I am an archaeologist focused on the Late Antique Mediterranean and in the archaeometry of archaeological ceramics. After obtaining my PhD (1998) at the University of Barcelona, I was a postdoctoral GEOPRO TMR-EU Research Fellow (1998-2001) at the Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield (UK). I returned to Catalonia with a Return Grant of the Generalitat de Catalunya (2001-2002). I was researcher for the EU project CERAMED (2003) and ICREA Research Professor since 2003. I am co-founder and current director of the Equip de Recerca Arqueològica i Arqueomètrica, University of Barcelona (ERAAUB). I have been Visiting Professor at the Universities of Cagliari and Sassari (Sardinia, Italy), and Brown University (USA). I have participated in national and international projects, such as GEOPRO, CERAMED and Progetto Classe working in the World Heritage site of Ravenna. I am co-founder of the international conference LRCW, and of the series Roman and Late Antique Mediterranean Pottery (RLAMP) and Limina/Limites: Archaeologies, histories, islands and borders in the Mediterranean (365-1556) and associated editor of the journal Pyrenae.

Línies de Recerca

I have specialised in the study of archaeological ceramics to investigate their provenance, technology of production and distribution using physico-chemical, mineralogical and petrographic techniques. I have a broad interest in the analytical study of ceramic materials including the theoretical foundations of the discipline and in ceramic etnhoarchaeology and ethnoarchaeometry. I have a main interest in Late Antique Archaeology and in pottery in the Mediterranean, especially in the study of coarse and cooking wares. One of my aims is also to investigate the transformation of the Roman world with a particular interest in Mediterranean islands. I am scientific director of archaeological and ceramic ethnoarchaeology expeditions in the Balearics and Sardinia, including the excavations at the Roman and Late Antique city of Pollentia and the Early Christian complexes of Son Peretó (Mallorca) and Illa del Rei (Menorca).

Key words
archaeology, archaeometry, ethnoarchaeometry, ceramics, cooking wares, coarse wares, Late Antiquity, Roman, Mediterranean, island systems, Balearic Islands

Projectes (en vigència)

LRPWESTMED

PROFOLANT

GEOPHYSICAL MALLORCA

EXCAVATIONS AT THE ROMAN AND LATE ANTIQUE CITY OF POLLENTIA

EXCAVATIONS AT THE EARLY CHRISTIAN COMPLEX OF SON PERETO

EXCAVACIONES EN LA VILLA ROMANA DE SA MESQUIDA

BASÍLICAS PALEOCRISTIANAS DE MENORCA

            Excavaciones arqueológicas en la Illa del Rei

            Intervención geofísica en Cap des Port

Publicacions

ALLEVATO, E., BUONINCONTRI, M., PECCI, A., CAU, M.A., VAIRO, M., YONEDA, M., DE SIMONE, G.F., ANGELELLI, C., MATSUYAMA, S., TAKEUCHI, K. and DI PASQUALE, G. (2012), The cultural landscape in Campania (southern Italy) before 472 AD Vesuvius eruption: archaeoenvironmental data, Journal of Archaeological Science 39(2): 399-406.

BAXTER, M. J.; BEARDAH, C. C.; PAPAGEORGIOU, I.; CAU, M. A.; DAY, P. M. and KILIKOGLOU, V. (2008), On statistical approaches to the study of ceramic artefacts using geochemical and petrographic data, Archaeometry 50: 142-157.

BUXEDA I GARRIGÓS, J.; CAU ONTIVEROS, M. A. and KILIKOGLOU, V. (2003), Chemical variability in clays and pottery from a traditional cooking pot production village: Testing assumptions in Pereruela, Archaeometry 45: 1-17.

CAU ONTIVEROS, M. Á. (2003), Cerámicas tardorromanas de cocina de las Islas Baleares. Estudio Aqueométrico, BAR International Series 1182, Archaeopress, Oxford.

CAU, M.A. (2007), Mediterranean Late Roman Cooking Wares: Evidence from the Balearic Islands, in M. Bonifay and J.C. Treglia (Eds.), LRCW 2. Late Roman Coarse Wares, Cooking Wares and Amphorae in the Mediterranean: Archaeology and Archaeometry, BAR International Series 1662, 219-246, Archaeopress, Oxford.

CAU ONTIVEROS, M. A.; DAY, P. M. and MONTANA, G. (2002), Secondary calcite in archaeological ceramics: evaluation of alteration and contamination processes by thin section study, in V. Kilikoglou, A, Hein and Y. Maniatis (eds.), Modern Trends in Ancient Ceramics, BAR, International Series, 1011, 9-18, Oxford.

CAU ONTIVEROS, M. A.; DAY, P. M.; PAPAGEORGIOU, I.; BAXTER, M.; ILIOPOULOS, I. and MONTANA, G. (2004), Exploring Automatic Grouping Procedures in Ceramic Petrology, Journal of Archaeological Science 31: 1325-1338.

CAU, M.A. and MAS, C. (2013), Tracing settlement patterns in late antique Mallorca (Balearics Islands): a field survey in the eastern territories, Hortus Artium Medievalium 19: 247-265.

CAU, M.A., MONTANA, G., TSANTINI, E. and RANDAZZO, L. (2015), Ceramic ethnoarchaeometry in Western Sardinia: Production of Cooking Ware at Pabillonis, Archaeometry 57 (3): 453–475.

CAU, M.A., RIERA, M., SALAS, M. and VAN STRYDONCK, M. (2014), Radiocarbon Dating of the necropolis of the Early Christian Site of Son Peretó (Mallorca, Balearic Islands), Radiocarbon 56 (2): 1-12.

FANTUZZI, L., CAU ONTIVEROS, M. A. and MACIAS J. Mª. (2015), Amphorae from the Late Antique city of Tarraco-Tarracona (Catalonia, Spain): archaeometric characterisation, Periodico di Mineralogia 84 (1): 169-212.

HEIN, A.; DAY, P. M.; CAU, M. A. and KILIKOGLOU, V. (2004), Red clays from Central and Eastern Crete: geochemical and mineralogical properties in view of provenance studies on ancient ceramics, Applied Clay Science 24: 245-255.

GURT I ESPARRAGUERA, J. M.; BUXEDA I GARRIGÓS, J. and CAU ONTIVEROS, M. A. (2005), LRCW 1. Late Roman Coarse Wares, Cooking Wares and Amphorae in the Mediterranean. Archaeology and Archaeometry, BAR International Series, 1340, Archaeopress, Oxford.

MAS, C. and CAU, M.A. (2007), Rural settlement in Late Antique Mallorca (Balearic Islands): an interim approach, Archeologia Medievale XXXIV: 171-180.

MAS, C. and CAU, M.A. (2013), Christians, peasants and shepherds: the transformation of the countryside in late antique Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Spain), Antiquité Tardive 21: 27-42.

ORFILA, M.; CHÁVEZ, Mª E. and CAU, M. A. (2006), Pollentia and the Roman cities of the Balearic Islands, in ABAD CASAL,L.; KEAY, S. i RAMALLO ASENSIO, S., Early Roman Towns in Hispania Tarraconensis, Portsmouth, Rhode Island, 133-145.

MIRIELLO, D., BLOISE, A., CRISCI, G. M., CAU ONTIVEROS, M. Á., PECCI, A. and RIERA RULLAN, M. (2013), Compositional Analyses of Mortars from the Late Antique Site of Son Peretó (Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain): Archaeological Implications, Archaeometry 55 (6): 1101-1121.

PECCI, A., CAU ONTIVEROS, M.A., GIORGI, G., VALDAMBRINI, C. and INSERRA, F. (2013), Understanding residues of oil production: chemical analyses of floors in traditional mills, Journal of Archaeological Science 40: 883-893.

PECCI, A., CAU, M.A. and GARNIER, N. (2013), Identifying wine and oil production: analysis of residues from Roman and Late Antique plastered vats, Journal of Archaeological Science 40: 4491-4498.

PECCI, A., GIORGI, G., SALVINI, L. and CAU, M.A. (2013), Identifying wine markers in ceramics and plasters with gas chromatography - mass spectrometry. Experimental, and archaeological materials, Journal of Archaeological Science 40 (1): 109-115.

PAPAGEORGIOU, I.; BAXTER, M. J. and CAU ONTIVEROS, M. A. (2001), Model-based cluster analysis of artefact compositional data, Archaeometry 43 (4): 571-588.

Més informació:

http://www.icrea.cat/Web/ScientificStaff/Miguel-Angel-Cau-Ontiveros-304 

academia.edu: http://icrea.academia.edu/Miguel%C3%81ngelCauOntiveros 

ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Miguel_Cau_Ontiveros