Mariana Nabais

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Nome: Mariana Vilas Boas de Castro Nabais

Título profissional: Postdoc Researcher; Archaeologist

Instituição: UNIARQ

Grau académico: Ph.D in Archaeology

Email: [email protected]

ORCID: 0000-0001-5344-237X

CIENCIA ID: 831A-727C-934A

ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mariana-Nabais-2?ev=hdr_xprf

Área de Investigação: Human Evolution; Palaeolithic; Archaeosciences; Zooarchaeology; Palaeoenvironment; Taphonomy; Experimental Archaeology; Field Archaeology
 
Outras informações:
Zooarchaeology, past diets and palaeoenvironmental reconstructions have been the focus of my research for the last decade through the analysis of faunal remains – including mammals, birds, reptiles, molluscs and crustaceans – and has led to fieldwork across a range of Palaeolithic contexts, particularly along the Atlantic façade of the Iberian Peninsula. In parallel, I also maintain active research interests in Iron Age and Roman-period faunal assemblages.
 
My current focus lies on understanding transitional phases and behavioural and cultural adaptations across the Early-Middle and Middle-Upper Palaeolithic. I have been developing research highlighting Neanderthal cognitive abilities through evidence for the systematic use of marine resources and small prey, as well as the controlled use of fire to reduce carcass-processing time. My work has incorporated experimental archaeology to test and strengthen zooarchaeological interpretations.
 
More broadly, I have extensive experience as an excavation director and zooarchaeologist in academic and commercial archaeology, working on sites ranging from the Palaeolithic to the Modern period in Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom.
 
Currently Funded Research Projects:
PALAEO.WEST.IBERIA - https://doi.org/10.54499/2023.16301.ICDT
PALAEO.ZOOARCH
NEANDIVERSITY 2 - https://www.iphes.cat/research-projects
MAIA - https://www.cost.eu/actions/CA23141/
 
Selected Publications:
  1. Nabais, M., Blasco, R., Boneta, I., Gonçalves, D., Igreja, M., Lubrano, V., Rufà, A., 2026. Raw vs Roasted: Experimental Approaches to Turtle Butchery and Their Implications for Early Human Cognition and Behaviour. Scientific Reports, 16: 1913. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-31738-z
  2. Ochôa, C., Soares, R.M., Nabais, M., 2025. Roman Republican subsistence strategies: The case of Compartment 2 at Castelo Velho de Safara, Portugal. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 0: 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.70036
  3. Nabais, M., Blasco, R., 2025. Editorial: Neanderthal Complex Behaviour Through the Lens of Faunal Resources. Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology, 4: https://doi.org/10.3389/fearc.2025.1668881
  4. Nabais, M., Zilhão, J., 2025. Ungulate exploitation and procurement strategies in the late MIS-5 Neanderthal occupation sequence of Gruta da Figueira Brava (Portugal). Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology, 4. DOI:10.3389/fearc.2025.1564495
  5. Nabais, M., Rufà, A., Igreja, M., 2024. Experimental replication of early human behaviour in bird preparation: a pilot-study focusing on bone surface modification and breakage patterns. Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology 3: 1411853. https://doi.org/10.3389/fearc.2024.1411853
  6. Nabais, M., Soares, R., Hurk, Y. van den, 2024. The Zooarchaeology of Ancient Whaling Practices in Portugal: A review and a new Roman Republican contribution at Castelo Velho de Safara. PLoS ONE, 19: e0310215. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0310215
  7. Angelucci, D., Nabais, M., Zilhão, J., 2023. Formation processes, fire use, and patterns of human occupation across the Middle Palaeolithic (MIS 5a-5b) of Gruta da Oliveira (Almonda karst system, Torres Novas, Portugal) PLoS ONE, 18(10): e0292075. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0292075
  8. Hurk, Y. van den, Sikstrom, F., Bleasdale, M., Borvon, A., Denham, S.D, Ephrem, B., Fernández-Rodríguez, C., Gibbs, H., Jonsson, L., Lehouck, A., Martínez-Cedeira, J., Meng, S., Soares, R.M., Moreno, M., Nabais, M., Nores, C., Millán, J.A.P., Riddler, I., Schmolcke, U., Segschneider, M., Speller, C., Vretemark, M., Wickler, S., Collins, M., Nadeau, M.J., Barrett, J.H., 2023. Looking for a Whale in a Haystack: Utilizing Zooarchaeological Analysis and Collagen Mass-Peptide Fingerprinting to Reconstruct Ancient Whaling and Whale Populations. Royal Society Open Science, 10: 230741. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.230741
  9. Nabais, M., Dupont, C., Zilhão, J., 2023. The exploitation of crabs by Last Interglacial Iberian Neanderthals: the evidence from Gruta da Figueira Brava (Portugal). Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology, 2: 1097815. https://doi.org/10.3389/fearc.2023.1097815
  10. Nabais, M., Pimenta, C., Zilhão, J., 2023. Human-bird interactions in Last Interglacial Iberia: A combined approach using skeletal part analysis, bone surface modification, bird ethology and ethnography. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 49: 104023. https://doi.or/10.1016/j.jasrep.2023.104023
  11. Nabais, M., Portero, R., Zilhão, J., 2023. Neanderthal brown crab recipes: A combined approach using experimental and archaeological evidence. Historical Biology. https://doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2023.2220005
  12. Soares, R.M., Nabais, M., Pereiro, T., Dias, R., Hipólito, J., Fonte, J., Seco, L.G., Menéndez-Marsh, F., Neves, A., 2023. Nova planta do Castelo Velho de Safara: integração de dados arqueológicos com topografia de alta resolução derivada de levantamentos drone-LiDAR. Estudos do Quaternário, 23: 65-75.
  13. Valério, P., Correia, J.E., Corregidor, V., Silva, R.J.C., Soares, R.M., Nabais, M., Valera, A.C., Monge Soares, A.M., Araújo, M.F., 2023 Composition and manufacture of a rare gold example of the Mesopotamian “tree of life” iconography and coeval jewellery in southwestern Iberian Peninsula. Archaeological and Anthropological Science, 15: 96. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-023-01801-9
  14. López-Garcia, J.M, Fagoaga, A., Nabais, M., Póvoas, L., Zilhão, J., 2022. Last Interglacial environment and climate of Western Iberia inferred from the small-mammal assemblage of Gruta da Oliveira (Torres Novas, Portugal). Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 603: 111194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paleo.2022.111194
  15. Yu, H.; Jamieson, A., Hulme-Beaman, A., Conroy, C.J., Knight, B., Speller, C., Al-Jarah, H., Eager, H., Trinks, A., Adikari, G., Baron, H., Bohlendorf-Arslan, B., Bohingamuwa, W., Crowther, A., Cucchi, T., Esser, K., Fleisher, J., Gidney, L., Gladilina, E., Gol’din, P., Goodman, S.M., Hamilton-Dyer, S., Helm, R., Hillman, C., Kallala, N., Kivikero, H., Kovács, Z.E., Kunst, G.K., Kysely, R., Linderholm, A., Maraoui-Telmini, B., Morales-Muñiz, A., Nabais, M., O’Connor, T., Oueslati, T., Quintana Morales, E.M., Pasda, K., Perera, N., Radbauer, S., Ramon, J., Rannamae, E., Sanmartí Grego, J., Treasure, E., Valenzuela-Lamas, S., van der Jagt, I., Van Neer, W., Vigne, J.D., Walker, T., Wynne-Jones, S., Zeiler, J., Dobney, K., Boivin, N., Searle, J.B., Krause-Kyora, B., Krause, J., Larson, G., Orton, D., 2022. Palaeogenomic analysis of black rat (Rattus rattus) reveals multiple European introductions associated with human economic history. Nature Communications. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-30009-z
  16. Zilhão, J., Angelucci, D., Araújo-Igreja, M., Arnold, L., Badal, E., Callapez, P., Cardoso, J., d’Errico, F., Daura, J., Demuro, M., Deschamps, M., Dupont, C., Gabriel, S., Hoffmann, D., Legoinha, P., Matias, H., Monge Soares, A., Nabais, M., Rodrigues, A., Souto, P., Wainer, K., 2020. Last Interglacial Iberian Neandertals as Fisher-Hunter-Gatherers. Science, 367: eaaz7943. http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.aaz7943
  17. Nabais, M., Boneta, I., Soares, R., 2019. Chelonian use in Portugal: evidence from Castelo Velho de Safara. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. 28: 102054. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2019.102054
  18. Nabais, M., Zilhão, J., 2019. The consumption of tortoise among Last Interglacial Iberian Neanderthals. Quaternary Science Reviews, 217: 225-246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2019.03.024
  19. Nabais, M., 2018. Neanderthal Subsistence in Portugal: What Evidence? Archaeology International, 21: 95-100. https://doi.org/10.5334/ai-376
  20. Nabais, M., Costa, C., Mataloto, R., Calado, M., 2018. The reluctance of rural populations to foreign influences in the 1st millennium B.C.: Zooarchaeological evidences from the right side of the middle-course of the river Guadiana, Portugal. Estudos do Quaternário, 18: 53-65. https://doi.org/10.30893/eq.v0i18.170
  21. Nabais, M., Rodrigues, F. 2017. Animal bones from the Late Neolithic site of Ponte da Azambuja 2 (Évora, Portugal). International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 27: 500-507. https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.2551



última actualização em fevereiro de 2026