New insights into the study of Palaeolithic rock art: dismantling the "Basque Country Void"

The Vasco-Cantabrian region of northern Spain, together with southwestern France, is one of the richest areas in terms of Paleolithic cave art, but, until recently, by far the highest concentration of sites had been in the central-western sector: the provinces of Cantabria and Asturias. In contrast, the eastern sector, the Basque Country-between the Asón River and the Pyrenees-was thought to have a significantly lower density of cave art loci, and few of them were major “sanctuaries”. The density of cave art sites seemed to increase again in the central French Pyrenees. This unequal distribution was difficult to explain given the homogeneity in the distribution of undecorated (i.e., habitation) Upper Paleolithic sites, as well as the lack of major lithological or orographic differences between the eastern and central-western sectors of the region. In addition, the important geostrategic position of the Basque Country between southwestern France and northwestern Iberia seemed to contradict the marginal role traditionally suggested by the parietal art record. During the past decade, however, research projects aiming to address the issue of the so-called Basque rock art void have led to the tripling of the number of known decorated caves in the eastern sector. Some of the very recent discoveries, notably in Atxurra, Armintxe, and Aitzbitarte IV, fall into the category of major cave art sites. The evidence presented here contributes to a fuller understanding of artistic production, human connections, and settlement dynamics during the entire Upper Paleolithic among the Cantabrian, Pyrenean, and Aquitaine regions, underlining the importance of the Basque Country record

Ossas-Suhare – Les grottes ornées du massif des Arbailles (Etxeberri-Sasiziloaga-Sinhikole)

Identifiant de l'opération archéologique : 025117 Date de l'opération : 2008 (RE) Le projet d’étude des grottes ornées du massif des Arbailles a débuté en 2007 et s’est prolongé en 2008. L’objectif principal est la mise en place d’une documentation scientifique et exhaustive de l’art de ces trois cavités afin de pallier le déficit documentaire actuel en suivant comme ligne directrice la détermination des relations et des liens entre les deux pôles géographiques que sont les Cantabres et les P..

The cave art of de Arbaila mountains a current situation of its tardiglacial chronological context

Las cuevas decoradas del macizo de Arbaila, cuyo estudio se remonta a mediados e inicios del último cuarto del siglo XX e inicios del último cuarto, no han sido objeto de una valoración posterior. En la realidad arqueológica actual, aún con sus aspectos específicos, encajan netamente con lo que conocemos de la actividad gráfica durante el Magdaleniense reciente en la cornisa cantábrica y Pirineos

Descubriendo a los primeros artistas ¿un ejercicio posible?

Resumen: La Región Cantábrica presenta la mayor concentración de cuevas decoradas paleolíticas de Europa y, junto a los Pirineos y la región de Dordoña, es una de las tres áreas clásicas de estudio del arte parietal paleolítico. Es decir, se trata de una fuente de información indispensable para conocer dicho fenómeno. Aunque los datos sobre el origen de la actividad gráfica en la región son escasos y poco precisos, sabemos que prácticamente desde los momentos iniciales del Paleolítico Superior se caracteriza por la existencia de una serie de tradiciones gráficas específicas que le son propias y que marcarán un ?carácter distintivo? al territorio durante algo más de 15.000 años. En las fases finales del periodo, desde el Magdaleniense medio, un rápido proceso globalizador acabará con esas diferencias a favor de un arte unitario que englobará a los distintos territoriosAbstract: The Cantabrian Region presents the highest concentration of rock art caves in Europe and, next to the Pyrenees and the Dordogne region, is one of the three classic areas of study of Palaeolithic art. That is, this is an indispensable source of information to research this phenomenon. Even if the data on the origin of graphic activity in the region are scarce and inaccurate, we know that practically since the initial moments of the Upper Palaeolithic it is characterized by the existence of a series of specific graphic traditions giving a ?distinctive character? to the territory for over 15,000 years. In the final stages of the period, from the middle Magdalenian, a fast globalising process will end with those differences in favour of a standardised art that will encompass the different territorie

L’art mobilier gravettien sur support lithique de la grotte d’Isturitz (Saint-Martin-d’Arberoue, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France) : une collection redécouverte

Le site archéologique de la grotte d’Isturitz (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) est spécialement connu pour la quantité et l’importance de son art mobilier magdalénien. En ce qui concerne les supports ornés des niveaux solutréens, gravettiens et aurignaciens, ils sont largement méconnus, particulièrement ceux correspondant aux fouilles de Saint-Périer qui ont livré un nombre assez significatif d’objets décorés. Ce travail présente une partie des résultats de la révision effectuée sur les collections conservées au Musée d’Archéologie Nationale, issues des fouilles de R. et S. de Saint-Périer et E. Passemard.Cette révision nous a permis de renouveler la documentation de l’art mobilier antémagdalénien d’Isturitz, en révélant un ensemble très fourni de représentations figuratives et non figuratives, dont les caractéristiques formelles, très homogènes, sont directement liées aux figurations pariétales gravettiennes des grottes contemporaines comme Cussac, Gargas, Cosquer ou Roucadour. Nous n’évoquerons ici que les figures animales.Les données rassemblées permettent de lier la production artistique mobilière d’Isturitz avec des modèles formels qui se sont développés en France pendant le Gravettien, sans atteindre, dans l’état actuel de nos connaissances, la Péninsule Ibérique.The archaeological site of the cave of Isturitz (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) is especially known by the quantity and the importance of its Magdalenian portable art. But the decorated supports from the Solutrean, Gravettian and Magdalenian levels are largely ignored, particularly those from Saint-Périer excavations which offered a rather significant number of decorated objects.This work is a part of the result of the revision carried out on the collections preserved at the Museum of National Archaeology, resulting from the excavations from R. and S. de Saint-Périer and E. Passemard.This revision enabled us to renew the documentation of premagdalenian portable art of Isturitz, by revealing many figurative and nonfigurative representations, whose formal characteristics are very homogeneous and directly related to the Gravettian parietal figurations of caves like Cussac, Gargas, Cosquer or Roucadour. Only animal figures are treated in this paper.The data rassembled allows to linking the portable artistic production of Isturitz with formal models which are developed throughout France during Gravettian, without reaching, in the actual position of our knowledge, the Iberian Peninsula

The Cantabrian Lower Magdalenian striated hinds on scapulae: Towards a new definition of a graphic morphotype

From the graphic point of view, the theme of the ?striated hind? is a true fossildirector of the Cantabrian Lower Magdalenian. Represented for the most part on scapulae in the case of portable art, it also possesses its correlation in parietal art. The C14 dates currently available do not allow any doubts about its chrono-cultural attribution. However, the concept of ?striated engraving?, referring to a technical/stylistic resource, has been used much more expansively to characterize chronologically a large number of representations of doubtful attribution. Therefore, this paper will define, from a precise study of technical characteristics involving both microscopic and formal analysis, the ?striated hind? morphotype, as opposed to the notion of ?striated engraving?, which will also be reviewed in the light of the formal and technical data available. This redefinition will enable us to address more precisely the dispersion across space and time of this graphic resource so characteristic of the Cantabrian Lower Magdalenian.The results presented in this paper have been partially funded by the research project of the Spanish Science Ministry “Learning and developing of artistic skills in anatomically modern humans: a multidisciplinary approach” HAR2017- 87739-P, lead by Olivia Rivero

Isturitz, Saint-Martin-d’Arberoue – Les grottes ornées de la colline de Gaztelu : Isturitz et Oxocelhaya

Le projet pluridisciplinaire développé dans la colline de Gaztelu depuis 2011 a comme but l’étude de l’art pariétal et des autres vestiges paléolithiques sur les parois ainsi que leur relation avec l’occupation du site et, de manière indirecte, avec la formation et la transformation du karst de la colline elle-même. Après une prise de contact au cours de la première campagne, en 2012, des travaux de documentation de l’art pariétal et des dépôts des parois du niveau supérieur d’Isturitz ont ét..