Assessing site potential, sequence and looting damage of the Palaeolithic deposits at La Cova del Moro (El Poble Nou de Benitatxell, Alicante, Mediterranean Iberia).

[eng]This paper assesses the potential and sequence of the Palaeolithic human occupations at la Cova del Moro site and the effects of the irretrievable damage caused by anthropogenic processes, including illicit excavations and urban development. While the site was discovered in 1898, it was never exca­vated with scientific methods, despite being located in an area of Mediterranean Iberia renowned for the high density of Upper Paleolithic sites. Information collected from looters trenches to clarify the sequence and quantify the damages, first radiocarbon dates and full analysis of the materials recovered have been central to this assessment and provide the foundation for future controlled excavations. The results show that the site preserves a long Upper Palaeolithic sequence.[cat] Aquest treball avalua el potencial i la seqüència de les ocupacions paleolítiques del jaciment de La Cova del Moro i els efectes del dany irreparable causat pels processos humans, inclosos les excavacions clandestines i el desenvolupament urbanístic. Tot i que el lloc va ser descobert el 1898, mai no ha estat excavat amb mètodes científics, tot i estar situat en una zona de la Mediterrània ibèrica amb una densitat de jaciments del Paleolític superior. La informació recollida en la zona afectada pels saquejadors per aclarir la seqüència i quantificar els danys, les primeres datacions de radiocarboni i l'anàlisi completa dels materials recuperats han estat fonamentals per a aquesta avaluació i proporcionen les bases per a futures excavacions controlades. Els resultats mostren que el jaciment conserva una llarga seqüència del Paleolític superior

Faunal study from Abrigo de la Quebrada level IV and its contribution to the knowledge of the economy and human behaviour in the Middle Palaeolithic of iberian mediterranean region

El Abrigo de la Quebrada (Chelva, Valencia) es un yacimiento con varios niveles de ocupación del Paleolítico medio. El nivel IV, con dos dataciones de 43.930 ± 750 BP (Beta-244002) y >51,6 ka BP (OxA-24855), se caracteriza por su estructura de palimpsesto y la elevada densidad de restos arqueológicos (industria lítica, fauna, carbones y estructuras de combustión). El conjunto óseo se compone de 100.907 restos, con una mayor presencia de las familias Bovidae, Equidae, Cervidae y Testudinidae. La presencia de fracturas frescas, muescas de percusión y marcas de corte confirma el carácter antrópico de la muestra, así como las termoalteraciones. Dada la elevada fragmentación de la muestra (1% de identificados), se ha llevado a cabo también el análisis de las esquirlas óseas de <3cm, las cuales han reafirmado los datos del estudio arqueozoológico y tafonómico de los restos identificados. El trabajo aporta nuevos datos económicos en el marco del Paleolítico medio de la zona mediterránea de la Península ibérica.The site of Abrigo de la Quebrada (Chelva, Valencia) is a shelter with several levels with Middle Palaeolithic occupations. The level IV, with two dates of 43,930 ± 750 BP (Beta-244002) and >51.6 ka BP (OxA-24855), has a palimpsest structure and a high density of archaeological remains (lithic industry, fauna, charcoals and combustion structures). The bone sample contains 100,907 remains, with a better representation of Bovidae, Equidae, Cervidae and Testudinidae families. The presence of fresh fractures, percussion notches and cut marks confirms the anthropogenic character of the sample, as well as the thermoalterations. Given the high fragmentation of the bones (1% of identified), a specific analysis of the bone chips (less than <3cm) has been carried out. The results have confirmed the data obtain from the archaeozoological and taphonomical study of the identifiable remains. The current work contributes with new economic data to the Middle Palaeolithic framework of the Iberian Mediterranean region.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación HAR2011-24978 HAR2014-52671-P HAR-2017-85153-PGeneralitat Valenciana PROMETEOII/ 2013/016 PROMETEO/2017/06

Cova de les Malladetes (Valencia, Spain). New insights about the Early Upper Palaeolithic in the Mediterranean Basin of the Iberian Peninsula

New excavations carried out at Cova de les Malladetes confirm and improve previous information on the archaeological sequence of this site. A total of 29 new dates allow to specify the chronology of the Aurignacian (levels XIVA-XII) and Gravettian (levels XI-VII). Furthermore, concerning the results obtained during the 1970 excavation, three new levels were identified: level XIVB, which represents a short temporal human occupation hiatus, and levels XV and XVI with some hearths and anthropic evidence, although the lithic material does not permit a cultural attribution. This paper presents data obtained from the analysis of archaeobotanical, micro and macrofaunal assemblages and lithic and osseous industry. Results are relevant concerning the paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental characterisation of the Early Upper Palaeolithic, as well as for assessing the human occupation patterns during the Gravettian and Aurignacian. Moreover, we evaluate the chronological implications of the basal levels (XIVB, XV and XVI), drawing attention to the absence of an important temporal gap between this phase and the start of the Early Upper Palaeolithic at the site. Finally, our new data extend the information provided by other sites in the Spanish Mediterranean region, allowing a more defined characterisation of the Early Upper Palaeolithic, especially regarding the Evolved Aurignacian chronology and its techno-typological structure, with the presence of Roc-de-Combe subtype Dufour bladelets