La fauna del pleistoceno superior asociada a los restos humanos neandertales de la Galería Lateral 1 de la Cova del Gegant (Sitges, Barcelona)

Cova del Gegant (Barcelona, NE Iberian peninsula) is an Upper Pleistocene site that presents carnivore occupations with some sporadic human activity characterized by hearth remains, stone tools and human fossils during Middle and Upper Palaeolithic. We report the combined application of zooarchaeological and taphonomic analyses to determine the nature of the Galería Lateral 1 assemblage, evaluating the biological actors and the geological processes involved. The GL1 deposits are ascribed to Marine Isotopic Stage (MIS) 4 and 3 and faunal remains are associated with Middle Paleolithic stone tools and for Neanderthal fossils. Signs of human activities have not been observed on the GL1 bones. The evidence suggests that Cova del Gegant’s GL1 was a carnivore den, mainly used by hyenas (Crocuta crocuta), which had been occasionally visited by humans as demonstrated by the stone tools and the Neanderthal fossils

Characterization of lithic raw materials from the Paleolithic site of Dolina de l’Esquerda de les Alzines (Garraf, Barcelona)

El presente estudio se centra en la caracterización macroscópica y microscópica de las materias primas silíceas del yacimiento de la Dolina de l’Esquerda de les Alzines, un yacimiento del Pleistoceno superior ubicado en el macizo del Garraf. El objetivo ha sido establecer distintas variedades de sílex, mediante la descripción macroscópica y microscópica de los elementos del conjunto lítico, para disponer, por vez primera, de unas categorías definidas de los recursos abióticos silíceos disponibles y explotados durante la prehistoria en este macizo. Además, mediante el presente estudio se ha evaluado también la posible procedencia y el área captación de dichas materias.The present study focuses on the macroscopic and microscopic characterization of siliceous raw materials from the archeological site of Dolina de l’Esquerda de les Alzines, an Upper Pleistocene deposit located in the Garraf Massif. The aim of this study has been to establish different varieties of chert, by a precise description of the elements of the lithic assemblage, to provide for the first time a few categories defined from the siliceous abiotic resources available and exploited during Prehistory in the massif. Furthermore, through the present study we also assessed the possible origin and procurement area of such materials

Protocolos de conservación de restos pleistocenos de tortuga mediterránea procedentes de la Cova del Rinoceront (Castelldefels, Barcelona)

La Cova del Rinoceront presenta una cronología que abarca desde el Pleistoceno medio a inicios del superior. Este yacimiento presenta una de las colecciones de tortuga mediterránea (Testudo hermanni) fósil más importante de la Península Ibérica. Este conjunto, se caracteriza por la elevada cantidad de restos y su frágil estado de conservación. Los restos se clasifican en función de su estado de preservación para poder definir diferentes metodologías de intervención y garantizar así su rápida estabilización para la investigación

The fossils of Castor fiber from the middle pleistocene site of Gruta da Aroeira (Portugal) and human-beaver interaction

[eng[ Here we analyze the fossil remains of Castor fiber from the Middle Pleistocene site of Gruta da Aroeira, in the Almonda karst system, Tagus basin (Torres Novas, Portugal) and discuss the archaeological implications of the presence of beavers in the region. The Almonda karst system has been the backdrop for human evolution in Portugal, because there are different localities, of different ages, from the Middle Pleistocene to the Holocene, with fossil remains of hominins as well as faunal and archaeological remains. Beaver fossils have been found in the archaeological deposits of at least three cavities of the karst system: the Gruta da Aroeira, the Gruta da Oliveira and the Galeria da Cisterna. Here, for the first time, we describe the fossils of Castor fiber from Gruta da Aroeira. The beavers from Aroeira are remarkable because they are the westernmost fossil record of Castor fiber in Europe dated to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 11, around 420 ka. The aim of the present article is twofold, firstly to study the fossils of beavers from the Aroeira locality, and secondly to discuss the palaeoecological and palaeoenvironmental implications of the presence of this rodent in the Almonda karst sites. This allows us to discuss the hominin-beaver interactions.[fra] Ici, nous analysons les fossiles de Castor fiber du site Pléistocène moyen de Gruta da Aroeira, dans le système karstique de Almonda, bassin du Tage (Torres Novas, Portugal), et les implications archéologiques de la présence de castors dans la région. Le karst d'Almonda est un cadre de référence pour l’étude de l'évolution humaine dans la partie occidentale de l'Europe, du Pléistocène moyen à l'Holocène, avec aussi bien des restes d’hominidés fossiles, que de faunes et de vestiges archéologiques. Des fossiles de castors ont été trouvés dans les gisements archéologiques d'au moins trois cavités du système karstique : la Gruta da Aroeira, la da Oliveira et la Galeria da Cisterna. Ici, pour la première fois, nous décrivons les fossiles de Castor fiber de Gruta da Aroeira. Les castors d'Aroeira sont remarquables car ils sont la trace fossile la plus occidentale de Castor fiber en Europe; ils sont datés du Stade Isotopique Marin (MIS) 11, autour de 420 ka. Le but de cet article est double, d'une part de présenter l'évolution des castors à travers les fossiles d'Aroeira, et d'autre part de discuter des implications paléoécologiques et paléoenvironnementales de la présence de ce rongeur dans le karst d’Almonda. Cela nous permet de discuter des possibles interactions entre humains et castors

The Latest Occurrence of Stephanorhinus hundsheimensis (Rhinocerotidae) in Europe: The Skeletons from the Cova del Rinoceront Site (Castelldefels, Barcelona).

New rhino remains recovered from Cova del Rinoceront (Castelldefels, Barcelona) confirm the presence of Stephanorhinus hundsheimensis (Toula, 1902) at the site and the taxon’s persistence until the late Middle–early Upper Pleistocene in Europe, that is, its latest documented occurrence. The three individuals recovered from the site are compared with specimens of other Pleistocene species, including those of S. hemitoechus, S. kirchbergensis and Coelodonta antiquitatis, but their anatomical characteristics (a long skull, moderate occipital elevation, partial nasal septum, and slender zygomatic arch) do not coincide with the latter’s documented features. Certain similarities are found with the most frequently occurring rhinocerotid at that time in the Iberian Peninsula, S. hemitoechus, but the cranial features of the latter differ. The anatomical characteristics of the Cova del Rinoceront individuals coincide most closely with those of S. hundsheimensis (i.e., a high occipital face, with rounded proximolateral angles and oblique lateral borders, as well as the frontoparietal angle, and facial development). Despite the marked overlaps in the general measurements of S. hundsheimensis and S. hemitoechus, many (cranial and postcranial) dimensions of the Cova del Rinoceront individuals coincide more closely with those of the former, although some bone proportions are more similar to those of the latter specimens. Therefore, S. kirchbergensis and C. antiquitatis can be discarded as they tend to be larger, more robust species

The characterization of bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) coprolites in the archaeological record

The archaeological record of the Lagar Velho rock shelter (Lapedo Valley, Leiria, Portugal) bears testimony to several significant Upper Palaeolithic occupations, most notably the Lapedo Child burial (LV1) dating from the Gravettian. Excavations undertaken at the site since 2018 have seen the recovery of a large quantity of coprolites, above all in layer 143 (c. 29 ka cal BP). The study of these fossilized remains points to the bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) as the main coprogenic agent and provides the first descriptions of these avian coprolites in archaeological assemblages. The analyses reported involved the comparison of the coprogenic samples with modern bearded vulture scats. A new morphotype is proposed for discriminating the faeces of this avian scavenger based on (1) macroscopic analyses, (2) morphometric comparisons with other fossil and modern scats and (3) their mineralogical and elemental composition. Among the criteria proposed here to identify the coprolites of the bearded vulture are their cylindrical shape, diameter, pointed extremities and homogeneous porous texture, as well as their massive internal texture, hard consistency and total absence of bone inclusions (attributable in all likelihood to a high digastric juice acidity capable of dissolving bones). Our results indicate that, as well as being used by humans for short-term stays, the Lagar Velho rock shelter was used by the bearded vulture as a nesting site. We provide new evidence from Iberia of the activity of this avian scavenger as a bone accumulator in archaeological sites

Caracterización de las amterias primas líticas del yacimiento paleolítico de la Dolina de l'Esquerda de ls Alzines (macizo del Garraf, Barcelona)

[spa] El presente estudio se centra en la caracterización macroscópica y microscópica de las materias primas silíceas del yacimiento de la Dolina de l'Esquerda de les Alzines, un yacimiento del Pleistoceno superior ubicado en el macizo del Garraf. El objetivo ha sido establecer distintas variedades de sílex, mediante la descripción macroscópica y microscópica de los elementos del conjunto lítico, para disponer, por vez primera, de unas categorías definidas de los recursos abióticos silíceos disponibles y explotados durante la prehistoria en este macizo. Además, mediante el presente estudio se ha evaluado también la posible procedencia y el área captación de dichas materias. [eng]The present study focuses on the macroscopic and microscopic characterization of siliceous raw materials from the archeological site of Dolina de l'Esquerda de les Alzines, an Upper Pleistocene deposit located in the Garraf Massif. The aim of this study has been to establish different varieties of chert, by a precise description of the elements of the lithic assemblage, to provide for the first time a few categories defined from the siliceous abiotic resources available and exploited during Prehistory in the massif. Furthermore, through the present study we also assessed the possible origin and procurement area of such materials

A 39,600-year-old leather punch board from Canyars, Gavà, Spain

Puncture alignments are found on Palaeolithic carvings, pendants, and other fully shaped These marks were interpreted as abstract decorations, system of notations, and features and animal depictions. Here, we create an experimental framework for the analysis and human-made punctures and apply it to a highly intriguing, punctured bone fragment found at Early Upper Palaeolithic coastal site from Catalonia, Spain. Changes of tool and variation in the and orientation of punctures are consistent with the interpretation of this object as the earliest- work punch board recording six episodes of hide pricking, one of which was to produce a linear results indicate that Aurignacian hunters-gatherers used this technology to produce leather tailored clothes well before the introduction of bone eyed needles in Europe 15,000 years later

Un conjunto numismático del siglo XVI en la Cova del Ramal de la Raconada (Castelldefels, Barcelona)

[eng]A few 16th century coins found in the Cova del Ramal de la Raconada (Castelldefels, Barcelona) This paper announces the finding of eight coins at the excavation site of the Cova del Ramal de la Raconada (Castelldefels, Barcelona). An analysis of the cluster enables this numismatic material to be situated chronologically in the third quarter of the 16th century and to associate it with the monetary circulation at the beginning of the Modern Age. In addition, the material from the Cova del Ramal de la Raconada and other Bajo Llobregat locations enables us to make assumptions on the historical context at the end of the 16th century in the Barcelona coastal region.[spa]En el presente trabajo se da a conocer el hallazgo de ocho monedas procedentes del yacimiento arqueológico de la Cova del Ramal de la Raconada (Castelldefels, Barcelona). El estudio del conjunto permite situar cronológicamente el material numismático en el tercer cuarto del siglo XVI y ponerlo en relación con la circulación monetaria del inicio de la Edad Moderna. Asimismo, los materiales procedentes de la Cova del Ramal de la Raconada, junto con otras localidades del Bajo Llobregat, permiten hacer inferencias sobre el contexto histórico de finales del siglo XVI en el litoral de Barcelona

Intervencions arqueològiques a la Cova del Rinoceront (pedrera de ca n'Aymerich, Castelldefels)

L'any 2002 es van iniciar les intervencions arqueològiques al jaciment prehistòric, inèdit fins ara, de la cova del Rinoceront de la pedrera de ca n'Aymerich, al terme municipal de Castelldefels (Baix Llobregat, província de Barcelona); intervencions dirigides pel Grup de Recerca del Quaternari del SERP de la Universitat de Barcelona. Les referències històriques sobre l'existència de jaciments quaternaris de característiques semblants a l'entorn de la cova del Rinoceront anteriors a la nostra intervenció són escassos. Sabem, però, que a la mateixa pedrera on hi ha aquest jaciment, als anys quaranta, J. F. de Villalta i M. Crusafont (1950) van localitzar algunes bretxes amb material del plistocè