New Evidence of Early Chalcolithic Interpersonal Violence in the Middle Ebro Valley (Spain): Two Arrowhead Injuries from the Swallet of Las Yurdinas II

Abstract

Two new cases of Early Chalcolithic arrowhead injuries are described. They come from the funerary site of Las Yurdinas II (Basque Country, Spain), a rock shelter with a little swallet where at least 90 subjects were interred. The lesions are located in a right humerus and a left ulna belonging to adult individuals, one of whom is a male, and both show signs of healing. Other possible signs of violence have been found in the collection, including one cranial trauma and two parry fractures. Both arrowhead injuries are set in the context of similar findings in the Middle Ebro Valley, assessing the number and distribution of cases, signs of healing, possible impact trajectory and the age and sex estimation of the individuals affected. Increasing social complexity and demographic pressure in the region may be causally linked to such an evidence. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

An Arrowhead Injury in a Late Neolithic/Early Chalcolithic Human Cuneiform from the Rockshelter of La Peña de Marañón (Navarre, Spain)

“…Arrowhead injuries identified to date in the Iberian Late Neolithic and Early Chalcolithic are almost exclusively located on the skull, thorax and upper limb, with four, 14 and five cases, respectively (Armendáriz et al , ; Campillo, ; Campillo, ; Campillo et al , ; Etxeberria and Herrasti, ; Fernández‐Crespo, ; Silva, ; Silva and Marques, ; Silva et al , ; Trancho and Robledo, ; Vegas et al , ), whereas only one example was known until recently for the lower limb, specifically a non‐adult femur from San Juan ante Portam Latinam (Etxeberria and Herrasti, ). The case of La Peña de Marañón adds to this evidence, being a unique finding because of its location in a footbone.…”

“…Jackes ). However, the hypothesis of a deliberate attack seems more likely, given the evidence of interpersonal violence involving bow and arrow conflict found at nearby coeval sites, all located in a small area within the Middle Ebro Valley (Fernández‐Crespo, ). This evidence could be suggesting that social unrest may have been an important factor in the life of local Neolithic and Chalcolithic communities, perhaps because of increasing social complexity (Delibes, ; Fernández‐Crespo and de‐Rúa, ) and to growing demographic pressure (Andrés, ), especially in the main route constituted by the Ebro river.…”

“…To date irrefutable evidence of such injuries has only been known from nine sites from the Iberian Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic. The most significant ones are the rockshelter of San Juan ante Portam Latinam (Álava), the monument of Longar (Navarre) and the swallet of Las Yurdinas II (Álava), with respectively 13, four and two embedded projectile points or point fragments (Armendáriz et al, 1994;Fernández-Crespo, 2015;Vegas et al, 2012). Moreover, there also exist two other isolated cases in Catalonia (Bòbila Madurell and Camí de Can Grau), one in Ávila (Cerro de la Cabeza) and two more in Portugal (Lapa do Bugio and Dolmen de Ansião) (Campillo, 1978;Campillo, 1997;Campillo et al, 1993;Etxeberria and Herrasti, 2007;Silva, 2003;Silva and Marques, 2010;Silva et al, 2012;Trancho and Robledo, 2003).…”

Infant and childhood diet at the passage tomb of Alto de la Huesera (north‐central Iberia) from bone collagen and sequential dentine isotope composition

“…Ethnographic studies have described prolonged breastfeeding as a common response to food shortages in Africa (Lindstrom & Berhanu, ), which may also have been a strategy followed by past populations (Sandberg et al, ). In this respect, there is evidence that the Late Neolithic Rioja Alavesa region witnessed demographic pressure and social unrest lasting at least a few generations (Fernández‐Crespo, ; Vegas et al, ) and, so, some extent of deprivation and malnutrition is not implausible.…”

“…This could have led to the high levels of conflict that Rioja Alavesa witnessed during this period, supported by the considerable evidence for interpersonal violence, primarily involving males, and the presence of what have been interpreted as mass war graves (Vegas, Armendáriz, Etxeberria, Fernández, & Herrasti, ). The region provides the largest absolute number of arrowhead injuries in prehistoric Europe, as well as the so‐called “parry fractures”, cranial trauma, and indirect evidence of projectile injuries in soft tissues (Fernández‐Crespo, ). Thus, it is an interesting context for the study of the potential influence of endemic conflict on parental investment and child‐rearing practices.…”