Quantitative and qualitative analysis for the study of Middle Paleolithic retouched artifacts: Unit III of Teixoneres cave (Barcelona, Spain)

Bustos‐Pérez, Guillermo; Chacón, María Gema; Rivals, Florent; Blasco, Ruth; Rosell, Jordi

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2017.02.021

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…The lithic assemblage from Teixoneres shows the knapping of local quartz pebbles for tranche de saucisson and discoid débitage , and the transport of artefacts in chert and other rocks (metamorphic, sedimentary, and igneous) using Levallois, hierarchized and simple methods. The high fragmentation of the operative chains of the transported artefacts supports the hypothesis of high mobility of Middle Palaeolithic human groups in this territory that recurrently visited the site 11 , 33 , 45 . Lithic assemblages are mainly composed by flakes, although retouched elements are also common.…”

Section: Teixoneres Cavesupporting

confidence: 72%

“…Systematic archaeological research at Teixoneres began in 2003, yielding important archaeological, paleontological, geological and taphonomic data. Unit III has been interpreted as a carnivore den/refuge during MIS 3, in which short-term human occupations took place 11 , 28 – 33 . This stratigraphic unit has been described as a palimpsest characterized by an apparently uniformly distributed remains, which accumulated as a result of repeated and variable occupation episodes, mainly by hominins and carnivores (bears, hyenas and other smaller carnivores), low sedimentation rates and the action of natural and anthropogenic formation processes 11 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Examining Neanderthal and carnivore occupations of Teixoneres Cave (Moià, Barcelona, Spain) using archaeostratigraphic and intra-site spatial analysis

Zilio

Hammond

Karampaglidis³

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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Teixoneres Cave (Moià, Barcelona, Spain) is a reference site for Middle Palaeolithic studies of the Iberian Peninsula. The cave preserves an extensive stratigraphic sequence made up of eight units, which is presented in depth in this work. The main goal of this study is to undertake an initial spatial examination of Unit III, formed during Marine Isotope Stage 3, with the aim of understanding spatial organization and past activities developed by Neanderthals and carnivores (bears, hyenas and smaller carnivores). The total sample analysed includes 38,244 archaeological items and 5888 limestone blocks. The application of GIS tools allows us to clearly distinguish three geologically-defined stratigraphic subunits. Unit III has been previously interpreted as a palimpsest resulting from alternating occupation of the cave by human groups and carnivores. The distribution study shows that faunal specimens, lithic artefacts, hearths and charcoal fragments are significantly concentrated at the entrance of the cave where, it is inferred, hominins carried out different activities, while carnivores preferred the sheltered zones in the inner areas of the cave. The results obtained reveal a spatial pattern characterized by fire use related zones, and show that the site was occupied by Neanderthals in a similar and consistent way throughout the ˃ 7000 years range covered by the analysed subunits. This spatial pattern is interpreted as resulting from repeated short-term human occupations.

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Section: Teixoneres Cavesupporting

confidence: 72%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining Neanderthal and carnivore occupations of Teixoneres Cave (Moià, Barcelona, Spain) using archaeostratigraphic and intra-site spatial analysis

Zilio

Hammond

Karampaglidis³

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

Self Cite

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“…45 ka BP [35,136], and providing an alternation of Levallois and Discoid-oriented occupations [137,138]. The same is true of the latest Middle Paleolithic occupations from sites such as Cova Gran de Santa Linya [131,139], Roca dels Bous [140], Teixoneres [141,142], and L’Arbreda [143].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Middle-to-Upper Paleolithic transition occupations from Cova Foradada (Calafell, NE Iberia)

et al. 2019

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The Middle-to-Upper Paleolithic transition in Europe covers the last millennia of Neanderthal life together with the appearance and expansion of Modern Human populations. Culturally, it is defined by the Late Middle Paleolithic succession, and by Early Upper Paleolithic complexes like the Châ telperronian (southwestern Europe), the Protoaurignacian, and the Early Aurignacian. Up to now, the southern boundary for the transition has been established as being situated between France and Iberia, in the Cantabrian façade and Pyrenees. According to this, the central and southern territories of Iberia are claimed to have been the refuge of the last Neanderthals for some additional millennia after they were replaced by anatomically Modern Humans on the rest of the continent. In this paper, we present the Middle-to-Upper Paleolithic transition sequence from Cova Foradada (Tarragona), a cave on the Catalan Mediterranean coastline. Archaeological research has documented a stratigraphic sequence containing a succession of very short-term occupations pertaining to the Châ telperronian, Early Aurignacian, and Gravettian. Cova Foradada therefore represents the southernmost Châ telperronian-Early Aurignacian sequence ever documented in Europe, significantly enlarging the territorial distribution of both cultures and providing an important geographical and chronological reference for understanding Neanderthal disappearance and the complete expansion of anatomically Modern Humans.

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“…Previous studies show links between the availability of local rocks and the types of occupations [88, 113–115], as in the south-eastern margins of the Massif Central. In Spain, for instance, in sites with short-term occupations, local stones are mainly associated with some long-distance retouched objects, such as Teixoneres during MIS 5–3 [116–120]. At Abric del Pastor [121], short occupations during MIS 5–4 indicate a radius of 15 km with some long-distance artefacts/preforms.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rocks, teeth, and tools: New insights into early Neanderthal mobility strategies in South-Eastern France from lithic reconstructions and strontium isotope analysis

et al. 2019

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Neanderthals had complex land use patterns, adapting to diversified landscapes and climates. Over the past decade, considerable progress has been made in reconstructing the chronology, land use and subsistence patterns, and occupation types of sites in the Rhône Valley, southeast France. In this study, Neanderthal mobility at the site of Payre is investigated by combining information from lithic procurement analysis (“chaîne evolutive” and “chaîne opératoire” concepts) and strontium isotope analysis of teeth (childhood foraging area), from two units (F and G). Both units date to the transition from Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 8 to MIS 7, and show similar environmental conditions, but represent contrasting occupation durations. Level Gb (unit G) represents a long-term year-round use, in contrast to short-term seasonal use of the cave in level Fb (unit F). For both levels, lithic material and food were generally collected from a local to semi-local region. However, in level Gb, lithic materials were mainly collected from colluviums and food collected in the valley, whereas in level Fb, lithic procurement focused primarily on alluvial deposits and food was collected from higher elevation plateaus. These procurement or exchange patterns might be related to flint availability, knapping advantages of alluvial flint or occupation duration. The site of Payre is located in a flint rich circulation corridor and the movement of groups or exchanges between groups were organized along a north-south axis on the plateaus or towards the east following the river. The ridges were widely used as they are rich in flint, whereas the Rhône Valley is not an important source of lithic raw materials. Compared to other western European Middle Palaeolithic sites, these results indicate that procurement strategies have a moderate link with occupation types and duration, and with lithic technology. The Sr isotope ratios broadly match the proposed foraging areas, with the Rhône Valley being predominantly used in unit G and the ridges and limestone plateaus in unit F. While lithic reconstructions and childhood foraging are not directly related this suggests that the three analysed Neanderthals spend their childhood in the same general area and supports the idea of mobile Neanderthals in the Rhône Valley and neighbouring higher elevation plateaus. The combination of reconstructing lithic raw material sources, provisioning strategies, and strontium isotope analyses provides new details on how Neanderthals at Payre practised land use and mobility in the Early Middle Palaeolithic.

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Quantitative and qualitative analysis for the study of Middle Paleolithic retouched artifacts: Unit III of Teixoneres cave (Barcelona, Spain)

Cited by 5 publications

References 43 publications

Examining Neanderthal and carnivore occupations of Teixoneres Cave (Moià, Barcelona, Spain) using archaeostratigraphic and intra-site spatial analysis

Examining Neanderthal and carnivore occupations of Teixoneres Cave (Moià, Barcelona, Spain) using archaeostratigraphic and intra-site spatial analysis

The Middle-to-Upper Paleolithic transition occupations from Cova Foradada (Calafell, NE Iberia)

Rocks, teeth, and tools: New insights into early Neanderthal mobility strategies in South-Eastern France from lithic reconstructions and strontium isotope analysis

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