The extinction of  Ursus spelaeus remains controversial. In this paper, data from two archaeological sites from NE Iberian Peninsula are presented. Thus, the Middle-Upper Paleolithic term is thoroughly analysed by combining radiocarbon datings, palaeontological remains and archaeological finding

Maroto, J.

Ramió, S.

Solés, A.

Repositorio da Universidade da Coruña

Cadernos Lab. Xeolóxico de LaxeCoruña. 2001. Vol. 26, pp. 407-414ISSN: 0213-4497The Ursus spelaeus disappearancearchaeologically registered in the Northeastof CataloniaRegistro arqueológico de la desaparición deUrsus spelaeus en el Noreste de CataluñaMAROTO, J.; RAMIÓ, S. & SOLÉS, A.A B S T R A C TThe extinction of Ursus spelaeus remains controversial. In this paper, data from twoarchaeological sites from NE Iberian Peninsula are presented. Thus, the Middle-UpperPaleolithic term is thoroughly analysed by combining radiocarbon datings, palaeontolo-gical remains and archaeological findings.Key words: Ursus spelaeus , Palaeolithic, Ermitons cave, Arbreda cave, ArchaeologyÀrea de Prehistòria, Universitat de Girona, Plaça Ferrater Mora, 1, 17071 Girona. SPAININTRODUCTIONThe fossil register shows a plentifulpresence of the Ursus spelaeus on theMiddle Palaeolithic in Europe, but duringthe Upper Palaeolithic a progessive decli-ve was registered, which inevitably tookthe Ursus spelaeus to its extintion(A LT U N A, 1971; P R AT 1 9 7 6 ;GAMBLE, 1986; GUÉRIN & PATOU-MATHIS, 1996). In order to explain thereasons of extintion of the Ursus spelaeuswe will provide data concerning the tran-sition between the Middle and UpperPalaeolithic based on two archaeologicalsites, the Arbreda Cave and the ErmitonsCave (Catalonia), located on the Northeastof the Iberian Peninsula, one of the meri-dional areas of distribution of thisUrsidae.THE ARBREDA CAVENatural surroundings and Site’sExcavationThe Arbreda Cave belongs to thegroup of the Reclau Caves (Serinyà). Thesecaves are located at a heigh of 200 and 210metres, and they open to a cascading tra-vertine backing the west margin of aplain, the Pla d’Usall, formed by limesto-ne of lacustrine origin and constituent of asmall but relative abrupt talus.The territory as easily accessible andoffers many natural resources within anhour radius: the great plain of the Plad’Usall, the Lake of Banyoles and theswamps that surround it, a long stretch ofthe middle Fluvià river, and the valley ofthe Ser river with a variety of relifs, fromsubtile to abrupt. The site is also locatedat about 3 hours from the relevant naturalnorth and south passway along thePrelitoral Catalan Depressions, and nearthe Fluvià river, which also serves as anatural way into the inland territories, asthe massif of Alta Garrotxa, for exemple.Digging was undertaken by J.M.Corominas on 1972 and 1973. Since1975, excavations have been systematic,but with a few interruptions. Nowdays,the excavations are supervised byProfessors Narcís Soler and Julià Maroto,from the University of Girona.The stratigraphic sequence of the siteis complete, for its chronology includesfrom Middle Palaeolithic (approximately100.000 years) to well into UpperPalaeolithic (about 15.000 years ago).The Levels of Middle PalaeolithicThe diggings have not yet reached thelower levels of the stratigraphic sequenceof the site, which we only know from the1972-73 sounding (Alfa Sector). Theconstant presence along the Mousterianregister of the Ursus spelaeus is evident onthe work of ESTÉVEZ (1987) about thefauna materials corresponding to thissounding.Level I (recent Middle Palaeolithicknown from new excavations) is datedwith 14C AMS in 39,9 ± 0,6 ka (averageresulting from four datings).Excluding the rabbit, abundant butonly partly hunted, the presence of carni-vores dominates (MNI=28). Within themwe mostly find Ursus spelaeus predominantover the ungulates (MNI=14) (Table 1).408 MAROTO et al. CAD. LAB. XEOL. LAXE 26 (2001)The cave bear is represented by 21individuals: 16 fetals-newborns-infantils,2 juvenile, 2 adults (1 male, 1 female) and1 senile. With this information we inferthat the cave was used by bears as anhibernation and breading site when it wasnot occupied by the Neanderthals. Theabundance of Ursus spelaeus (together withother carnivores as the wolf, fox, hyena,lynx and wild cat) seems to indicate a lowfrequency of human presence duringMiddle Palaeolithic.None of the carnivores remains showany anthropic activity, for this reason wethink they have a clear paleonthologiccharacter. On the other hand, some of theungulates remains (deer, horse, large bovi-ne) show evident signs of having beenconsumed and digested by some carnivore.But the percentage of ungulates remainsinto the cave brought by carnivores is stillunknown.Regading burned remains 5% of thetotal remains, we were able to verifly thatthey belong strictly to ungulates.Cultural material is essentially repre-sented by the lithic industry, typical of theMiddle Palaeolithic (Mousterian), mostlycut in quartz and quarzite, found locallyand made by the Neanderthals (Maroto etal., 1996).The Levels of Upper PalaeolithicLevel H (inicial Upper Palaeolithicknown from recent excavation) is datedwith 14C AMS in 38,3 ± 0,5 ka (averageresulting from four datings).Again, rabbits are is the most domi-nant, but this time, this species shows evi-dence of anthropic activity. Disregardingrabbit, contrary to the period mentionedin the previous section, the presence ofungulates dominates, even though theamount of individuals found is approxi-matly the same (MNI=15). The numberof ungulates double the number of carni-vores (MNI=6).The Ursus spelaeus is registred onlywith 5 deciduous teeth. The presence ofwolf, fox, hyena and lynx is found withequally low frequency (table 1).There is a remarcable increase of anth-ropic signs documented on the fauna, spe-cially among the ungulates (horse, roedeer, deer and large bovine) as well asamong the carnivores. At this level, theanthropic fauna is most significant in rela-tion to the nonanthropic.The material culture of this period suf-fers at this level a clear rupture in compa-rison to the culturewhich is closer to theMiddle Palaeolithic. At the Level H, the culture materialcorresponds to early Aurignacian, with alithic industry manufactured with foreignflint possibly, fruit of the first modernhumans in Europe (M A R O T O et al. ,1996).On the other levels of the UpperPalaeolithic there is a complete disappea-rance of the cave bear, and the presence ofthe rest of the great carnivores (ESTÉVEZ,1987; GALOBART et al., 1996).THE ERMITONS CAVENatural surroundings and Site’sExcavationThe Ermitons Cave (Sales de Llierca) islocated inland of the calacareous massif atthe Alta Garrotxa, belonging to the mostCAD. LAB. XEOL. LAXE 26 (2001) The Ursus spelaeus disappearance 409oriental sectors of the Prepyrenean. Thecave is located at a altitude of 400 metres,95 above Sant Aniol stream. These situa-tion is different from the Reclau Caves,the surrounding relif is extremely abruptdue to the lithology (mainly of massivelimestone) and to its intensely folded andbroken structure.Deep-carved rivers are the only way ofpenetration into the massif: you can getinto the massif from the Fluvià valley byfollowing the Llierca river and after takingSant Aniol stream upwards.For these reasons our interpretation ofthe human presence isn’t accidental, buttaking into account that you need twohours, from the archeological site, to goout of the massif and that the majority ofanimals and the raw material come fromthe surrounding of the cave, we think thatit was used as sporadic shelter for seasonlyhunting of the wild mountain goats(Capra pyrenaica). The Ermitons Cave wasexcavated by Muñoz & Pericot between1970-71.In 1996, J. Maroto began renewed410 MAROTO et al. CAD. LAB. XEOL. LAXE 26 (2001)Table 1. Arbreda Cave, levels I and H. Number of Speciments and Minimum Number ofIndividuals of large and medium mammal fauna species, excluding the rabbit.excavations. Stratigraphic sequences con-tain material from final Bronze Age andNeolithics in the upper strata. In thelower strata they contain material of theMiddle Palaeolithic.The strata of the Middle PalaeolithicA predominance of anthropic remainsis the main characteristic of the fauna ofthis stratum VI. The wild mountain goatsis more abundant than the other species (ª85% NISP), but Ursus spelaeus, which ispaleontologic is also present (ª 8% NISP).Stratum IV dated absolutely the 14Cresult 33.190 ± 660 BP, contain mouste-rian industry.In stratum IV we find predominance ofthe cave bear (» 57%), which nonanthro-pic, we also find some carnivores (hyenaand panthera, for exemple, » 4%) andgoats (» 38%).The bear bones findings are well dis-tributed over the animal’s entire body. Wefind offsprings, adults and senile indivi-duals.With this information we infer thatthe cave was used by bears as an hiberna-tion and breeding site (MAROTO et al.,1996).DISCUSSIONThe documented register at botharcheologic sites –Arbreda Cave andErmitons Cave– indicates that the arrivalof the first modern human from the begi-ning of the Upper Palaeolithic was veryinfluencial over the frequency and distri-bution of the cave bear in Catalonia, andprobably also in other areas nearby. TheModern humans would adopt a differentmodel of settlement in territory than theNeanderthals. The Modern humans wouldoccupy the caves with continuosly, whichimplies a greater pressure for the large car-nivores that inhabit of the caves.In this way, in the Arbreda Cave, weobserve that within a short time (around1.500 years according to 14C dating) thecave bear evolves from being the mostrepresented great mammal to practicallydisappearing from its register. On theother hand, the transition from Middle toUpper Palaeolithic in theses sites, does nothave a correspondence with a climaticchange according to the palinologic(BURJACHS & RENAULT-M I S K O V S K Y, 1992; B U R J A C H S,1993), anthracological (M. Ros), fish-fos-sil (MUÑOZ & CASADEVALL, 1997),amphibian and reptile (Fèlix), bird(GARCIA, 1995), chiropter and insecti-vore (Galobart), and rodent studies(ALCALDE, 1987).At stratum IV at Ermitons Cave, pos-terior in time to the documented disappe-arence of the Ursus spelaeus in the neigh-bouring Arbreda Cave, still ofNeanderthal culture, cave bears are plenti-fully present.We could postulate the hypothesis thatcave bears and Neanderthals followed thesame steps at the beginning of UpperPalaeolithic. Territorial pressure ofModern human beings would have direc-ted them to more marginal areas, as forexample Alta Garrotxa.In regions netx to Aude and theCantabric we find parallels to the fact thathas been explained above and that reinfor-CAD. LAB. XEOL. LAXE 26 (2001) The Ursus spelaeus disappearance 411ces the hypothesis that we had forseen forCatalonia.In Aude, the Tournal Cave (Bize-Minervois) presents Middle Palaeolithiclevels (33.650 ± 1250 BP) withMousterian industry (TAVOSO, 1987).From the study by PAT O U - M AT H I S(1994) we know that during these mous-terian levels the Ursus spelaeus is more fre-quent than the rest of carnivores (70% ofthese in the richer level) and that it is thesecond after the horse if we take intoaccount all the fauna.Above these Aurignacians levels to befound, with a cultural break. In theselevels cave bears are absent or at last pre-sent with an anecdotical number ofremains (2 maximum); the anthropicfauna is mainly represented by horses,large bovines and rein deers.STRAUSS (1982) studied the intensityof use of Cantabric caves from the relativepresence of carnivores which has beenestracted from archeological sites.If carnivores are well represented thisfact is taken as a prove of a less frequentuse of this sites by human beings. Theauthor infers that during MiddlePalaeolithic there is a tendency as timepasses by that goes from what he names"partial time" caves, which means thatthey are both used by carnivores andhuman beings, to the "full time occupa-tion" by human groups during the UpperPalaeolithic.In the same Cantabric area we have aconcrete example in the Ekain Cave(ALTUNA & MERINO, 1984). While inthe X level there has been 1109 remains ofUrsus spelaeus registered and in the IXlevel (transition Middle Palaeolithic /Upper Palaeolithic) there has been a totalamount of 248, in the posterior levels ofUpper Palaeolithic there has been hardlyany register (level VIII, 0 remains; levelVII, 3 remains; level VI, 7 remains; levelV, IV and III, 1 remains and in the level II,note one).Finally we think that this fact concer-ning territorial pressure from Modernhuman towards cave bears taking must beinto account, but other factors should notbe excluded in the explanation of the greatcave ursidae extinction.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThis research has been sponsored byPB97-0656 del Ministerio de Educación iCultura.412 MAROTO et al. CAD. LAB. XEOL. LAXE 26 (2001)CAD. LAB. XEOL. LAXE 26 (2001) The Ursus spelaeus disappearance 413Figure 1. Geographic situation of Ermitons Cave and Arbreda Cave in the northeast of the IberianPeninsula.REFERENCESALCALDE, G. (1987). Els rosegadors del PaleolíticSuperior de la cova de l’Arbreda (Serinyà,Catalunya). Significació paleoecològica i paleo-climàtica, Cypsela, VI: 89-96.ALTUNA, J. (1971). Fauna de mamíferos de losyacimientos prehistóricos de Guipúzcoa.Munibe, XXIV: 1-4, San Sebastián.ALTUNA, J. & MERINO, J.M. (1984). El yaci -miento prehistórico de la cueva de Ekain (Deba,G u i p ú z c o a ) . Eusko Ikaskuntza. Sociedad deEstudios Vascos, San Sebastián.BURJACHS, F. (1993): Paleopalinología del paleo-lítico superior de la Cova de l'Arbreda (Serinyà,Catalunya), Estudios sobre el Cuaternario. Mediossedimentarios. Cambios ambientales. Hábitat huma -n o, Fumanal, M.P. & Bernabeu, J. (eds.),Universitat de València & Asociación Españolapara el Estudio del Cuaternario, València, pp.:149-157BURJACHS, F. & RENAULT-MISKOVSKY, J.(1992). 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Registro arqueológico de la desaparición de Ursus spelaeus en el Noreste de Cataluña

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