La Cuevona de Avín (Avín, Asturias, North Spain): A new Late Pleistocene site in the lower valley of the River Güeña

The archaeological investigations carried out in the last twenty years in the Lower Valley of the River Güeña (Asturias, central part of northern Spain) have documented different prehistoric sites, particularly with Middle and Upper Palaeolithic occupations. This paper presents the first results of the archaeological excavation carried out in the cave of La Cuevona de Avín. From the systematic study of the biotic and abiotic remains, a total of three occupation phases (Phases 1 to 3) have been determined, dated in the Late Pleistocene. The lithic studies indicate the use of local raw materials (mainly quartzite), but also regional ones (different types of flint) in the whole sequence. Retouched implements are typologically representative only during the Upper Magdalenian (Phase II) and use-wear analysis indicates the manufacture and use of artefacts in situ during this phase. Archaeozoological studies reveal continuity in subsistence strategies throughout the sequence, noting specialization in red deer hunting during the Azilian (Phase I), and more diversified prey in the older phases of the sequence. © 2022 The Author(s

The Solutrean Antlerworking in Hort de Cortés–Volcán del Faro (Valencia, Spain) in the Southwest Europe Context: a Preliminary Study

In this work, we present a preliminary analysis of the Solutrean antlerworking at Hort de Cortés–Volcán del Faro (Valencia, Spain) (ca. 26–21 ka cal BP). A restudy of its archaeological sequence, which came to encompass the Early Upper Palaeolithic to the Magdalenian period, has been a mandatory subject in the last years. This site became an archaeological reference since the beginning of its excavation in the 1960s but has not been systematically studied. The implementation of more specialized studies is used a) to observe the distribution of technical pieces in the stratigraphy and identify possible stratigraphic alterations and b) to restudy a huge lithic, osseous, and faunal collection which can provide new information that may clarify them. The aim is to develop a systematic study, from a technological point of view, to identify and characterize operational schemes and to define the modalities of antlerworking. The technological analysis of waste products, blanks, roughouts, and objects allows us to observe how raw material is obtained and transformed into a toolkit following the refitting by default method. It will help us analyze some questions about the raw material acquisition and transformation like (1) selection between hunted and shed antlers and its possible explanation, (2) the existence of planning of tool manufacture, and (3) the step-by-step production of the debitage. We will extract conclusions and analyze different social aspects: (1) by identifying technical traditions and comparing them with other studied sites and periods and (2) by knowing a new aspect of the way of life of these human groups

The Early and Middle Holocene Lithic Industries of Ifri n’Etsedda (Eastern Rif, Morocco)

[EN] Archaeological research has been carried out in the Eastern Rif (Morocco) since 1995 by a collaborative Moroccan-German research team. A major topic of the project is the transition from hunting-gathering to food production and related cultural developments. Innovations such as pottery and domesticated species appeared around 7.6 ka calBP. The cultivation of cereals and pulses is evident at that time. Two of the most important sites in the area are Ifri Oudadane and Ifri n’Etsedda. Both provide Epipaleolithic as well as Neolithic deposits. While innovative technologies such as pottery production and cultivation indicate external influences, lithic artifacts demonstrate local technological and behavioral traditions. Therefore, the study of lithic industries is crucial to understanding the nature of cultural continuity and discontinuity between the hunting-gathering and agricultural populations in the Eastern Rif. Ifri n’Etsedda provides two distinct Epipaleolithic deposits and thus offers the opportunity to study possible changes throughout the Epipalaeolithic and relationship to the later Early Neolithic (ENC). In combination with the earlier phases of Early Neolithic assemblages (ENA, ENB) at Ifri Oudadane, we are now in a better position to understand the development of early-to-mid Holocene lithic technology in the Eastern Rif. We show that the lithic record of Ifri n’Etsedda does not indicate any significant change in raw material supply, blank production, and tool distribution from the Early Epipaleolithic to the Early Neolithic B. Therefore, we argue for behavioral continuity from the Epipaleolithic to the Neolithic period. In contrast, the assemblages of the Early Neolithic C show changes in lithic technology.[FR] Depuis 1995, des recherches archéologiques sont effectuées dans le Rif oriental (Maroc) par une équipe de chercheurs marocains-allemands. Un des sujets principaux du projet sera la transition des chasseurs-cueilleurs à la production alimentaire et aux développements reliés. Les innovations néolithiques telles que la poterie et les espèces domestiques apparaissent autour de 7.6 ka calBP, à l’époque où la culture des plantes est clairement documentée pour les céréales et les légumineuses. L’Ifri Oudadane et l’Ifri n’Etsedda sont les deux sites les plus importants de la région. Les deux fournissent des couches épipaléolithiques et néolithiques. Tandis que des technologies innovantes telles que la production de la poterie ou l’agriculture témoignent des influences externes, les artefacts lithiques pourront porter la preuve de traditions technologiques et comportementales. Par conséquent, l’étude des industries lithiques est cruciale pour discuter de la continuité ou de la discontinuité de le peuplement humaine. L’Ifri n’Etsedda fournit deux couches épipaléolithiques bien séparées et nous donnera ainsi l’occasion d’étudier les changements possibles tout au long de l’ère épipaléolithique elle-même, ainsi que des couches du néolithique ancien C (ENC). Avec les assemblages du site Ifri Oudadane (ENA, ENB), le développement de la technologie lithique holocène dans le Rif oriental pourra désormais être étudié. Nous montrons que l’assemblage lithique de l’Ifri n’Etsedda n’indique aucun changement significatif en termes d’approvisionnement en matières premières, de débitage et de distribution d’outils du début de l’épipaléolithique au debut du néolithique B (ENB). Pour cette raison, nous supposons une continuité comportementale de l’épipaléolithique au néolithique. Contrairement, l’assemblage de la couche du Néolithique ancien C (ENC) montre les changements de la technologie lithique.Open Access funding provided by Projekt DEAL. The fieldwork and analysis of the lithic material have been funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation—Grant number 57444011) in the framework of the Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 806 “Our way to Europe” project C2. The use-wear analysis was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Grant number HAR2016-75201-P).Peer reviewe

La Cuevona de Avín (Avín, Asturias, North Spain): a new Late Pleistocene site in the lower valley of the River Güeña

Bioarchaeolog

La Cuevona de Avín (Avín, Asturias, North Spain): a new Late Pleistocene site in the lower valley of the River Güeña

Bioarchaeolog