The Acheulean Technocomplex of the Iberian Atlantic Margin as an Example of Technology Continuity Through the Middle Pleistocene (original) (raw)
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Frontiers in Earth Science
Since the oldest known Acheulean lithic techno-typological features in Europe were reported at the site of Barranc de la Boella (Tarragona, Spain), continuous fieldwork has been conducted there in archeological deposits of the late Early Pleistocene age (0.99–0.78 Ma). As a result, excavations in two of the three open-air localities have significantly expanded the collection of lithic and faunal remains, allowing us to make progress in the interpretation of the hominin behaviors in an open-air fluvial-deltaic sedimentary environment. This includes examples of cumulative palimpsests, such as those found at the locality of La Mina, in which hominins only had a minimal role as modifying agents, as well as the extraordinary mammoth butchery site recorded at the Pit 1 locality. The aim of this paper is to present a comprehensive update of the collection of large shaped tools and to assess its significance in the framework of the earliest occurrence of the Acheulean in Europe. This cultur...
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2019
The arrival and disappearance of the Acheulean technocomplex in Europe, and specifically in the Iberian Peninsula, is a longstanding topic of discussion with relevance for unravelling the Middle Pleistocene human occupation dynamics of the continent. Despite containing one of the first Acheulean sites excavated in Europe (As Gándaras de Budiño site), the Miño River basin (north-western Iberian Peninsula) remains understudied and has yielded relatively limited information on the temporal and spatial dynamics of the regional Acheulean technocomplex over the last fifty years. Here we present a systematic archaeological and numerical dating study of a previously undocumented Acheulean site located in the lower Miño River basin (Arbo site, Pontevedra, Spain). This newly discovered site preserves a late Middle Pleistocene Acheulean assemblage that has been dated to pre-Marine Isotope Stage 5 by a combination of post-infrared infrared stimulated luminescence (pIR-IR) and electron spin resonance (ESR) dating of sedimentary silicates. The new excavations reveal that the site preserves a dense concentration of artefacts made from allochthonous raw materials. Detailed lithic analyses show that the industry has some elementary flake production systems devoid of Levallois cores, but with supplementary non-standardized flake tool types and some large cutting tools (LCTs)-mainly handaxes that are usually finalized with soft-hammer. The results obtained at Arbo complement those obtained recently at the nearby Porto Maior site, as well as the seminal study of As Gándaras de Budiño, and demonstrate an important Acheulean and hominin presence in the Miño River basin during the second half of the Middle Pleistocene.
Quaternary International, 2016
Two clearly differentiated techno-complexes can be recognised in the Iberian Peninsula during the second half of the Middle Pleistocene: the Acheulean and the Middle Palaeolithic. In this paper we present the current state of research on both technological entities, and propose that they represent two different industrial traditions. The Acheulean, a techno-complex that originated and developed in Africa, is considered to have reached Western Europe via Gibraltar, and developed only to a limited extent. In contrast, relict populations with a different technological tradition would have been present on the European continent since the late Early Pleistocene and developed a technological tradition was based on the development of chaînes operatoire of d ebitage. From MIS 10 on these industries had reached a high degree of complexity and diversity.
Journal of Archaeological Science, 2014
Here we present a pluridisciplinary study of Cuesta de la Bajada site (Teruel, Spain). Our findings show that the site contains an early Middle Paleolithic assemblage similar to other European early Middle Paleolithic industries, allowing us to evaluate the coexistence of this industrial tradition with the Acheulean technocomplex in southwest Europe. The process of lithic production at Cuesta de la Bajada represents a technology focused on debitage, the application of technical concepts such as ramified production sequences, and the recycling of flakes via the resharpening of tools and exhausted cores. This site was formed around a pond not far from a river and contains remains of large macrofauna other than equids and cervids. Taphonomic analysis highlights the abundance of cut marks on bones, and supports the hypothesis of selective hunting by hominids. The numerical ages derived from the combination of ESR, OSL and AAR dating methods indicate that the archaeological site was very likely formed around the MIS 8-MIS 9. The appearance of Middle Paleolithic industries in Europe could represents the autochthonous development of a technocomplex distinctly different from the Acheulean, characterised by chaînes op eratoires of debitage and a progressive increase of Levallois technology and retouched tools. These results suggest that there is a clear coexistence of assemblages with Acheulean and Middle Paleolithic industries during the last third of the Middle Pleistocene at least in the Iberian Peninsula.
Quaternary International, 2013
At Cueva Negra del Estrecho del Río Quípar biostratigraphy and palaeomagnetism indicate a time in the late Early Pleistocene (i.e. somewhat before the Matuyama-Brunhes boundary of 780,000 a, 0.78 Ma), for the entire 5 m thick sedimentary fill excavated in the rock-shelter, from which there are hominin teeth (cf. Homo heidelbergensis), a rich palaeontological and palaeopalynological record demonstrating warm moist environmental conditions (possibly MIS 21), a fundamentally homogeneous artifact assemblage throughout the sedimentary deposit, and evidence of fire at over 4 m depth. A brief introduction to the site and the assemblage is offered. Palaeolithic artifacts were produced by three different reduction sequences, because: (a) an "Acheulian" hand-axe was flaked bifacially on a flat limestone cobble; (b) several excavated chert flakes had been struck off small cores by recurrent flaking, with one flake showing a facetted striking platform, whilst two surface finds of small discoidal cores bear the broad central concave scar that in a "Levalloisian" prepared-core reduction sequence would correspond to centripetal removal of the final flake; and (c) abundant small artifacts (25e60 mm), mainly of chert, reflect expedient removal of small flakes or fragments from cores, by both unipolar and bipolar reduction techniques, including many keeled pieces that could be residual cores which have notches, slender spurs or beaks ("becs"), or a planoconvex ("slug"-like or "limace") shape, all of which may be remnants of cores subjected to bipolar knapping, in addition to very small pointed and "awl"-like pieces, and several fragments and flakes with steep abrupt ("Mousteroid") edge-retouch, and abundant knapping spalls and waste. Although the site had been interpreted conservatively in earlier publications as early Middle Pleistocene, recent palaeomagnetic findings show that the entire sedimentary fill corresponds to the late Early Pleistocene, somewhat over 780,000 a (0.78 Ma), an age which is acceptable from the standpoint of the biostratigraphical data. Among the aims of this paper are: (1) a consideration of the Palaeolithic assemblage in relation to local availability of raw materials of appropriate shapes and petrology for knapping in a palaeoenvironmental context far different from that of today; (2) consideration of the implications for human cognitive and technological evolution in the European late Early Pleistocene; and
Scientific Reports, 2018
We describe a European Acheulean site characterised by an extensive accumulation of large cutting tools (LCT). This type of Lower Paleolithic assemblage, with dense LCT accumulations, has only been found on the African continent and in the Near East until now. The identification of a site with large accumulations of LCTs favours the hypothesis of an African origin for the Acheulean of Southwest Europe. The lithic tool-bearing deposits date back to 293–205 thousand years ago. Our chronological findings confirm temporal overlap between sites with clear " African " Acheulean affinities and Early Middle Paleolithic sites found elsewhere in the region. These complex technological patterns could be consistent with the potential coexistence of different human species in southwestern Europe during the Middle Pleistocene.
Article history: Available online xxx a b s t r a c t At Cueva Negra del Estrecho del Río Quípar biostratigraphy and palaeomagnetism indicate a time in the late Early Pleistocene (i.e. somewhat before the Matuyama-Brunhes boundary of 780,000 a, 0.78 Ma), for the entire 5 m thick sedimentary fill excavated in the rock-shelter, from which there are hominin teeth (cf. Homo heidelbergensis), a rich palaeontological and palaeopalynological record demonstrating warm moist environmental conditions (possibly MIS 21), a fundamentally homogeneous artifact assemblage throughout the sedimentary deposit, and evidence of fire at over 4 m depth. A brief introduction to the site and the assemblage is offered. Palaeolithic artifacts were produced by three different reduction sequences, because: (a) an "Acheulian" hand-axe was flaked bifacially on a flat limestone cobble; (b) several excavated chert flakes had been struck off small cores by recurrent flaking, with one flake showing a facetted striking platform, whilst two surface finds of small discoidal cores bear the broad central concave scar that in a "Levalloisian" prepared-core reduction sequence would correspond to centripetal removal of the final flake; and (c) abundant small artifacts (25e60 mm), mainly of chert, reflect expedient removal of small flakes or fragments from cores, by both unipolar and bipolar reduction techniques, including many keeled pieces that could be residual cores which have notches, slender spurs or beaks ("becs"), or a planoconvex ("slug"-like or "limace") shape, all of which may be remnants of cores subjected to bipolar knapping, in addition to very small pointed and "awl"-like pieces, and several fragments and flakes with steep abrupt ("Mousteroid") edge-retouch, and abundant knapping spalls and waste. Although the site had been interpreted conservatively in earlier publications as early Middle Pleistocene, recent palaeomagnetic findings show that the entire sedimentary fill corresponds to the late Early Pleistocene, somewhat over 780,000 a (0.78 Ma), an age which is acceptable from the standpoint of the biostratigraphical data. Among the aims of this paper are: (1) a consideration of the Palaeolithic assemblage in relation to local availability of raw materials of appropriate shapes and petrology for knapping in a palaeoenvironmental context far different from that of today; (2) consideration of the implications for human cognitive and technological evolution in the European late Early Pleistocene; and
This paper presents the lithic assemblages documented at Sima del Elefante (TE) and their importance in the context of the Early and Middle Pleistocene human occupation of Europe. We also study changes in human behaviour within the context of the palaeoenvironmental evolution of the Sierra de Atapuerca. This site has characteristics that are of great value for the study of human evolution. The lower levels of TE (Units TE7eTE14) are an essential reference for understanding the early stages of the colonization of Europe. The TE9c level has provided stone tools (Mode 1), faunal remains, and human fossils dated to 1.22 Ma (millions of years ago). Moreover, this is one of the few European sites with a stratigraphic sequence that includes remains of human occupations predating the Jaramillo subchron (Early Pleistocene) and from the Late Middle Pleistocene (Units TE18eTE19). Despite this, the presence of archaeologically sterile units (TE15e17) prevents us from establishing a continuous relationship between the Early and Middle Pleistocene human settlements and, consequently, between their technological and behavioural differences. We can, however compare the technological and palaeoeconomic strategies adopted by different species of hominins during two key phases of the occupation of Europe.