Selection and Exploitation of Macro‐Vertebrate Resources During the Upper Palaeolithic in Northern Spain. New Evidence from Coímbre Cave (Peñamellera Alta, Asturias)

Abstract

Summary The exploitation of ungulates in the Cantabrian region during the Upper Palaeolithic is characterized by the appearance of progressively specialized hunting strategies, especially during the Magdalenian. This specialization focused on either Iberian ibex or red deer, depending on environmental or topographic features. Red deer, for instance, was hunted mostly on the plains while ibex and/or chamois was hunted in rocky and mountainous areas. Here we present new zooarchaeological and taphonomic evidence from Coímbre cave (northern Spain), a site located in the rugged region between the Picos de Europa and Sierra del Cuera (Asturias) which has evidence for specialized ibex hunting. We discuss the possible reasons for such a selective hunting pattern. While the predominance of mountain species such as Iberian ibex or chamois in the Magdalenian levels suggests prey selection based on topographic or environmental criteria, the predominance of large bovids in the Gravettian level could imply that other alternatives were available. We also provide evidence of a pattern of rabbit exploitation which is unusual by comparison with other Upper Palaeolithic sites of northern Spain, and which taphonomic evidence suggests was due to human activity.

The paleo-synanthropic niche: a first attempt to define animal’s adaptation to a human-made micro-environment in the Late Pleistocene

“…Besides NISP, the analysis of carnivore tooth marks on human prey has a high potential to provide information about possible synanthropic behavior of small carnivores. Several archaeological sites from the Middle to the Upper Paleolithic show tooth marks made by small carnivores (Camarós et al 2016;Daujeard et al 2016;Yravedra et al 2017;Yravedra et al 2019a, b). Identifying which carnivore is active at a site is a difficult task.…”

Subsistencia, movilidad y adaptación al medio de los cazadores-recolectores gravetienses en el sector occidental de la región cantábrica: la cueva de Coímbre (Asturias)

“…Además, en líneas generales, los animales de talla grande considerando como tales los que superan los 600 kg de peso representan el 80% del NISP, mientras que los de talla pequeña (entre 25-125 kg) son el 13%. Esta tendencia es totalmente opuesta a la observada en los niveles magdalenienses donde, en coherencia con el entorno circundante de espacios montañosos, muy rocosos, abruptos y escarpados, la cabra es el animal más frecuente, alcanzando los animales de talla pequeña el 91% del NR Yravedra et al 2017). La representación faunística de grandes bóvidos en el Gravetiense resulta curiosa por su desajuste con el medio inmediato de la cueva de Coímbre.…”