On identifying Palaeolithic single occupation episodes: archaeostratigraphic and technological approaches to the Neanderthal lithic record of stratigraphic unit xa of El Salt (Alcoi, eastern Iberia)

Within the framework of archaeological palimpsest dissection, stratigraphic association of lithic remains with hearths and other archaeological materials in undisturbed Neanderthal contexts allows us to seek patterns in lithic and faunal assemblage composition, assess the degree of time averaging within assemblages and investigate the spatial distribution of archaeological remains. So far, the European Neanderthal record shows variability in such spatial parameters, not only among different geographic regions but also across time. This approach has been employed to draw conclusions about the main features of Neanderthal occupations from in situ archaeological contexts within individual site sequences. As contribution to this topic, we present new results from our ongoing archaeostratigraphic investigation of stratigraphic unit xa from El Salt (Alcoi, Alacant, eastern Iberia). Our previous study, based on stratigraphic analysis of the lithic record consisting of raw material units, yielded several micropalimpsests within unit xa. Here, we carry out further technological and spatial analysis of the micropalimpsest units. The results obtained from it suggest that we may be able, in specific cases, to recognise indicators of diachrony within the context of these archaeostratigraphic units. This confirms the existence of a micropalimpsest, and suggests that we have the chance to find analytical frames that are even closer to the human temporal scale than the AU. This should be the target of future interdisciplinary behavioural study of El Salt unit xa. This work illustrates the potential of a spatial and archaeostratigraphic approach to stone tool technology and brings to light the importance of archaeological palimpsest dissection as a first step for behavioural analysis in Palaeolithic research.Archaeological excavations at El Salt rockshelter are funded by the Spanish central government through the project called Neandertales en la montaña alicantina: un enfoque multianalítico (MEC-FEDER HAR2015-68321-P), and by the Valencian autonomous government through public research funding (DOGV P-0300900-H). One of the authors (AM) is also funded by Universitat d’Alacant through a university faculty formation grant (UAFPU 2018-049)

Macrobotanical evidence (wood charcoal and seeds) from the Middle Palaeolithic site of El Salt, Eastern Iberia: Palaeoenvironmental data and plant resources catchment areas

Despite the current growing number of studies that focus on macrobotanical remains from Middle Palaeolithic contexts, plant use among hunter-gatherer societies remains unknown in many regions of Europe. Large-scale flotation of archaeological sediments has made it possible to recover a large amount of plant remains (fruits, seeds and wood) from units VIII, IX, Xa and Xb at El Salt, Eastern Iberia (49.2-52.3 ka BP). The combination of anthracological and carpological analyses has provided a more accurate picture of the Middle Palaeolithic landscape in the Serpis valley, as well as significant information about other possible uses of plants, not only as fuel, but for woodworking or food, for instance. A minimum of twenty different taxa have been identified among the plant remains. Charcoal analysis suggested that firewood was gathered from nearby sources (< 1 km), with a predominance of black-scots pine woodlands (Pinus nigra-sylvestris) and maples (Acer sp.). The carpological data reveal the use of some woody taxa not documented in the anthracological record (Taxus baccata or yew) and the presence of few mineralised seeds whose origin remains unknown (Celtis australis or hackberry, Rubus cf. laciniatus or evergreen blackberry). These data have significant implications for the interpretation of plant economy among Neanderthal groups, reinforcing the importance of available woody resources in the surroundings for the subsistence of the group

Estudio Geoquímico de dos centros de producción de obsidianas en la Prehistoria de Tenerife: El Tabonal de los Guanches (Icod de los Vinos) y el Tabonal Negro (Las Cañadas)

The obsidian production is one of the work processes that allow a good characterization of the Guanches, first inhabitants of Tenerife (Canary Islands). On this occasion, addresses the geochemical study of the volcanic flows where the main obsidian sources of the Aboriginal of Tenerife are located: The Tabonal de Los Guanches (Icod de Los Vinos) and the Tabonal Negro, Mña. Blanca (Las Cañadas del Teide) characterized as Production Centres. The aim is to establish the compositional differences between the two in order to trace the distribution of their lithic productions in the island territory and recognize the pattern of supply that was put into practice.La producción obsidiánica es uno de los procesos de trabajo que mejor permite la caracterización social de los guanches, primeros habitantes de Tenerife (Canarias). En esta ocasión se aborda el estudio geoquímico de las coladas en las que se ubican sus principales fuentes de aprovisionamiento de obsidiana: El Tabonal de Los Guanches (Icod de los Vinos) y El Tabonal Negro en Mña. Blanca (Las Cañadas del Teide), consideradas desde el punto de vista arqueológico como Centros de Producción. El objetivo es establecer las diferencias composicionales entre ambas para poder rastrear la distribución de sus respectivas producciones líticas en el territorio insular y reconocer el modelo de suministro que se puso en práctica

An instance of Neanderthal mobility dynamics: a lithological approach to the flint assemblage from stratigraphic unit VIII of El Salt rockshelter (Alcoi, eastern Iberia)

The relationship between hunter-gatherer group mobility and lithic raw material procurement strategies is central to the study of Neanderthal productive behaviours. In this framework, determination of flint procurement sources through lithological analysis is key to infer Neanderthal group mobility patterns. El Salt rockshelter (Alcoi, Alacant, eastern Iberia) features different nearby flint sources, including primary outcrops and secondary deposits containing flint. In this study, we sourced the stratigraphic unit viii archaeological flint assemblage based on identification of geogenic and postgenetic lithological traits. Our results indicate that flint procurement at El Salt during the stratigraphic unit viii Neanderthal occupations was mainly linked to Pleistocene secondary deposits along the upper and middle courses of Serpis river. The artefacts were made predominantly on alluvially reworked nodules of different flint types. Connecting these procurement areas with their corresponding knapping products reveals a direct relationship between flint-source distance and degree of technical intervention, and defines a hypothetically unidirectional series of rivershore itineraries of procurement.This work has been accomplished during the valid period of the research project titled Clima e interacciones humanas en el Mediterráneo central ibérico durante el MIS 4 (IBEMIS4), granted by the Spanish central government (PID2019-107113RB-I00). The first author (AM) is funded by Universitat d’Alacant through a university faculty formation grant (UAFPU2018-049). The second (SSR) and the fourth (LP) are funded by the Valencian autonomous government through a predoctoral research-staff contracting grant (ACIF/2021/407) and a postdoctoral research-staff contracting grant (APOSTD/2020/202), respectively

EL SÍLEX DEL PREBÉTICO DE ALICANTE: TIPOS, VARIABILIDAD Y ÁREAS DE CAPTACIÓN Y TALLA DEL PLEISTOCENO

In this paper we offer a summary of the results of the surveys conducted in geoarchaeological Prebético Alicante (eastern part of the Betic). In this geological area have been documented 12 types of silicifications ranging from the Jurassic to the Mio-Pliocene. The various processes of erosion and transport that have affected each type of chert and the impact that this entails in the increased variability of each type were analyzed. This has been taken into account when creating the regional lithoteque, using samples from multiple geological contexts. Finally, the employment of local chert during the Pleistocene is clearly demonstrated from the high activity of carving preserved in Pleistocene colluvial or alluvial formations in the vicinity of the source type areas, as well as the study of certain arqueoestratigráficas sequences.En el presente trabajo ofrecemos una síntesis de los resultados obtenidos en las prospecciones geoarqueológicas realizadas en el Prebético de Alicante (parte más oriental de la Cordillera Bética). En este ámbito geológico se han podido documentar 12 tipos de silicificaciones que abarcan desde el Jurásico hasta el Mio-Plioceno. Se analizan los diversos procesos de erosión y transporte que han afectado a cada tipo de sílex y la repercusión que ello conlleva en el aumento de la variabilidad de cada tipo. Esta ha sido tenida en cuenta a la hora de crearla litoteca regional, mediante muestras procedentes de múltiples contextos geológicos. Por último, el empleo del sílex local durante el Pleistoceno está claramente demostrado a partir de la elevada actividad de talla conservada en formaciones Pleistocenas de tipo coluvial o aluvial en el entorno de las áreas fuente, así como del estudio de determinadas secuencias&nbsp;arqueoestratigráficas. &nbsp

Multidisciplinary evidence of an isolated Neanderthal occupation in Abric del Pastor (Alcoi, Iberian Peninsula)

Testing Neanderthal behavioural hypotheses requires a spatial–temporal resolution to the level of a human single occupation episode. Yet, most of the behavioural data on Neanderthals has been obtained from coarsely dated, time-averaged contexts affected by the archaeological palimpsest effect and a diversity of postdepositional processes. This implies that time-resolved Neanderthal behaviour remains largely unknown. In this study, we performed archaeostratigraphic analysis on stratigraphic units ive, ivf, ivg, va, vb and vc from Abric del Pastor (Alcoi, Iberian Peninsula). Further, we isolated the archaeological remains associated with the resulting archaeostratigraphic unit and applied raw material, technological, use-wear, archaeozoological and spatial analyses. Our results show a low-density accumulation of remains from flintknapping, flint tool-use and animal processing around a hearth. These data provide a time-resolved human dimension to previous high-resolution environmental and pyrotechnological data on the same hearth, representing the first comprehensive characterisation of a Neanderthal single occupation episode. Our integrated, multidisciplinary method also contributes to advance our understanding of archaeological record formation processes.This paper has been developed during the research project Clima e interacciones humanas en el Mediterráneo central ibérico durante el MIS 4 (IBEMIS4) funded by the Spanish Government (PID2019-107113RB-I00). This paper is part of SSR’s PhD thesis and all authors agree. Several authors developed their work within different research groups/projects/contrats: SSR by the Generalitat Valenciana through a predoctoral research-staff contracting Grant (ACIF/2021/407); AM by Universitat d’Alacant through a university faculty formation Grant (UAFPU2018-049); MB by the Spanish central government through a university faculty formation Grant (FPU17/02885); LP is beneficiary on postdoctoral research Grant (APOSTD/2020/202) funded by the Generalitat Valenciana and European Social Fund. CMH, BG and CM are part of the research group SCRP (Sociedades cazadoras recolectoras paleolíticas), MB and LP are part of the research group PREMEDOC (GIUV2015-213), CM is part of the research group MBA (Micromorfología y Biomarcadores arqueológicos), and MV is a part of the ‘Neanderthal behaviour and paleoecology in Mediterranean ecosystems’ project (PID2019-103987GB-C31)

Enfoques y desenfoques en la arqueología canaria a inicios del siglo XXI

Se abordan desde una perspectiva no inocente las tendencias de la Arqueolog&iacute;a Canaria en las &uacute;ltimas dos d&eacute;cada

The technological study of Palaeolithic lithic assemblages from the human occupation episode perspective: the cases of El Salt and El Pastor (Alcoi, Alacant)

El objetivo de este artículo es la puesta en valor de las diferencias interpretativas entre el análisis de los conjuntos líticos desde marcos analíticos de baja resolución temporal hacia aquellos con una escala temporal menor vinculados a lo que podrían ser ocupaciones singulares. Para ello, se ofrece una síntesis de los resultados de estudios tecnológicos realizados sobre conjuntos líticos de las unidades estratigráficas xa de El Salt y iv de El Pastor.L’objectiu d’aquest article és la posada en valor de les diferències interpretatives entre l’anàlisi dels conjunts lítics des de marcs analítics de baixa resolució temporal cap a aquells amb una escala temporal menor vinculats al que podrien ser ocupacions singulars. Per això, s’hi oferix una síntesi dels resultats d’estudis tecnològics realitzats sobre conjunts lítics de les unitats estratigràfiques xa d’El Salt i iv d’El Pastor.The goal of this paper is to put in value the interpretative differences between the analysis of lithic assemblages from low-temporal resolution analytical frames towards those counting on a lower time-scale, which are linked to what could be single occupations. For doing that, it is offered a synthesis of results from technological studies carried out on lithic assemblages from the stratigraphic units xa of El Salt and iv of El Pastor

Amphibians and reptiles as palaeonvironmental proxies during the Late Pleistocene (MIS3): The case of Stratigraphic Unit V of El Salt, Alcoi, Spain

The locality of El Salt (Alcoi, Spain) is a key site for understanding the extirpation of Neanderthals in the eastern part of Iberia. In this paper, we analyse an assemblage of amphibians and reptiles from Stratigraphic Unit V (45.2 ± 3.4 ka to 44.7 ± 3.4 ka), which corresponds to one of the last regional records of Neanderthals, to improve knowledge of the palaeoecology and palaeoclimate of this event. The assemblage comprises three anurans (Pelodytes sp., Alytes obstetricans, and Epidalea calamita), two lizards (Lacertidae indet. and Chalcides bedriagai), and five snakes (Colubridae indet., Coronella sp., Coronella sp./Zamenis sp., Natrix maura, and Vipera latastei). Palaeoclimatic reconstruction, based on the Mutual Ecogeographic Range method, indicates that climate was cooler and slightly wetter climate than the present day climate of the Alcoi area. Applying the Habitat Weighting Method, we infer that the area surrounding El Salt was dominated by open dry regions, alternating with rocky areas with scarce scrubs and forest patches that would have developed under mesomediterranean conditions. These results are not entirely consistent with those obtained with other proxies (charcoal and small mammal assemblages) from the same site, which suggest slightly warmer and drier conditions. We hypothesise that these divergences may be partly related to the current wide distribution of reptiles and amphibians across Iberia. A key finding is that the extirpation of the Neanderthals in Iberia coincided with aridification.Fil: Marquina Blasco, Rafael. Universidad de Valencia; España. Museu Valencià D’història Natural; EspañaFil: Fagoaga, Ana. Universidad de Valencia; España. Museu Valencià D’història Natural; EspañaFil: Crespo Roures, Vicente Daniel. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Paleontología Vertebrados; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina. Museo Paleontológico de Alpuente; EspañaFil: Bailon, Salvador. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Francia. Histoire naturelle de l’Homme prehistorique; FranciaFil: Mallol, Carolina. Universidad de La Laguna; EspañaFil: Hernández, Cristo M.. Universidad de La Laguna; EspañaFil: Galván, Bertila. Universidad de La Laguna; EspañaFil: Ruiz Sánchez, Francisco Javier. Universidad de Valencia; España. Museu Valencià D’història Natural; España. Universidad Estatal Península de Santa Elena; Ecuado

Use-wear analysis applied in a dissected palimpsest at the Middle Palaeolithic site of El Salt (eastern Iberia): working with lithic tools in a narrow timescale

Los análisis de uso-desgaste son muy útiles para aumentar el conocimiento sobre las dinámicas económicas y de subsistencia llevadas a cabo por los neandertales. En términos generales, los resultados funcionales provienen tradicionalmente del análisis de herramientas pertenecientes a unidades estratigráficas cuya escala temporal se refiere al tiempo geológico. Esto se debe a que muchos yacimientos neandertales son palimpsestos de ocupaciones reiteradas a lo largo del tiempo, que deben ser diseccionadas para acercarnos a la escala temporal humana. En la unidad estratigráfica Xa de El Salt (Alcoi, este de Iberia) se han llevado a cabo estudios arqueoestratigráficos de alta resolución temporal. Se han identificado conjuntos de materiales diacrónicos, lo que nos permite analizar con mayor precisión la variabilidad del comportamiento de los neandertales a lo largo del tiempo. Entre estos conjuntos, se han seleccionado tres (i.e. 5.3.1, 5.3.2 y 5.3.3) para analizar la funcionalidad del material lítico. Los resultados obtenidos ponen de manifiesto la realización de diferentes tareas dentro de cada marco analítico: carpintería en 5.3.1, carpintería y procesamiento de animales en 5.3.2 y actividad de matanza en 5.3.3. Estos resultados reflejan la existencia de una serie de tareas diacrónicas realizadas en áreas de actividad superpuestas. De esta manera, este trabajo evidencia la variabilidad en el uso del pedernal en un área específica del sitio a lo largo del tiempo que podría haber sido reconocida solo por medio de marcos analíticos de alta resolución temporal.Use-wear analyses are very useful to increase knowledge about the economic and subsistence dynamics carried out by Neanderthals. In general terms, functional results traditionally came from the analysis of tools belonging to stratigraphic units whose timescale refers to geological time. This is due to the fact that many Neanderthal sites are palimpsests of reiterated occupations over time, which must be dissected to approach us to human timescale. In the stratigraphic unit Xa of El Salt (Alcoi, eastern Iberia), high temporal resolution archaeostratigraphic studies have been carried out. Diachronic material assemblages have been identified, allowing us to analyse more precisely the variability of Neanderthal behaviour over time. Amongst these assemblages, three have been selected (i.e. 5.3.1, 5.3.2 and 5.3.3) in order to analyse the lithic material functionality. The results obtained bring out the performance of different tasks within each analytical framework: woodworking in 5.3.1, woodworking and animal processing in 5.3.2, and butchering activity in 5.3.3. These results reflect the existence of a series of diachronic tasks carried out in overlapping activity areas. In this way, this work evidences flint use variability in a specific area of the site across time that could have been recognised only by means of high temporal resolution analytical frameworks