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This is the final version. Available on open access from MDPI via the DOI in this record ; Data Availability Statement: Restrictions apply to the availability of the presented data. ; Findings of Iron Age metallurgical activities related to tin metal and mining are very rare. In the present work, we present a detailed study of the Outeiro de Baltar hillfort, dated to the Late Iron Age/Early Roman period, located in a place where 20th century tin mining work took place. Elemental and microstructural analysis by portable, micro and wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (pXRF, micro-XRF and WDXRF) and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersion spectrometer (SEM-EDS) showed that metallurgical debris found at the archaeological site is related to tin smelting and binary and ternary bronze productions. Analysis of the artefacts of diverse typologies found at the site showed that a variety of metals and alloys were in circulation and use. Samples of tin ores (cassiterite) from the region were analyzed for comparison with an archaeological tin slag from the site. The analytical results point to the production of tin metal using local cassiterite and the production of bronze by directly adding cassiterite into a smelting process. Furthermore, data of remote sensing (airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and historical aerial imagery) and Geographical Information System (GIS) mapping were combined with archival mining documentation and maps to retrieve a landscape context for the site. The study showed that the place of the Outeiro de Baltar hillfort (NW Iberia) was mined periodically over time. ; European Union Horizon 2020 ; COMPETE 2020 Programme ; Lisboa Regional Programme ; European Regional Development Fund ; FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia)

The "Multifunctional biologically active composites for applications in bone regenerative medicine" project is carried out within the TEAM-NET program of the Foundation for Polish Science financed by the European Union under the European Regional Development Fund. The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support. T.E.L.D. thanks N8 Agrifood for its financial support in the framework of the pump priming grant "Food2Bone". ; Hydroxyapatite (HAp) is a bioactive ceramic with great potential for the regeneration of the skeletal system. However, its mechanical properties, especially its brittleness, limit its application. Therefore, in order to increase its ability to transmit stresses, it can be combined with a polymer phase, which increases its strength without eliminating the important aspect of bioactivity. The presented work focuses on obtaining organic–inorganic hydrogel materials based on whey protein isolate (WPI) reinforced with nano-HAp powder. The proportion of the ceramic phase was in the range of 0–15%. Firstly, a physicochemical analysis of the materials was performed using XRD, FT-IR and SEM. The hydrogel composites were subjected to swelling capacity measurements, potentiometric and conductivity analysis, and in vitro tests in four liquids: distilled water, Ringer's fluid, artificial saliva, and simulated body fluid (SBF). The incubation results demonstrated the successful formation of new layers of apatite as a result of the interaction with the fluids. Additionally, the influence of the materials on the metabolic activity according to ISO 10993-5:2009 was evaluated by identifying direct contact cytotoxicity towards L-929 mouse fibroblasts, which served as a reference. Moreover, the stimulation of monocytes by hydrogels via the induction of nuclear factor (NF)-κB was investigated. The WPI/HAp composite hydrogels presented in this study therefore show great potential for use as novel bone substitutes.

This research is co-financed by Greece and the European Union (European Social Fund- ESF) through the Operational Programme «Human Resources Development, Education and Lifelong Learning» in the context of the project "Strengthening Human Resources Research Potential via Doctorate Research" (MIS-5000432), implemented by the State Scholarships Foundation (IKY). ; Η έρευνα συγχρηματοδοτείται από την Ελλάδα και την Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση (Ευρωπαϊκό Κοινωνικό Ταμείο - ΕΚΤ) στα πλαίσια του Επιχειρησιακού Προγράμματος «Ανάπτυξη Ανθρώπινου Δυναμικού, Εκπαίδευση και Δια βίου Μάθηση» Πράξη «Ενίσχυση του ανθρώπινου ερευνητικού δυναμικού μέσω της υλοποίησης διδακτορικής έρευνας» (MIS 5000432), που υλοποιήθηκε από το Ίδρυμα Κρατικών Υποτροφιών (IKY). ; Summarization: This paper studies the morphological characteristics of calcium hydroxide nanoparticles in water based dispersions, produced following the main bottom-up (CaCl2/NaOH replacement reaction) and top-down methodologies. The work focuses on the effect of three different surfactants (TritonX-100, n-octylamine and amylamine) on the morphological characteristics of the resulting Ca(OH)2 nanoparticles and compares them with the ones produced in a mixture of water and 2-propanol. Moreover, in an attempt to approach the compatibility enhancement with siliceous stones, a calcium hydroxide—TEOS composite was also studied. The morphological, chemical and the mineralogical characterization of the nanoparticles produced were carried out by electron microscopy (SEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). It is shown that the modifications induced by the production methodologies limited the agglomeration phenomena and altered the morphological characteristics of nanoparticles, when compared to the results obtained by the original bottom-up method, resulting in the synthesis of hexagonal, plate-like, rounded and angular portlandite nanoparticles. The size range of the nanoparticles extended from 60 to 350 nm. ...

Desde hace unos años, el Derecho Comunitario iba acumulando numerosas previsiones en el campo de los derechos fundamentales, pero de una manera dispersa y con muy diferente densidad jurídica. Tras numerosos esfuerzos, se aprobó, en el Semestre Francés, en 2000, la Carta de Derechos Fundamentales de la Unión Europea. Sin perjuicio de surtir algunos efectos, faltaba dotarla de virtualidad jurídica plena. Lo que se intentó hacer con la Constitución Europea, aunque el empeño no salió adelante. Ahora, el Tratado de Lisboa, en trance de ratificación, pretende darle a la Carta valor de norma constitucional. Se suscita, ante todo, el interrogante de cual haya de ser el alcance de la Carta en España. Por su parte, la Ley Orgánica por la que se autoriza la ratificación del Tratado de Lisboa suscita interesantes problemas a los que conviene pasar revista, para irse preparando. ; For some years common EU law has accumulated a lot of measures about human rights, but in a scattered way and with different legal denseness. After many efforts, during the French semester, in 2000, it was proclaimed the Charter of Fundamental Rights by European Union. Without prejudice to taking some effects, it was necessary to give it full legal worth. The same thing as it was attempted with the European Constitution although that determination did not work. Now, the Treaty of Lisbon, in process of being ratified, tries to consider the Charter as a constitutional regulation. It is aroused the question about the scope of the Charter in Spain. On the other hand, the Fundamental Law that authorizes the Spanish ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon stirs up interesting problems that must be looked through to be prepared.

This work has been published in Solar Energy 198 (2020) 696–703 (DOI:10.1016/j.solener.2020.02.009). In this work, we report the effect of an ultra-thin Al2O3 layer (down to 3 nm) as interface passivation strategy for the improvement of the performance of Cu2ZnSnS4/CdS based solar cells. After an initial optimization, the Al2O3 deposited by thermal evaporation is proved to improve the properties of the p-n junction. The fabricated devices showed an increment in Voc depending on the composition of the absorber, and an improvement in fill factor (FF) apparently related to the insulation of possible shunt-paths. Also, the impact on other optoelectronic parameters is discussed. ; This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 712949 (TECNIOspring PLUS) and the Government of Catalonia's Agency for Business Competitiveness (ACCIÓ). This research has also been supported by the H2020 Programme under the project INFINITE-CELL (H2020-MSCA-RISE-2017-777968), by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities under the IGNITE project (ENE2017-87671-C3-1-R), and by the European Regional Development Funds (ERDF, FEDER Programa Competitivitat de Catalunya 2007–2013). Authors from IREC and the University of Barcelona belong to the SEMS (Solar Energy Materials and Systems) Consolidated Research Group of the "Generalitat de Catalunya" (Ref.2017 SGR 862). M.P. thanks the Government of Spain for the Ramon y Cajal Fellowship (RYC-2017-23758). This research was also supported by Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT) with the scholarship No. 433146 and with the project CB-CONACYT-255062. Finally, this research was also supported by Programa de Fortalecimiento de la Calidad Educativa (PFCE 2019) and by Project VIEP 2019.

The authors thank T. Chauveau (LSPM) for help with Rietveld analysis, A. Jamali (LRCS) for assistance with SEM measurements, and Drs. Y. Tange (SPring-8) and N. Guignot (SOLEIL) for help in synchrotron experiments that were carried out during beamtimes allocated to proposals 2017A1047 & 2018A1121 at SPring-8 and proposal 20170092 at SOLEIL. Ab initio calculations have been performed using Rurik and Arkuda supercomputers. This work was financially supported by the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Flintstone2020 project (grant agreement No. 689279). Z.W. thanks the National Science Foundation of China (grant No. 11604159). A.R.O. thanks the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education (grant 2711.2020.2 to leading scientific schools). ; New boron-rich sulfde B6S and selenide B6Se have been discovered by combination of high pressure – high temperature synthesis and ab initio evolutionary crystal structure prediction, and studied by synchrotron X-ray difraction and Raman spectroscopy at ambient conditions. As it follows from Rietveld refnement of powder X-ray difraction data, both chalcogenides have orthorhombic symmetry and belong to Pmna space group. All experimentally observed Raman bands have been attributed to the theoretically calculated phonon modes, and the mode assignment has been performed. Prediction of mechanical properties (hardness and elastic moduli) of new boron-rich chalcogenides has been made using ab initio calculations, and both compounds were found to be members of a family of hard phases. ; Horizon 2020 Framework Programme 689279 Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation 2711.2020.2 National Natural Science Foundation of China 11604159 Center of Excellence has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART²

Trabajo presentado en la 20th International Conference on Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems & Eurosensors XXXIII (TRANSDUCERS & EUROSENSORS XXXIII), celebrada en Berlín (Alemania), del 23 al 27 de junio de 2019 ; Hollow nanomechanical resonators represent a promising technique for particle spectrometry, as their design allows highly sensitive particle mass sensing in liquid environments by putting together the good mechanical behavior of a nanomechanical resonator vibrating in vacuum or gas environment with physiological compatibility of liquid environments for biological applications. Nevertheless, for real-world practical applications these sensors require not only a high mass sensitivity but also a high-throughput particle flow. In this work, we use a fast-response and low-cost hollow nanomechanical resonator which let us measure up to 10 particles per second. However, this unprecedented particle velocities brings new implications related to the entanglement between the mechanics and the microfluidics in this structure. We realized that the measured particle masses depend on the fluid velocity. The study of this phenomenon demonstrates the need to introduce a correction factor in mass sensing dependent on particle velocity. ; This work was supported by the European Union's Horizon 2020 program under European Research Council grant 681275 – LIQUIDMASS- ERC- CoG-2015 and by the Comunidad de Madrid (iLUNG B2017/BMD-3884) - co-funded by FSE & FEDER and the Spanish Science Ministry(MINECO) through project TEC2017-89765-R. All authors acknowledge the service from the X-SEM Laboratory at IMN and MINECO under project CSIC13- 4E-1794, also with support from EU (FEDER, FSE). All the authors also acknowledge the service from the MiNa Laboratory at IMN, and funding from CM (project SpaceTec, S2013/ICE2822), MINECO (project CSIC13- 4E-1794) and EU (FEDER, FSE). ; Peer reviewed

Characterization of micro and nanoparticle mass has become increasingly relevant in a wide range of fields, from materials science to drug development. The real-time analysis of complex mixtures in liquids demands very high mass sensitivity and high throughput. One of the most promising approaches for real-time measurements in liquid, with an excellent mass sensitivity, is the use of suspended microchannel resonators, where a carrier liquid containing the analytes flows through a nanomechanical resonator while tracking its resonance frequency shift. To this end, an extremely sensitive mechanical displacement technique is necessary. Here, we have developed an optomechanical transduction technique to enhance the mechanical displacement sensitivity of optically transparent hollow nanomechanical resonators. The capillaries have been fabricated by using a thermal stretching technique, which allows to accurately control the final dimensions of the device. We have experimentally demonstrated the light coupling into the fused silica capillary walls and how the evanescent light coming out from the silica interferes with the surrounding electromagnetic field distribution, a standing wave sustained by the incident laser and the reflected power from the substrate, modulating the reflectivity. The enhancement of the displacement sensitivity due to this interferometric modulation (two orders of magnitude better than compared with previous accomplishments) has been theoretically predicted and experimentally demonstrated. ; This work was supported by the European Union's Horizon 2020 program under European Research Council grant 681275—LIQUIDMASS-ERC-CoG-2015 and by the Comunidad de Madrid (iLUNG B2017/BMD-3884)—co-funded by FSE & FEDER and the Spanish Science Ministry (MINECO) through project MOMPs TEC2017-89765-R. All authors acknowledge the service from the X-SEM Laboratory at IMN and MINECO under project CSIC13-4E-1794, also with support from EU (FEDER, FSE).

In this study, novel transparent Er3+ doped glass ceramics were prepared from melt-quenched oxyfluoride glasses with general composition of Na2O-NaF-BaF2-YbF3-Al2O3-SiO2. The crystallization of fluorite (BaF2, BaF2-YbF3, NaF-BaF2-YbF3 and Na0.5-xYb0.5+xF2+2x) and distorted fluorite (rhombohedral Ba4Yb3F17 and tetragonal NaF-BaF2-YbF3) phases was analysed in glass ceramics with different BaF2 and YbF3 ratio. The phase composition and microstructure were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Intense red upconversion luminescence (UCL) was detected under near-infrared excitation resulting from three photon upconversion followed by cross-relaxation between Er3+ and Yb3+ ions. The local environment of Er3+ ions in fluorite and distorted phases was analysed using site-selective spectroscopy. The Er3+ ions were found to act as nucleation centres in the glass ceramics containing BaF2. The phase transition from metastable fluorite to rhombohedrally and tetragonally distorted fluorite phases was detected using Er3+ ions as a probe. --- / / / --- This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: G. Krieke, A. Sarakovskis, M. Springis; Ordering of fluorite-type phases in erbium-doped oxyfluoride glass ceramics; Journal of the European Ceramic Society, 2018 38 (1), which has been published in final form at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0955221917305769. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Elsevier Terms and Conditions for Sharing and Self-Archiving. ; This work was supported by National Research Program IMIS2 and Arnis Riekstins "MikroTik" donation. Donations are administered by the University of Latvia Foundation; Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia as the Center of Excellence has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Framework Programme H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2 under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART²

This work investigates commercially available granular phase change materials (PCMs) with different transition temperatures for the use of thermal-energy storage systems in fluidized beds. The hydrodynamic characteristics of granular PCMs were tested in cylindrical-3D and planar-2D fluidized beds. The density, particle size distribution and angle of repose were measured for various PCM materials. Further attrition studies were conducted with changes in particle surface from abrasion, which were characterized using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The results indicate that some materials with smaller particle size and thinner supporting structure can lose the paraffin during the fluidization process, when paraffin is in a liquid state. As a consequence, the particles agglomerate, and the bed defluidizes. For all of the tested materials, only GR50 (with a transition temperature of 50 °C) properly fluidizes when the paraffin is in the liquid state and has shown to endure >75 h of continuous operation and 15 melting-solidification cycles in a fluidized bed. Additional differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements of the cycled particles did not show a decrease in energy storage capacity of the granular PCM, which corroborates that there is no loss of material after >75 h of fluidization. ; The work is partially funded by the Spanish government (ENE2010-15403, ENE2011-22722 and ENE2015-64117-C5-1). The authors would like to thank the Catalan Government for the quality accreditation to their research groups GREA (2014 SGR 123). The study that led to these results has received funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n°n°PIRSES-GA-2013-610692 (INNOSTORAGE) and from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 657466 (INPATH-TES).

Herein, for the first time, we combined poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) with a strontium borosilicate bioactive glass (BBG-Sr) using electrospinning to fabricate a composite bioactive PLLA membrane loaded with 10% (w/w) of BBG-Sr glass par- ticles (PLLA-BBG-Sr). The composites were characterised by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and microcomputer tomography (μ-CT), and the results showed that we successfully fabricated smooth and uniform fibres (1â 3 μm in width) with a homogeneous distribution of BBG-Sr microparticles (<45 μm). Degradation studies (in phosphate buffered saline) demonstrated that the incorporation of BBG-Sr glass particles into the PLLA membranes increased their degradability and water uptake with a continuous release of cations. The addition of BBG-Sr glass particles enhanced the membraneâ s mechanical properties (69% higher Young modulus and 36% higher tensile strength). Furthermore, cellular in vitro evaluation using bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) demonstrated that PLLA-BBG-Sr mem- branes promoted the osteogenic differentiation of the cells as demonstrated by increased alkaline phosphatase activity and up-regulated osteogenic gene expression (Alpl, Sp7 and Bglap) in relation to PLLA alone. These results strongly suggest that the composite PLLA membranes reinforced with the BBG-Sr glass particles have potential as an effective biomater- ial capable of promoting bone regeneration. ; The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (Ph.D. grant BD/73162/2010), the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) under Grant No. REGPOT-CT2012- 31633-POLARIS. This work was also supported by the European Research Council grant agreement ERC-2012-ADG-20120216- 321266 for the project ComplexiTE and UK EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing of Medical Devices-MeDe Innovation (EPSRC grant ...

It is said that Brexit is irreversible. The perspective of withdrawal by the United Kingdom of the European Union represents the most significant institutional challenge for the European project. It is feared that withdrawal dramatically changes the nature of European integration. Article 50 TEU is, as a rule, considered to be an emblematic manifestation of the intergovernmental nature of EU cooperation, contrasting with the trend towards a more perfect form of federal integration. Yet the exact legal and political consequences flowing from Brexit remain unknown. In any case, it is clear that the process involves more than the loss of one Member State. The trust on an ever-growing project grounded on the so called "spill-over" effects seems compromised. Notwithstanding, at the same time, Brexit represents a unique opportunity for the affirmation of the core values of EU constitutionalism. The purpose of this paper is to reflect on how withdrawal reinforces the constitutional nature of the Union under whose lens it necessarily needs to be assessed and negotiated. ; Tem-se dito que o Brexit é irreversível. A perspetiva da saída do Reino Unido da União Europeia representa o desafio institucional mais significativo de sempre para o projeto europeu. Neste âmbito, teme-se que a saída represente uma alteração dramática da natureza da integração europeia. Na verdade, o artigo 50.º do TUE é, em regra, considerado uma manifestação emblemática da natureza intergovernamental da cooperação europeia, em contraste com a tendência para uma forma mais perfeita de integração federal. Sem prejuízo, as exatas consequências políticas e jurídicas do Brexit são ainda desconhecidas. Certo que o processo envolve mais do que a perda de um Estado-membro. A crença num projeto sempre crescente, fundado nos chamados efeitos «spill-over», parece comprometida. Não obstante, importa notar que, ao mesmo tempo, o Brexit representa uma oportunidade única para a afirmação dos valores centrais do constitucionalismo europeu. Neste contexto, o propósito deste artigo é refletir na forma como a saída de um Estado-membro reforça a natureza constitucional da União sob a lente da qual tem, necessariamente, de ser entendida e negociada. ; info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

It is said that Brexit is irreversible. The perspective of withdrawal by the United Kingdom of the European Union represents the most significant institutional challenge for the European project. It is feared that withdrawal dramatically changes the nature of European integration. Article 50 TEU is, as a rule, considered to be an emblematic manifestation of the intergovernmental nature of EU cooperation, contrasting with the trend towards a more perfect form of federal integration. Yet the exact legal and political consequences flowing from Brexit remain unknown. In any case, it is clear that the process involves more than the loss of one Member State. The trust on an ever-growing project grounded on the socalled "spill-over" effects seems compromised. Notwithstanding, at the same time, Brexit represents a unique opportunity for the affirmation of the core values of EU constitutionalism. The purpose of this paper is to reflect on how withdrawal reinforces the constitutional nature of the Union under whose lens it necessarily needs to be assessed and negotiated. ; Tem-se dito que o Brexit é irreversível. A perspetiva da saída do Reino Unido da União Europeia representa o desafio institucional mais significativo de sempre para o projeto europeu. Neste âmbito, teme-se que a saída represente uma alteração dramática da natureza da integração europeia. Na verdade, o artigo 50.º do TUE é, em regra, considerado uma manifestação emblemática da natureza intergovernamental da cooperação europeia, em contraste com a tendência para uma forma mais perfeita de integração federal. Sem prejuízo, as exatas consequências políticas e jurídicas do Brexit são ainda desconhecidas. Certo que o processo envolve mais do que a perda de um Estado-membro. A crença num projeto sempre crescente, fundado nos chamados efeitos «spill-over», parece comprometida. Não obstante, importa notar que, ao mesmo tempo, o Brexit representa uma oportunidade única para a afirmação dos valores centrais do constitucionalismo europeu. Neste contexto, o propósito deste artigo é refletir na forma como a saída de um Estado-membro reforça a natureza constitucional da União sob a lente da qual tem, necessariamente, de ser entendida e negociada.

Travelling, curiosity and the quest for the unknown have been a key metaphor for personal growth and human development for at least two thousand years. These ideas re-appeared in the late 13th century when students began to go on so-called Peregrinatio Academica – peregrinations – to foreign universities. These reached their peak in the 17th century. Today most universities worldwide value transcultural travelling and cooperation in their internationalization strategies. Financially supported by the European Union's education programme Erasmus Mundus, a two-year joint international master's degree entitled Transcultural European Outdoor Studies (TEOS) began in the fall of 2011 and is now in its fifth year. The programme is run collaboratively by Marburg University, Germany; the University of Cumbria, UK and the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences in Oslo. It is explicitly inspired by the ancient idea of peregrination. TEOS involves travelling cohorts of students who spend a semester at each of the universities to explore three of the main European outdoor traditions in their native contexts: Erlebnispädagogik, Outdoor Education (Loynes, 2007) and Friluftsliv (Gurholt, 2008), respectively. The cohorts of approximately twenty international students each come from nearly as many countries and five continents. The course is full time and two years long. Cultural interaction on the programme takes many forms including living and studying in an international group, studying in three countries, studying with the national cohort of postgraduate students in each country, being taught in English yet learning two other languages, exploring the local cultures and landscapes, experiencing and examining outdoor activities and outdoor educations of each nation and engaging with visiting scholars from other countries as well as the host nations. The central question of the programme is how the different landscapes and cultural contexts of the three nations, whilst influenced by many of the same historical roots, lead to varying forms of human nature relations and outdoor education practices. Over the first five years of the programme this question has been asked by both staff and students.

Pottery traditions reflect the socioeconomic framework of past cultures, while the spatial distribution of pottery indicates exchange patterns and interaction processes. Material and earth sciences are employed here to determine raw material sourcing, selection and processing. The Kongo kingdom, internationally renowned since the late fifteenth century, is one of the most famous precolonial states in Central Africa. Despite the large number of historical studies relying on African and European oral and written chronicles, there are still considerable gaps in our current understanding of this political unit. Here, we provide new insights into pottery production and circulation within the Kongo kingdom. Implementing a multi-analytical approach, namely XRD, TGA, petrographic analysis, XRF, VP-SEM-EDS and ICP-MS, on selected samples, we determined their petrographic, mineralogical and geochemical signatures. Our results allowed us to correlate the archaeological objects to naturally occurring materials and to establish ceramic traditions. We identified production templates, exchange patterns, distribution of high-quality goods and interaction processes through technological knowledge transmission. Our results demonstrate that political centralisation in the Lower Congo region of Central Africa had a direct impact on pottery production and circulation. We expect our study to provide a sound basis for further comparative research to contextualise the region.