La tecnología lítica de La Maya y El Basalito (Salamanca): nuevas aportaciones desde la talla experimental

Experimental archaeology is a field that helps us to understand how prehistoric activities developed. Experimentation also facilitates our understanding of hominid tool knapping procedures and technologies.Experimental knapping is one of the main methodologies used to analyse the influence of raw materials, the knapper's role, cultural heritage and economy in prehistoric technological repertoires.Two classic Mode 2 (Acheulian) deposits were studied within the framework of these experimental premises: La Maya and El Basalito. Tool variations were analyzed, differentiating aspects related to technical solutions from those associated with the group's cultural tradition and the intensity of the occupation.La arqueología experimental es una disciplina que facilita la comprensión del desarrollo de las diferentes actividades de la prehistoria. A través de la experimentación se pueden llegar a comprender los procedimientos y las técnicas que llevaron a cabo los homínidos en la fabricación de sus herramientas.La talla experimental es una de las principales vías metodológicas en el análisis de la influencia de las materias primas, el papel del tallador, la herencia cultural y la economía en los repertorios tecnológicos del pasado.El estudio bajo esas premisas experimentales, de dos yacimientos clásicos del Modo 2 del achelense: La Maya y El Basalito, permiten analizar la variabilidad instrumental, diferenciando los aspectos ligados a soluciones técnicas de aquellos relacionados a la tradición cultural del grupo o al grado de intensidad ocupacional

La tecnología lítica neandertal de Valdegoba en el contexto del Paleolítico medio de la Meseta norte

We present the first complete analysis of the lithic technology at the stratified site of Valdegoba, a key Middle Palaeolithic locality in the Duero drainage. Valdegoba is an OIS 3 site that has provided the only Neanderthal remains in this region, as well as important evidence on late Neanderthal settlement. In particular the site provides information about the techniques deployed in domestic activities such as the exploitation of mammalian resources (especially chamois hides and fur). Its technological features are characteristic of the Middle Paleolithic sensu stricto (a high percentage of levallois and discoid methods), as well as important features such as the management of lithic resources, the increased production of elongated flakes and a great diversity of lithic cores.En este artículo se presenta el primer análisis completo de la tecnología lítica en estratigrafía de Valdegoba, uno de los lugares clave del Paleolítico medio en la Cuenca del Duero. Valdegoba es un yacimiento del Estadio Isotópico Marino (MIS) 3 que ha aportado los únicos restos óseos neandertales en este entorno, así como evidencias muy relevantes sobre el poblamiento de los últimos neandertales. En particular, destacan sus respuestas técnicas en relación con actividades domésticas ligadas al aprovechamiento de recursos cárnicos (especializado en el rebeco) como el trabajo de pieles y forros. Su tecnología está caracterizada por rasgos propios del Paleolítico medio sensu stricto (alto porcentaje de métodos levallois y discoide) y otros relevantes y particulares como la gestión de las materias primas, el incremento de productos alargados o la presencia de una gran diversidad de núcleos

A structure from the sixth millennium cal BC with no artifactual content at San Quirce (Palencia, Spain): a multidisciplinary study

During the course of the excavations of the San Quirce open-air archaeological site in Spain, an unusual negative structure was identified in the Holocene level dated ca. sixth millennium cal BC. A fire pit alongside a single post-hole and intense fire-burning activity was recorded. Yet, the most striking feature of the structure is the absence of any artifactual or faunal record associated to it, something without a known archaeological parallel. Its interpretation represents an archaeological challenge addressed through a multidisciplinary approach including geoarchaeological, palaeobotanical techniques and experimental archaeology. Fifteen stratigraphically distinguishable combustion events showing a diachronic fire record, the significant structure’s dimensions and particularly the post-hole, indicate its anthropic origin. Archaeomagnetic and micromorphological data allowed reconstructing and temporally sequencing some formation and post-depositional processes, some involving water flows. Maximum heating temperatures between 480 and 525 °C were determined in one of the combustion features studied. The identification of grassy tufts would suggest a seasonal settlement of the site. We cannot yield a definite explanation for the artifactual absence, but the available data and an experimental archaeology recreation suggest that the structure could be used as a small hut/open-air bivouac, over which short-lived occupations were repeatedly carried out.Junta de Castilla y León (project BU235P18) with also FEDER founding

New Palaeolithic sites from the Depresión de Monforte de Lemos (Lugo, Galicia, Spain)

Este artículo presenta el descubrimiento de nuevos yacimientos paleolíticos en la Depresión de Monforte de Lemos (Noroeste de la Península Ibérica). Esta zona fue rellenada con depósitos cuaternarios que han proporcionado más de 30 yacimientos al aire libre. Como consecuencia del descubrimiento casual de artefactos paleolíticos, se ha desarrollado un proyecto de intervención arqueológica sistemática, que ha demostrado el potencial de esta área. Muchos de los artefactos líticos han sido hallados en superficie, pero además contamos con dos yacimientos que tienen materiales en contexto estratigráfico (O Regueiral y Áspera). En la Depresión de Monforte hemos atestiguado poblamiento humano a lo largo del Pleistoceno medio y superior, con implementos líticos clasificados como Modo 2, Modo 3 y Modo 4. Los yacimientos más importantes son As Lamas, Chao de Fabeiro (ambos con industria lítica de Modo 2, que incluye bifaces y hendedores), O Regueiral (Modo 3) y Valverde (Modo 4). Por consiguiente, la Depresión de Monforte reúne las condiciones apropiadas para el desarrollo de un estudio diacrónico sobre la evolución del comportamiento técnico durante el Paleolítico, y su relación con la evolución del medioambiente a lo largo del PleistocenoThis paper reports the discovery of new Paleolithic sites in the Depresión de Monforte de Lemos (Monforte Basin, NW of the Iberian Peninsula). This zone was filled with Quaternary deposits that have yielded 30 open air sites. Due to the casual discovery of Paleolithic artifacts a systematic archaeological work was carried out, assessing the archaeological potential of this area. Most of these lithic artifacts were found on surface, but also we have located two sites with archaeological materials in stratigraphic context (O Regueiral and Áspera). In the basin of Monforte we have recognized a human settlement along the Middle and Upper Pleistocene, with lithic implements classified as Mode 2, Mode 3 and Mode 4. The most important sites are As Lamas, Chao de Fabeiro (both with Mode 2 lithic industry, that includes handaxes and cleavers), O Regueiral (Mode 3), and Valverde (Mode 4). Thus the Monforte Basin has the adequate conditions to accomplish a diachronic study on the evolution of the strategies of technical behavior during the Paleolithic, and its relation with the evolution of Pleistocene environmentEste trabajo se enmarca en el proyecto de investigación “Ocupaciones humanas durante el Pleistoceno de la Cuenca media del Miño” financiado por el Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia y fondos FEDER de la UE (HUM2007-63662/HIST)S

Fire and brief human occupations in Iberia during MIS 4: Evidence from Abric del Pastor (Alcoy, Spain)

There is a relatively low amount of Middle Paleolithic sites in Europe dating to MIS 4. Of the few that exist, several of them lack evidence for anthropogenic fire, raising the question of how this period of global cooling may have affected the Neanderthal population. The Iberian Peninsula is a key area to explore this issue, as it has been considered as a glacial refugium during critical periods of the Neanderthal timeline and might therefore yield archaeological contexts in which we can explore possible changes in the behaviour and settlement patterns of Neanderthal groups during MIS 4. Here we report recent data from Abric del Pastor, a small rock shelter in Alcoy (Alicante, Spain) with a stratified deposit containing Middle Palaeolithic remains. We present absolute dates that frame the sequence within MIS 4 and multi-proxy geoarchaeological evidence of in situ anthropogenic fire, including microscopic evidence of in situ combustion residues and thermally altered sediment. We also present archaeostratigraphic evidence of recurrent, functionally diverse, brief human occupation of the rock shelter. Our results suggest that Neanderthals occupied the Central Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula during MIS 4, that these Neanderthals were not undergoing climatic stress and they were habitual fire users.This research was funded by a Leakey Foundation General Grant, Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities Projects HAR2008-06117/HIST and HAR2015-68321-P, Junta de Castilla y León-FEDER Project BU235P18, the LabEx Sciences Archéologiques de Bordeaux (LaScArBx ANR-10-LABX-52) and ERC Consolidator Grant ERC-CoG-2014. Archaeological excavations at Abric del Pastor are supported by the Archaeological Museum of Alcoy and the Government of Valencia Cultural Heritage Department

Level TE9c of Sima del Elefante (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain): A comprehensive approach

Level TE9c of the Sima del Elefante site (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain) is one of the oldest sites with evidence of human occupation in western Europe. We began excavating level TE9c in 2003, and the work there continues today. The studies of the archaeology, palaeontology and geology from this locality have provided an indispensable dataset with which to capture a picture in the scenario of the origin of humans in Europe. Based on these data, we raise and discuss several topics, such as the possible origin of the lineage of the first hominins that inhabited western Europe; their capacity to have active hunting or scavenging abilities; whether their subsistence strategies were successful; and what the environment and habitats where these hominin groups settled was like. The aim of this paper is to present the results and discussions obtained from the research team and to establish the primary features of early human occupations in southwestern Europe. Tentatively, we may conclude, based on the events recorded at TE9c, that the first humans were in the Iberian peninsula at around 1.2 Ma they used the caves of the Sierra de Atapuerca as shelters probably during their hunting activities; the cavities were surrounded by Mediterranean forest, rivers and water ponds, and varied habitats as suggested by the rich and diverse assemblage of fossils of vertebrates (fish, amphibians and reptiles, birds, large and small mammals); where humans possibly caught what they found in the surroundings

Looking at handaxes from another angle: Assessing the ergonomic and functional importance of edge form in Acheulean bifaces

Edge angle is widely considered to be a morphological attribute that influences the functional performance of lithic technologies. However, the comparative performance capabilities of handaxes that vary in terms of edge angles has never been investigated under experimental conditions. Similarly, detailed accounts of Acheulean handaxe angle variation from archaeological examples have not been reported in the literature. Consequently, it has not previously been possible to assess the extent to which Palaeolithic individuals adhered to specific edge angle ranges during handaxe production or whether resultant artifactual properties may have been in response to varying rates of utility. Here, using a substantial experimental program (n = 500 handaxes), we investigate the impact that edge angle variation has on the cutting efficiency of handaxes at a “whole tool” and “edge-point localized” level. We then examine edge angles in a temporally and geographically wide range of handaxes (n = 643) and assess the extent to which hominins were likely altering tool production choices in response to functional pressures. Our experimental results demonstrate that, up to a certain value, higher edge angles in handaxes can actually increase functional performance. Furthermore, results indicate that edges in the proximal portion of handaxes have the greatest influence over efficiency rates. Combined with examination of archaeological specimens, these results suggest that hominins actively pursued the production of more obtuse edges in the proximal (butt) portion of handaxes in order to increase ergonomic features that facilitated greater efficiency during use. Edge angle values in the proximal portion of the archaeological handaxes were, however, consistently found to be below an efficiency threshold identified at ?70 degrees, above which, an edge’s ability to effectively be applied to cutting tasks decreases markedly. This further suggests that the proximal edges of handaxes, at least occasionally, were required as a functional working edge

The influence of raw material qualities in the lithictechnology of Gran Dolina (Units TD6 and TD10) and Galería(Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos, Spain): A view fromexperimental archeology

10.1016/j.crpv.2014.02.002This paper analyses the qualities of the raw materials used in two Palaeolithic sites (Gran Dolina and Galería) of the Sierra de Atapuerca (Burgos, Spain) during the Lower and Middle Pleistocene, and their influence in the development of knapping. These sites offer a chronological sequence that allows us to study the evolution of lithic technology at a local scale during 1.2. Ma. Combining technological analysis and experimental archaeology has proven to be an excellent tool for the understanding and the interpretation of the qualities of raw materials and their relation with the development of the gestures, methods and techniques

Las tradiciones culturales y la variabilidad en el Paleolítico antiguo. El ejemplo de los yacimientos de la Meseta norte (Península Ibérica)

En el debate actual sobre el Paleolítico antiguo en Europa destacan los análisis de las herencias culturales y de la variabilidad. La importancia de esta temática está determinada por englobar conceptos tan relevantes en la evolución humana como tecnología, comunicación y entorno. Las características de los conjuntos líticos se basan en la existencia de tradiciones culturales y en la transmisión de conocimientos. Las diversas tradiciones culturales presentan diferentes escalas de difusión geográfica. A estas tradiciones se suman variables particulares marcadas por las incidencias específicas de cada ocupación. En este artículo se describen las diferentes tradiciones culturales y variables que están implicadas en los caracteres tecnológicos de los principales yacimientos del Paleolítico antiguo en la Meseta Norte de la Península Ibérica (Gran Dolina, Galería, Ambrona, La Maya, El Basalito y San Quirce)

The influence of raw material qualities in the lithictechnology of Gran Dolina (Units TD6 and TD10) and Galería(Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos, Spain): A view fromexperimental archeology

The influence of raw material qualities in the lithictechnology of Gran Dolina (Units TD6 and TD10) and Galería(Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos, Spain): A view fromexperimental archeology</div>