A zooarchaeological contribution to establish occupational patterns at Level J of Abric Romaní (Barcelona, Spain) (original) (raw)
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Just two questions. Where and why?: reconstruction of Neanderthal occupational patterns in the mis 3
2017
The problematic addressed in this doctoral thesis concerns the identification of Neanderthals subsistence patterns in two Mediterranean sites: Abric Romani (Capellades, Spain) and Riparo Tagliente (Verona, Italy). In Palaeolithic studies is very important as well as necessary, to shed light on the organisation of the living floors of the archaeological sites. The main difficulty lies in the paucity of evidences that makes difficult the comprehension of the daily life in prehistoric times. The comparison with ethnographical models has facilitated the understandings of some aspects of the sites organizations. According to the interpretation of eminent scholars, several important aspects allow us to distinguish between home-base sites, camps with specialized activities and bivouacs. Generally, the variations between these models are interpreted as seasonal displacements, or changes in group structure that are related to the variability and availability of the local resources. The inter...
Rebuilding the daily scenario of Neanderthal settlement
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2020
Isolating the various occupational events in the Palaeolithic record is hard work, because the remains from different occupations commonly overlap, creating archaeological palimpsests. We can differentiate two different types of palimpsest: vertical and horizontal ones. These two types are very important for identifying and defining short-or long-term human occupation. We present the different methods used in each case and their application in one of the archaeo-levels of the Abric Romaní rock shelter. After deconstructing the vertical palimpsest of level O through archaeostratigraphy and a meticulous lithic analysis of the Oa archaeo-level, we present a transdisciplinary study (lithic and faunal analysis, spatial patterning of structures, and faunal and lithic refits) of this archaeo-level. The Oa archaeo-level is characterised by clear habitat organisation, with combustion structures and faunal/lithic remains produced by domestic activities. In this study, the lithic and faunal analyses allow us to interpret the habitation unit. We first discuss the static perspective, determined from the distribution of remains, and we then look at the dynamic perspective, obtained from lithic and faunal refits. Using the two approaches we identify which activities were carried out in this settlement and the movements of the Neanderthals in Abric Romani, at around 54 ka BP. Archaeo-level Oa was defined as a short occupation organised into six accumulations. We have identified the function of three accumulations: "Accumulation A" results from a sleeping zone, while "Accumulation E" and "D" represent domestic areas.
Quaternary Science Reviews, 2019
Mobility strategies of Neanderthal groups are studied through the characterization and analysis of archaeological sites and traditionally compared to the types of settlements present-day hunter-gatherer groups, based on their mobility strategies. The faunal record of level P of Abric Romaní is a unique source of information for analysing the foraging behaviour developed by Neanderthals during MIS3. The assemblage is divided into two separate and well-defined sublevels: Pa and Pb. Through the taphonomic study of the remains and their spatial distribution, it was possible to define the characteristics of these human occupations. The analyses indicate that the assemblage was the result of at least two different types of occupations: 1) A transitory residential camp during short halts, focusing on the exploitation of red deer; 2) A hunting camp/intermediate butchering site for the specialized capture of horses. The presence of occupations focusing on the supply of specific resources is typical of collector groups. The results of the zooarchaeological study of level P characterize the Neanderthals of Abric Romaní as groups involved in a logistic mobility system, who moved throughout the territory depending on the availability of large ungulates.
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2019
The composition and organisational patterns of Pleistocene human groups are a main research when it comes to the evolution of human behaviour. However, these studies are often limited by the restricted characteristics of the archaeological records and do not show enough resolution to make approaches with the necessary precision. The travertinic formations of the Abric Romaní site (Capellades, Barcelona, Spain) provide an ideal scenario to answer some questions about the European Middle Palaeolithic occupational patterns. The hearth-related accumulations from this site show many similarities with those generated by several contemporary forager groups, so each could represent the activity area of a specific social unit. This work contributes to the existing research by examining the faunal refits recovered in six stratigraphic units (H, I, J-Ja, K, L and M) that cover the chronological period between 44 and 55 ka. Faunal refits are analysed using the metric parameters of ethnographic hearth-related accumulations (the hearth itself and its corresponding drop and toss zones); significant relationships are found between many of these elements and the areas of influence of the hearths. In addition, connections between the activity areas from these refits are seen in several stratigraphic units. This phenomenon allows for greater diversity in the occupational patterns of this site to be identified than those recorded only from taphonomic studies. From this perspective, two main occupational models are proposed: (1) the simple model, in which isolated and unconnected hearth-related accumulations are identified (units H, L and-to a lesser extent-K) and (2) the complex model, primarily represented by the identification of several long-distance faunal refits connecting different activity areas (units I, J-Ja and M). Thus, this work provides deeper insights into the behavioural diversity of Middle Palaeolithic human groups, their social organisation and composition and their evolution in the region.
Quaternaire, 2010
The Middle Palaeolithic site of Abric Romaní (North Eastern Spain) was selected to test the hypothesis that seasonal behaviour of Neanderthal groups will induce differences in the faunal assemblages. The site has a long stratigraphical sequence representing a short chronology, but we focused on levels K, L, and M. The study of seasonality in ungulates indicates that the game was hunted at different periods of the year in each level. Combination of zooarchaeological analyses shows that in all levels the pattern of game procurement and transport to the shelter is similar. In the same way, there is no significant difference related to animal processing. The carcasses introduced into the shelter are used in an exhaustive and systematic way. Although seasonality in the occupation are changing, there are no significant differences in the activities of the Neanderthal groups in the three levels. We conclude that the presence of Neanderthals at Abric Romaní is highly seasonal and their displacements are strongly conditioned by the presence of game preys in the territory.
… . Revue de l' …, 2010
Level III of Teixoneres Cave (Moià, Barcelona, Spain) has provided a significant record belonging to the first half of the Late Pleistocene. It corresponds to both human and carnivorous activities. This assemblage is analyzed through an interdisciplinary approach with the objective to discriminate the remains left by these actors and to evaluate the degree of interaction existing between them. The data indicate hunting activities by hominids as well as by carnivores and a minimal relationship or temporal contact between them inside the cave. This allows the characterization of the human occupations at level III in relation to the composition of the groups and their high mobility in the territory. Le niveau III de la grotte des Teixoneres (Moià, Barcelone, Espagne) a fournit un important enregistrement de la première moitié du Pléistocène supérieur. Il présente à la fois des évidences d'occupations humaines et de carnivores. Cet assemblage est analysé selon une approche interdisciplinaire dans le but de distinguer les restes laissés par ces deux agents et d'évaluer le degré d'interaction existant entre eux. Les données indiquent des activités cynégétiques réalisées tant par les hominidés que par les carnivores, et une relation ou contact temporel minime entre eux à l'intérieur de la grotte. Ceci permet de caractériser les occupations humaines du niveau III en relation avec la composition des groupes et leur mobilité élevée sur le territoire.
Turning a rock shelter into a home. Neanderthal use of space in Abric Romaní levels M and O
Historical Biology, 2018
Bone refits can be a useful tool to understand the archaeological assemblages. From a taphonomic point of view, they have been used to reinforce some aspects related to the formation processes of the sites. However, they can be used to check some palaeoeconomic and social interpretations of the assemblages as well, providing accurate temporal relationships between the objects. For all these reasons, bone refits are relevant to study the settlement dynamics and the intra-site behaviour of past human groups. The main aim of this work is to present the faunal refits data obtained from two different archaeological assemblages (M and O) of the Abric Romaní site (Capellades, Spain), dated around 55 ka. The study also includes taxonomic, anatomical, taphonomic and spatial analyses. The spatio-temporal proxy allows us to interpret the activities carried out by the Neanderthal groups in different areas during different moments. From here, it is possible to interpret site structure, using ethnoarchaeological data as a referent. The comparison between these two archaeological layers, and between them and other assemblages, both from Abric Romaní and from other sites, can contribute significantly to the knowledge of the intra-site behaviour and settlement patterns at the end of the Middle Palaeolithic.
Quaternary International, 2014
Available online xxx a b s t r a c t Several recent works have suggested that Neanderthal spatial behaviour may have been more complex than previously thought. One of the archaeological sites that has contributed the most data on this issue is the Abric Romaní (Capellades, Barcelona, Spain). This paper focuses on the study of Neanderthal activities related to animal resources that took place in Level O of Abric Romaní, dated to around 55 ka. For this study, all of the faunal remains recovered from the level (including fragments smaller than 2 cm) have been analysed, with special attention paid to their distribution over the surface. Our study has two main goals: firstly, to identify activity areas related to Neanderthal activities and, secondly, to evaluate the information that small bone fragments, which are generally ignored, can provide. Among other results, the methods applied during the course of the study have led to the identification of an accumulation of calcined bones, possibly related to the complementary use of bones as fuel and/or the presence of a systematic toss zone within a hearth. In addition, this work stresses the importance of examining the small faunal remains recovered in archaeological sites, particularly when identifying human activity areas or when assessing the intensity of human activities.