Paleoenvironments and human adaptations during the Last Glacial Maximum in the Iberian Peninsula: A review

Cascalheira, João; Alcaraz‐Castaño, Manuel; Alcolea-González, Javier; Andrés-Herrero, María de; Arrizabalaga, Álvaro; Tortosa, J. Emili Aura; García-Ibaibarriaga, Naroa; Iriarte-Chiapusso, María-José

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2020.08.005

Cited by 13 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 112 publications

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“…The alternate stadial and interstadial phases would cause significant variations to the landscape in relatively short periods of time. Several good diachronic series are available in our region, and this paper will add new information to them (Garcia-Ibaibarriaga and others, 2019; Cascalheira and others, 2021; Arrizabalaga and others, 2021).…”

Section: Unravelling the Informationmentioning

confidence: 83%

Upper Palaeolithic hunter–gatherer societies in the Basque Country (Iberian Peninsula) in the light of palaeoenvironmental dynamics in the last Glacial Period: cultural adaptations and the use of biotic resources

Iriarte-Chiapusso,

Ayerdi,

Garcia-Ibaibarriaga

et al. 2023

Ann. Glaciol.

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Upper Palaeolithic archaeological sites in the Basque Country have been excavated for over a century. They have yielded a rich palaeoenvironmental record with zoological and botanical remains that have been obtained in stratigraphic series dated precisely by radiocarbon. This information reveals cyclical environmental changes from climates similar to today to drier and extremely cold conditions, when species in current boreal biomes and others now extinct but with similar ecological preferences were present in the region. Moreover, the archaeological sites have provided high-resolution information about the resilience mechanisms of the communities of our own human species. This information allows us to increase the corpus of palaeoclimate data regarding the Marine Isotopic Stage (MIS) 2 and MIS 3 for a critical region within the human population of Eurasia. The aim of this paper is to show how an extraordinary capacity for adaptation to drastic climate changes Upper Palaeolithic hunter–gatherer societies displayed, even though their subsistence depended on biotic resources that alter rapidly.

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Section: Unravelling the Informationmentioning

confidence: 83%

Upper Palaeolithic hunter–gatherer societies in the Basque Country (Iberian Peninsula) in the light of palaeoenvironmental dynamics in the last Glacial Period: cultural adaptations and the use of biotic resources

Iriarte-Chiapusso,

Ayerdi,

Garcia-Ibaibarriaga

et al. 2023

Ann. Glaciol.

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“…Since archeological assemblages excavated at levels 2 to 5 are still very scarce, no precise cultural assignment is yet possible for them. However, considering the radiocarbon dates obtained for Level 5, ranging from 20.8 to 21.4 ka cal BP, it is reasonable to suggest that the base of the sequence corresponds to either the early stages of the Magdalenian or the last phases of the Solutrean, as there are well-dated assemblages in Iberia assigned to both technocomplexes in that time range [5,[125][126][127]. However, given the dates of 21.0-22.8 ka cal BP obtained for the Archaic Magdalenian assemblages of the Gato 2 site, in the nearby Jalo ´n River valley (see below), our working hypothesis is that Level 5 of Charco Verde II attest for a Lower or Archaic Magdalenian occupation.…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

Human occupations of upland and cold environments in inland Spain during the Last Glacial Maximum and Heinrich Stadial 1: The new Magdalenian sequence of Charco Verde II

Aragoncillo-del Río,

Alcolea-González,

Luque

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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The settlement of cold and arid environments by Pleistocene hunter-gatherers has been a heated topic in Paleolithic Archaeology and the Quaternary Sciences for years. In the Iberian Peninsula, a key area for studying human adaptations to such environments is composed by the large interior and upland regions of the northern and southern plateaus (Mesetas) and bordering areas. As, traditionally, these regions have been relatively under-investigated compared to the ecologically more favored coastal areas of the peninsula, our knowledge of the human settlement of the whole Iberian hinterland remains scarce for the Last Glacial. In this paper we present the discovery and first geoarcheological, paleoenvironmental and chronometric evidence obtained at Charco Verde II, a new site close to the southwestern foothills of the Iberian system range (Guadalajara province, Spain), bearing a sequence of Magdalenian human occupations starting at least at 20.8–21.4 ka cal BP during the Last Glacial Maximum, and covering Greenland Stadial 2 until ∼15.1–16.6 ka cal BP, including Heinrich stadial 1. As this site is located in an upland region which today faces one of the harshest climates in Iberia, such occupation sequence, occurred during some of the coldest and most arid phases of the Last Glacial, has relevant implications for our understanding of human-environment-climate interactions and population dynamics in Iberia and Western Europe. These findings support the hypothesis that the Iberian hinterland was not avoided by Upper Paleolithic hunter-gatherers due to ecological constraints, but it hosted a complex and relatively dense settlement at least in some areas, even during cold periods. This suggest, one more time, that the historical scarcity of Upper Paleolithic sites in inland Iberia is, to a significant extent, an artifact of research bias.

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“…It is highly dependent on the definition and the geographical context discussed. However, the period from 26.5 to 19 ka cal before present (BP) (Clark et al 2009) is commonly used as a timeframe when discussing about the Iberian Peninsula; at least it is consistent for the mountainous region (Cascalheira et al 2021). From the cultural development perspective, this period coincides with the Upper Palaeolithic occupations, consisting of the Gravettian, Proto-Solutrean, and Magdalenian cultures.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…From the cultural development perspective, this period coincides with the Upper Palaeolithic occupations, consisting of the Gravettian, Proto-Solutrean, and Magdalenian cultures. According to Cascalheira et al (2021), the development of those cultures could be linked to the ecogeographical diversity of the region with a pronounced inter-regional variability. However, these authors noted that it is still necessary to do further studies with updated methods to understand and to fill the gaps in the knowledge about the archaeological and palaeoenvironmental diversity in the Iberian Peninsula.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The end of Late Glacial in north-eastern Iberia: the small mammal assemblage from Cudó cave (Mont-Ral, Tarragona)

ARJANTO

Fernández-García²,

López-García³

et al. 2023

Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh

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One of the markers of the Late Pleistocene is highly fluctuating climatic conditions, with the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, 26.5–19 ka cal before present (BP)) known to be one of the coldest periods. This work explores how the environment of north-eastern Iberia changed in relation to global climatic changes experienced during the Late Pleistocene, specifically around the LGM. Small mammal assemblages from Cudó cave (Tarragona, Spain) were used considering their well-known reliability for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions. Based on the taxonomic identification and the taphonomic analysis, several methodologies covering both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used to obtain the palaeoenvironmental information corresponding to level 107 and level 105 of Cudó cave (31.2–24.4 and 15.5–10.2 ka cal BP, respectively). The taphonomic results obtained point out owls (category 3) as the main accumulator of the small mammals. The palaeoenvironmental reconstruction shows that both levels experienced colder (−7.2oC/–4.4 °C) and wetter (+848 mm/ + 586 mm) climatic conditions than nowadays. However, in level 107 the environment was dominated by mid-European species and rocky landscape, while in level 105 it was dominated by Mediterranean species and woodland habitat. These conditions are consistent with the trend in north-eastern Iberia following several climatic events before and after the LGM coinciding with the period of Cudó cave assemblages.

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Paleoenvironments and human adaptations during the Last Glacial Maximum in the Iberian Peninsula: A review

Cited by 13 publications

References 112 publications

Upper Palaeolithic hunter–gatherer societies in the Basque Country (Iberian Peninsula) in the light of palaeoenvironmental dynamics in the last Glacial Period: cultural adaptations and the use of biotic resources

Upper Palaeolithic hunter–gatherer societies in the Basque Country (Iberian Peninsula) in the light of palaeoenvironmental dynamics in the last Glacial Period: cultural adaptations and the use of biotic resources

Human occupations of upland and cold environments in inland Spain during the Last Glacial Maximum and Heinrich Stadial 1: The new Magdalenian sequence of Charco Verde II

The end of Late Glacial in north-eastern Iberia: the small mammal assemblage from Cudó cave (Mont-Ral, Tarragona)

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