La Prehistoria que nos rodea y la falsificación del pasado

Comunicació presentada a la Sessió 10 : "Los tópicos en arquología. Reflexiones en torno a la mitificaciónLa visión que la sociedad adquiere de la Prehistoria no siempre procede de canales divulgativos asesorados por especialistas. Esa imagen colectiva se adquiere poco a poco de la información que se extrae de aspectos cotidianos como el cine, la literatura, la publicidad y de otras muchas facetas que nos rodean en nuestro día a día y que nada tienen que ver con una idea pedagógica o divulgativa pero que acaban distorsionando este periodo de la historia. En este trabajo analizamos brevemente algunas de estas facetas cotidianas que generan una visión irreal de la Prehistoria.The vision that society have in general on Prehistory, most of the times do not come from exhibitions or publications developed by experts. The collective image of the Prehistory most of the times come from the Cinema, the Literature, the commercial spots and other aspects that surrounds us in our quatidianity and nothing has to do with a pedagogic or divulgative idea, but the end in the distortion of this History period. In the present paper we analyze some of this daily aspects that generate a false vision of Prehistory

Apuntes para un cambio de ritmo en la explicación del cambio al Postglaciar

Se plantea la necesidad de tener en cuenta los cambios bruscos en las condiciones abióticas y su repercusión tanto para la explicación estratigráfica como social en Prehistoria. Se hace especial hincapié en el cambio del GS1 al Holoceno en la cornisa cantábrica teniendo en cuenta las aportaciones de JESÚS ALTUNA al conocimiento de las faunas de la zona.We guess that changes in the biotic conditions have been sudden. We need to consider this changes to explain adequately the stratigraphies and the development of prehistoric societies. We emphasize on the evidence of such sudden changes at the end of the Younger Dryas (GS1) in Cantabrian coastal area, specially through the studies done by JESUS ALTUNA

Large carnivore attacks on hominins during the Pleistocene: a forensic approach with a Neanderthal example

Interaction between hominins and carnivores has been common and constant through human evolution and generated mutual pressures similar to those present in worldwide modern human-carnivore conflicts. This current interaction is sometimes violent and can be reflected in permanent skeletal pathologies and other bone modifications. In the present paper, we carry out a survey of 124 forensic cases of dangerous human-carnivore encounters. The objective is to infer direct hominin-carnivore confrontation during the Pleistocene, which is important to understand behavioral changes during human evolution. In addition, the case of Neanderthals is analyzed in order to find evidence of past attacks using forensic observations. The results obtained pose that Neanderthals could potentially have been involved in dangerous encounters during the Pleistocene, validating our methodology to approach past attacks from a forensic perspective

Surf and turf: animal resources in the human diet in Cantabrian Spain during the Mesolithic (11.5 – 7.5 Ky cal. BP)

The beginning of the Holocene involved a series of climatic and environmental changes that affected the ways of life of the last hunter-gatherers. In the case of the Spanish Cantabrian region, these changes transformed the material culture and the way human groups interacted with the environment and, therefore, the subsistence strategies of the end of the Upper Pleistocene. In terms of the use of faunal resources, this period was characterised by an increase in the exploitation of coastal resources, mainly molluscs, but also crustaceans and echinoderms, which make up the so-called “shell middens”, while at the same time the percentage of macromammals was reduced and animals considered to have a “low energy range” were introduced into the diet. In this paper we assess the role played by each of these animal resources in the subsistence of Mesolithic human groups, determining their nutritional contribution and establishing a prey ranking based on the caloric intake of each resource. For this purpose, we collected archaeofaunal data from 14 sites from recent archaeological excavations with levels dated between ca. 11.5 and 7.5 ky cal BP in which the consumption of vertebrates and invertebrates is documented. At each of these sites we analysed diversity, homogeneity and species richness using Simpson's and Shannon's indexes, as well as the effective numbers of species for terrestrial and coastal resources, assessing the relationship between the two. With the palaeoecological and palaeoeconomic data from these archaeological sites (most of them located in caves), we estimate the weight that the different animal resources consumed by the last hunter-gatherer communities of the Cantabrian region had in their diet.Programa Estatal de Fomento de Generación de Conocimiento y Fortalecimiento Científico y Tecnológico of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovatio

La cueva de El Pindal (Pimiango, Ribadedeva, Asturias) : revisión de los materiales conservados en el Museo Arqueológico de Asturias

En este artículo se presentan los materiales arqueológicos conservados en el Museo Arqueológico de Asturias procedentes de la cueva de El Pindal y que se documentaron durante la intervención realizada en la cavidad por Francisco Jordá en 1954. En su mayor parte, el conjunto está constituido por restos arqueozoológicos, fundamentalmente conchas de moluscos marinos, aunque también macromamíferos y restos industriales líticos. Su estudio nos ha permitido concluir que existió una ocupación de la cueva durante el Mesolítico, que ha sido confirmada por una datación radiocarbónica. Sin embargo, no se puede descartar una ocupación anterior, posiblemente a finales del Paleolítico superior.The present paper shows the archaeological materials deposited in the Asturias Archaeology Museum from El Pindal cave, that where recovered by Francisco Jordá in 1954 excavations. These mainly consist ofarchaeozoological remains, mostly marine mollusc shells, although remains of large mammals and lithic industry have also been documented. The study concludes that the cave was occupied during the Mesolithic period, which has now been confirmed by a radiocarbon dating. However, a previous occupation, maybe in the late Upper Palaeolithic, cannot be ruled out

Subsistence Strategies in the Lower Magdalenian at El Cierro Cave (Ribadesella, Asturias, Spain)

[EN]El Cierro Cave (Ribadesella, Asturias, Spain) possesses one of the most complete Upper Palaeolithic stratigraphic sequences in northern Spain. Magdalenian occupations, particularly the lower Magdalenian, are well represented in its full sequence. This article presents the zooarchaeological analysis of the levels Cierro G1, Cierro G and Cierro F, dated by 14C to between 20,000 and 17,000 cal BP. The remains correspond to vertebrates (mainly large mammals and to a lesser extent fish and birds) and invertebrates (almost exclusively marine molluscs). The taphonomic analysis of the bones and shells has determined the role that the different animal resources played in the diet of the Magdalenian hunter-gatherers at El Cierro. The results obtained in each level of the sequence are compared and included in their regional context. This study also considers the way in which the Magdalenian groups at El Cierro processed the meat and fat of the different animal species and establishes the operational chain in the strategies of procurement, preparation and consumption of the pre

El poblado naviforme de Cap de Barbaria II (Formentera, Islas Baleares). Nuevos datos sobre su cronología y secuencia de ocupación

We present a series of six radiocarbon dates from the site of Cap de Barbaria II (Formentera, Balearic Islands). These place its occupation in the Bronze Age. In addition, methodological aspects of date calibration according to the nature of the samples (animal bone and shell) are discussed. This information defines chronological time span of the Naviform societies in the islands of Ibiza and Formentera and provides important elements for the understanding the formation, development, and end of these societies throughout the Balearic archipelago.En este trabajo presentamos un conjunto de 6 fechas de carbono 14 del poblado de Cap de Barbaria II (Formentera, Islas Baleares), que permiten acotar su ocupación dentro de la Edad del Bronce. Además, se tratan aspectos metodológicos relativos a la calibración e interpretación de las fechas en función de la naturaleza de las muestras (hueso y concha). La información delimita cronológicamente el grupo arqueológico naviforme en las islas Pitiusas (Ibiza y Formentera) y proporciona datos importantes para la comprensión de su formación, desarrollo y extinción en el conjunto del archipiélago balear

Interim report on the archaeofaunal study of the late antiquity settlement of El Castillón (SANTA EULALIA DE TÁBARA, ZAMORA)

[ES] El poblado amurallado de El Castillón (Zamora) se sitúa en una cima amesetada sobre el curso medio del río Esla. En él se han documentado diferentes estructuras (de hábitat, de almacenamiento, de trabajo del metal), que se ponen en relación con diferentes ocupaciones que tuvieron lugar entre los siglos V y VI d. C. Asociadas a estas ocupaciones se han clasificado un gran cantidad de restos faunísticos (fundamentalmente de caprino y de porcino, pero también, aves, peces, moluscos, etc.) a partir de los cuales se ofrece una primera aproximación sobre las estrategias de subsistencia de los habitantes del poblado.[EN] The walled settlement of El Castillón (Zamora) is located on a plateau overlooking the middle course of the River Esla. The different structures documented (houses, storage and metal workshops) have been associated with occupations between the fifth and sixth centuries AD. A large number of faunal remains have been classified in connection with these occupations (mainly caprines and swine, but also fowl, fish, molluscs, etc.) and based on these a first approach is made to the subsistence strategies of the inhabitants of the settlement

Under the Skin of a Lion: Unique Evidence of Upper Paleolithic Exploitation and Use of Cave Lion (Panthera spelaea) from the Lower Gallery of La Garma (Spain)

ABSTRACT: Pleistocene skinning and exploitation of carnivore furs have been previously inferred from archaeological evidence. Nevertheless, the evidence of skinning and fur processing tends to be weak and the interpretations are not strongly sustained by the archaeological record. In the present paper, we analyze unique evidence of patterned anthropic modification and skeletal representation of fossil remains of cave lion (Panthera spelaea) from the Lower Gallery of La Garma (Cantabria, Spain). This site is one of the few that provides Pleistocene examples of lion exploitation by humans. Our archaeozoological study suggests that lion-specialized pelt exploitation and use might have been related to ritual activities during the Middle Magdalenian period (ca. 14800 cal BC). Moreover, the specimens also represent the southernmost European and the latest evidence of cave lion exploitation in Iberia. Therefore, the study seeks to provide alternative explanations for lion extinction in Eurasia and argues for a role of hunting as a factor to take into account