Geoarqueologia i micromorfologia de l'Abric de La Cativera (El Catllar, Tarragona): noves dades sobre el límit Pleistocè-Holocè al nordest de la Península Ibèrica

L'abric de La Cativera (Tarragona) conté una successió estratigràfica gairebé contínua i intensarnent antropitzada que cobreix l'interval cronològic Tardiglacial-Holoce antic. Les anàlisis geoarqueològiques i rnicromorfològiques detallades del registre del jaciment ens permeten conèixer els canvis paleoambientals al voltant deIs 10 000 anys BP. Se subratllen les importants modificacions morfodinàmiques del Dryas Recent, el gradual apropament al clima mediterrani durant I'Holoce antic i la definitiva fase de biostasia de l'Holoce recent. S'analitzen així mateix els caracters de l'impacte antropic, on destaca la presencia de fragments ceràmics datats en el Boreal.The La Cativera rockshelter (Tarragona, NE Spain) contains an almost continuous, archaeologically rich succession spanning from the Lateglacial to the early Holocene. The geoarchaeological and detailed micromorphological analyses of the site record allow us focusing the environmental changes around 10 ka BP. The intense morphodynarnic modifications of the Younger Dryas, the gradual fluctuations towards the Mediterranean clirnate in the early Holocene and the definite stable phase during the younger Holocene are noticeable. The anthropic record at the site is analysed as well, particularly remarking the presence of ceramic shards dated to the Boreal zone

New data on the stratigraphy and chronology of the prehistoric site of Prazo (Freixo de Numão)

The Prazo archaeological site is located near Freixo de Numáo (Vila Nova de Foz Cóa, north-eastern Portugal). The site, discovered in the early '80s, initially revealed a significant historical record, having been a Roman villa whose occupation continued through part of the Middle Ages. In 1996, fieldwork there uncovered Neolithic layers. They were excavated from 1997 to 2001, revealing also the existence of a pre-Neolithic occupation. This paper presents the geoarchaeology and chronology of the prehistoric succession of Prazo, which is arranged as follows: an upper Pleistocene complex formed of slope waste sediments, featuring upper Palaeolithic finds and structures; an early to mid Holocene succession, also composed from slope waste deposits, containing Epipalaeolithic/Mesolithic and Early Neolithic archaeological assemblages and features; and an upper Holocene complex, corresponding to occupations in the Roman and Middle Ages. The available data - deriving from the geoarchaeological survey at the site and from an extensive range of radiocarbon dates - are presented as part of a preliminary discussion of the environmental evolution and the settlement strategies at the site

Cerebellar BDNF promotes exploration and seeking for novelty

Approach system considered a motivational system that activates reward-seeking behavior is associated with exploration/impulsivity, whereas avoidance system considered an attentional system that promotes inhibition of appetitive responses is associated with active overt withdrawal. Approach and avoidance dispositions are modulated by distinct neurochemical profiles and synaptic patterns. However, the precise working of neurons and trafficking of molecules in the brain activity predisposing to approach and avoidance are yet unclear

First Data from the Prehistoric Site Complex of Cueva del Arco (Murcia, Spain)

The southern Iberian Peninsula is a key area for understanding the timing and patterns of the Middle-to-Upper Palaeolithic transition. Recently, the excavation and study of new sites have provided new insights on this topic. The aim of this paper is to introduce Cueva del Arco, a site complex featuring distinct caves and rock shelters. Cueva del Arco is located at a short distance from the Almadenes gorge (Cieza, Spain) and preserves both Middle and Upper Palaeolithic deposits and assemblages, as well as rock art. Despite being known since the 1990s for its Palaeolithic rock art, systematic fieldwork was never undertaken at the site until recently. We here report the first results of a research programme that includes the systematic excavation of several cavities belonging to the Cueva del Arco complex, focusing on the location and context of the site, its stratigraphy and chronology, and site formation. Research at the site is still ongoing, but preliminary results suggest that the data from Cueva del Arco will provide new clues to the current debate on the transition from Neanderthals to anatomically modern humans in southern Europe

La ocupación solutrense del Abrigo de la Boja (Mula, Murcia, España)

El relleno pleistoceno del Abrigo de la Boja (ADB) empieza con un nivel adscrito al Magdaleniense superior, seguido de un potente paquete con ocupación difusa bajo el cual se desarrolla una secuencia depositada durante el último máximo glacial caracterizada por una serie de estructuras de combustión, de tipo hogar plano/amorfo (open hearth), existiendo también hogares de cubeta. Destaca un hogar enlosado, completo y muy bien conservado, excavado en 2012 y adscrito provisionalmente al Solutreogravetiense. Los niveles solutrenses subyacentes son ricos en elementos de adorno, entre los cuales conchas perforadas de Littorina obtusata y Smaragdia viridis; su industria lítica incluye raspadores, algunas puntas, y escasos buriles. La datación 14C de muestras de carbón de Juniperus sp. sitúa este paquete entre 16990 ± 70 BP (VERA-5364a), a techo, y 20980 ± 120 BP (VERA-5366), a muro. The Pleistocene fill of the La Boja rock shelter (ADB) starts with an Upper Magdalenian level, followed by a thick package with poorly defined occupations under which there is a Last Glacial Maximum sequence with combustion features, mostly of the open hearth type. A particularly well preserved and seemingly complete stone-paved hearth of probable Solutreogravettian age was excavated in 2012. The abundant ornaments in the Solutrean levels include pierced Littorina obtusata and Smaragdia viridis shells and the stone tool assem- blages feature endscrapers, some points and rare burins. The 14C dating of Juniperus sp. charcoal samples places this sequence between 16990 ± 70 BP (VERA-5364a), at the top, and 20980 ± 120 BP (VERA-5366), at the bottom

Formation processes at a high resolution Middle Paleolithic site: Cueva Antón (Murcia, Spain)

Cueva Antón is a Middle Paleolithic rockshelter located in the valley of the River Mula (Murcia, Spain). The archeological investigation of the site, which began with salvage work in 1991, resumed in 2006 and is still ongoing, uncovered a succession spanning most of MIS 3 and MIS 4 (ca. 75e36 ka) and featuring a well preserved human occupation record. This paper presents the first information about site stratigraphy and site formation processes. Geoarcheological data collected in the field and through micromorphological observation show that the archeological succession at Cueva Antón is mainly composed of alluvial sediments, with thin intercalations of gravitational and slope material. The sedimentary characteristics of the alluvial succession are well preserved as the result of a rapid accumulation rate and the protective effect of the rockshelter. Several sedimentary facies produced by the shifting of distinct fluvial sub-environments (channel, bar and floodplain) are recognized. With the exception of a few units (II-u, a thin buried alluvial soil, and the archeologically richest units at the base of the succession), postdepositional modification is rare. The site was occupied within a framework of infrequent, short-term visits, resulting in a relatively low overall density of finds and the formation of well-defined archeological lenses that correspond to synchronous paleosurfaces preserving the spatial distribution of finds and features. This pattern explains the limited anthropogenic evidence observed in thin sections, even those from units where archeological excavation uncovered significant remains of human occupation

Reconstructing Middle and Upper Paleolithic human mobility in Portuguese Estremadura through laser ablation strontium isotope analysis

Understanding mobility and landscape use is important in reconstructing subsistence behavior, range, and group size, and it may contribute to our understanding of phenomena such as the dynamics of biological and cultural interactions between distinct populations of Upper Pleistocene humans. However, studies using traditional strontium isotope analysis are generally limited to identifying locations of childhood residence or nonlocal individuals and lack the sampling resolution to detect movement over short timescales. Here, using an optimized methodology, we present highly spatially resolved 87Sr/86Sr measurements made by laser ablation multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry along the growth axis of the enamel of two marine isotope stage 5b, Middle Paleolithic Neanderthal teeth (Gruta da Oliveira), a Tardiglacial, Late Magdalenian human tooth (Galeria da Cisterna), and associated contemporaneous fauna from the Almonda karst system, Torres Novas, Portugal. Strontium isotope mapping of the region shows extreme variation in 87Sr/86Sr, with values ranging from 0.7080 to 0.7160 over a distance of c. 50 km, allowing short-distance (and arguably short-duration) movement to be detected. We find that the early Middle Paleolithic individuals roamed across a subsistence territory of approximately 600 km2 , while the Late Magdalenian individual parsimoniously fits a pattern of limited, probably seasonal movement along the right bank of the 20-km-long Almonda River valley, between mouth and spring, exploiting a smaller territory of approximately 300 km2 . We argue that the differences in territory size are due to an increase in population density during the Late Upper Paleolithic

Symbolic use of marine shells and mineral pigments by Iberian Neandertals 115,000 years ago

Cueva de los Aviones (southeast Spain) is a site of the Neandertal-associated Middle Paleolithic of Europe. It has yielded ochred and perforated marine shells, red and yellow colorants, and shell containers that feature residues of complex pigmentatious mixtures. Similar finds from the Middle Stone Age of South Africa have been widely accepted as archaeological proxies for symbolic behavior. U-series dating of the flowstone capping the Cueva de los Aviones deposit shows that the symbolic finds made therein are 115,000 to 120,000 years old and predate the earliest known comparable evidence associated with modern humans by 20,000 to 40,000 years. Given our findings, it is possible that the roots of symbolic material culture may be found among the common ancestor of Neandertals and modern humans, more than half-a-million years ago.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio