A microscopic and biomolecular investigation of Middle Palaeolithic combustion features at Abric del Pastor (Alicante, Spain) (original) (raw)

This poster presents preliminary results from a combined microscopic and biomolecular study of thermally altered sediments associated with Neanderthal occupations at Abric del Pastor, Alicante. Lipid biomarkers (n-alkanes) from these sediments were analysed by GC-MS. Microstructural sedimentary features and processes, identified through micromorphology, provided high resolution anthropogenic and environmental signatures and frame the molecular data within a broader reconstruction of site formation processes. A combined molecular and microstratigraphic study such as this constitutes a new approach to the palaeoenvironmental dynamics of Late Pleistocene Neanderthal habitats. Preliminary results are encouraging and demonstrate the utility of this method for investigating past ecosystem structure at a high spatial and temporal resolution.