ashkelon, Israel: Chemical composition and manufacturing process
Structural Characterization and Thermal Decomposition of Lime Binders Allow Accurate Radiocarbon Age Determinations of Aerial Lime Plaster
Radiocarbon ( 14 C) dating of anthropogenic carbonates (CaCO 3 ) such as ash, lime plaster and lime mortar, has proven a difficult task due to the occurrence of a number of contaminants embedded within the CaCO 3 pyrogenic binder. These include 14 C-free geologic components and/or secondary phases bearing an unknown amount of 14 C, and thus the alteration of the original pyrogenic isotopic signature of the material results in major age offsets wh…
Bone diagenesis at the Florisbad spring site, Free State Province (South Africa): Implications for the taphonomy of the Middle and Late Pleistocene faunal assemblages
The significance of aragonite in the interpretation of the microscopic archaeological record
Aragonite is one of the metastable polymorphs of calcium carbonate and is commonly found at archaeological sites in the form of mollusk shells and speleothems. Other occurrences include corals, fish otoliths, seed endocarps, wood ash, and lime plaster. These materials contain microscopic embedded information of fundamental importance for the assessment of the state of preservation of the archaeological record, the reconstruction of paleoenvironme…
Hunting in the skies: Dating, paleoenvironment and archaeology at the late Pre-Pottery Neolithic B site of Naḥal Roded 110, Eilat Mountains, Israel
Cet article présente les résultats de la première saison de fouilles menées sur le site montagneux de Naḥal Roded 110, situé dans le sud du désert du Néguev près d'Eilat, en Israël. Les datations 14 C et par luminescence datent toutes deux le site de la fin du Néolithique acéramique B (LPPNB, fin du 8 e millénaire av. J.-C.). Les données paléo-environnementales extraites des traces de pollen et de charbon de bois indiquent que des conditions arid…
Accurate Radiocarbon Dating of Archaeological Ash Using Pyrogenic Aragonite
Obtaining accurate age determinations from minerals in archaeological ash is a major unsolved issue in radiocarbon ( 14 C) dating. This is because the original 14 C content of calcite, the main component of ash, is altered by isotopic exchange. Pyrogenic aragonite, another mineral phase recently discovered in ash, might preserve its 14 C signature through time. Using a new method based on density separation and step combustion, we were able to is…
Radiocarbon Dating of Anthropogenic Carbonates: What Is the Benchmark for Sample Selection
Anthropogenic carbonates are pyrotechnological products composed of calcium carbonate, and include wood ash, lime plaster/mortar, and hydraulic mortar. These synthetic materials are among the first produced by humans, and greatly influenced their biological and cultural evolution. Therefore, they are an important component of the archeological record that can provide invaluable information about past lifeways. One major aspect that has been long …
Pleistocene archaeology and environments of the Free State, South Africa
Pleistocene climate variability is often seen as a major cause of much of the evidence observed in the archaeological and palaeontological record of Africa. While continent-wide climate systems play an important role when testing pan-African human evolutionary processes, a more focused perspective centred on specific ecosystems at a regional level allows a detailed assessment of the different spatiotemporal scales of the proxies used to reconstru…
Micro-contextual characterization of pyrogenic aragonite diagenesis in archaeological ash: Implications for Radiocarbon Dating of Calcium Carbonate in Combustion Features
Microstratigraphic reconstruction of formation processes and paleoenvironments at the Early Pleistocene Cornelia-Uitzoek hominin site, Free State Province, South Africa
Combustion features from short-lived intermittent occupation at a 1300-year-old Coast Salish rock shelter, British Columbia: The microstratigraphic data
Microarchaeology of a grain silo: Insights into stratigraphy, chronology and food storage at Late Bronze Age Ashkelon, Israel
Reconstructing Ancient Israel: Integrating Macro- and Micro-archaeology
»Vielmehr bietet [der Kommentar] auf höchstem Niveau eine substantielle Auseinandersetzung mit den Hintergründen, den Zusammenhängen, der Theorie und der Praxis des Grundgesetzes. Besseres lässt sich von einem Verfassungskommentar nicht sagen.“ Herbert Günther Staaatsanzeiger für das Land Hessen 2018 (50), 1494–1495
An early Iron Age assemblage of faience beads from Ashkelon, Israel: Chemical composition and manufacturing process
Nucleation of aragonite upon carbonation of calcium oxide and calcium hydroxide at ambient temperatures and pressures: A new indicator of fire-related human activities
Absolute Chronology of Megiddo, Israel, in the Late Bronze and Iron Ages: High-Resolution Radiocarbon Dating
Megiddo (Israel) is a key site for the study of the stratigraphy, chronology, and history of the Bronze and Iron ages in the Levant. The article presents a Bayesian chronological model for seven ceramic typology phases and 10 stratigraphic horizons at this site, covering the Late Bronze and much of the Iron Age. The model is based on 78 samples, which provided 190 determinations—the most thorough set of radiocarbon determinations known so far in …
Bone diagenesis at the Florisbad spring site, Free State Province (South Africa): Implications for the taphonomy of the Middle and Late Pleistocene faunal assemblages
A 10,400-year-old sunken lime kiln from the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B at the Nesher-Ramla quarry (el-Khirbe), Israel
A microstratigraphic reevaluation of the Florisbad spring site, Free State Province, South Africa: Formation processes and paleoenvironment
The Florisbad spring site has produced a large collection of fossil bones dating to the Middle Pleistocene and several assemblages of Middle Stone Age (MSA) artifacts. The species featured in the faunal collection define the Florisian Land Mammal Age, characterized mainly by grazing ungulates that reflect an open grassland environment. Early MSA artifacts found within the basal layers represent the earliest evidence of human presence at Florisbad…
Accurate Radiocarbon Dating of Archaeological Ash Using Pyrogenic Aragonite
Obtaining accurate age determinations from minerals in archaeological ash is a major unsolved issue in radiocarbon ( 14 C) dating. This is because the original 14 C content of calcite, the main component of ash, is altered by isotopic exchange. Pyrogenic aragonite, another mineral phase recently discovered in ash, might preserve its 14 C signature through time. Using a new method based on density separation and step combustion, we were able to is…
Bridging prehistoric caves with buried landscapes in the Swabian Jura (southwestern Germany)
Microarchaeology of a grain silo: Insights into stratigraphy, chronology and food storage at Late Bronze Age Ashkelon, Israel
Combustion features from short-lived intermittent occupation at a 1300-year-old Coast Salish rock shelter, British Columbia: The microstratigraphic data
Microstratigraphic reconstruction of formation processes and paleoenvironments at the Early Pleistocene Cornelia-Uitzoek hominin site, Free State Province, South Africa
Cathodoluminescence and Laser-Induced Fluorescence of Calcium Carbonate: A Review of Screening Methods for Radiocarbon Dating of Ancient Lime Mortars
Accurate radiocarbon ( 14 C) dating of lime mortars requires a thorough mineralogical characterization of binders in order to verify the presence of carbon-bearing contaminants. In the last 20 years, cathodoluminescence (CL) has been widely used for the identification of geologic calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) aggregates and unreacted lime lumps within the particle size fraction selected for carbon recovery. These components are major sources of old…
Radiocarbon Dating of Anthropogenic Carbonates: What Is the Benchmark for Sample Selection
Anthropogenic carbonates are pyrotechnological products composed of calcium carbonate, and include wood ash, lime plaster/mortar, and hydraulic mortar. These synthetic materials are among the first produced by humans, and greatly influenced their biological and cultural evolution. Therefore, they are an important component of the archeological record that can provide invaluable information about past lifeways. One major aspect that has been long …
The significance of aragonite in the interpretation of the microscopic archaeological record
Aragonite is one of the metastable polymorphs of calcium carbonate and is commonly found at archaeological sites in the form of mollusk shells and speleothems. Other occurrences include corals, fish otoliths, seed endocarps, wood ash, and lime plaster. These materials contain microscopic embedded information of fundamental importance for the assessment of the state of preservation of the archaeological record, the reconstruction of paleoenvironme…
Preface from the Guest Editors
International audience
Structural Characterization and Thermal Decomposition of Lime Binders Allow Accurate Radiocarbon Age Determinations of Aerial Lime Plaster
Radiocarbon ( 14 C) dating of anthropogenic carbonates (CaCO 3 ) such as ash, lime plaster and lime mortar, has proven a difficult task due to the occurrence of a number of contaminants embedded within the CaCO 3 pyrogenic binder. These include 14 C-free geologic components and/or secondary phases bearing an unknown amount of 14 C, and thus the alteration of the original pyrogenic isotopic signature of the material results in major age offsets wh…
Hunting in the skies: Dating, paleoenvironment and archaeology at the late Pre-Pottery Neolithic B site of Naḥal Roded 110, Eilat Mountains, Israel
Cet article présente les résultats de la première saison de fouilles menées sur le site montagneux de Naḥal Roded 110, situé dans le sud du désert du Néguev près d'Eilat, en Israël. Les datations 14 C et par luminescence datent toutes deux le site de la fin du Néolithique acéramique B (LPPNB, fin du 8 e millénaire av. J.-C.). Les données paléo-environnementales extraites des traces de pollen et de charbon de bois indiquent que des conditions arid…
The early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B site at Nesher-Ramla Quarry, Israel
Cornelia-Uitzoek, South Africa
Dolomite in archaeological plaster: An FTIR study of the plaster floors at Neolithic Motza, Israel
Micro-contextual characterization of pyrogenic aragonite diagenesis in archaeological ash: Implications for Radiocarbon Dating of Calcium Carbonate in Combustion Features
Living in an ecotone: Late Middle Palaeolithic occupations in the lower Besor Basin, north-western Negev Desert, Israel
The north-western Negev is an under-researched ecotonal region. We excavated two late Middle Palaeolithic open-air sites and recovered rich lithic industries that could be refitted, as well as remains of fauna, and charcoal. Palaeoenvironmental information and dates indicate interesting inter-site differences
The Early Upper paleolithic deposit of Mughr el-Hamamah (Jordan): Archaeobotanical taphonomy and site formation processes
Chronology of Upper Paleolithic human activities recorded in a stalagmite at Points Cave (Aiguèze, Gard, France)
In this article, we propose an approach to reconstruct the timing of human activity at Points Cave, an Upper Paleolithic rock art site located in the middle of the Ardèche River Gorge (Rhône valley, France), based on the dating and characterisation of a stalagmite containing soot. Points Cave (‘Grotte aux Points’ in French), also called the ‘little sister of Chauvet Cave’, is famous for its parietal art including a series of dots made of palm pri…
Geology (26 works) · Archaeology (24 works) · Geography (20 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (19 works) · Paleontology (18 works) · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology (16 works) · Radiocarbon dating (14 works) · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research (13 works) · Mineralogy (9 works) · Calcite (8 works)