Small preys and plant exploitation by late pleistocene hunter–gatherers. A case study from the Northeast of the Iberian Peninsula

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to explain the subsistence strategies of late hunter-gatherers from the Northeast of the Iberian Peninsula on the basis of zooarchaeological and archaeobotanical records. The study is based on the Molí del Salt archaeological site which has yielded an Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic sequence. Each of the disciplines shows us a various type of assemblage to approach the same problem. Archaeobotanical materials, including charcoal and seeds provide data on the strategies related to firewood gathering and vegetal food supply, which was a basic subsistence resource for these groups. The archaeobotanical assemblage is mainly formed by conifers, but other species related to edible plants are also important. Bone assemblage, mainly formed by Oryctolagus cuniculus, show how hunting and meat processing is highly related. The environmental constraints as well as mobility are discussed in order to achieve an ampler knowledge on human activities.

Rabbits as Food at the end of the Upper Palaeolithic at Molí del Salt (Catalonia, Spain)

“…Alternatively, they may have taken advantage of rabbit remains left behind by humans. It is clear, from our own data and previous studies, however, that human groups were responsible for the majority of lagomorph remains in level A sup at Molí del Salt (Ibañez & Saladié, ; Allué et al ., ).…”

“…The extreme predominance of European rabbit remains in the A sup level at Molí del Salt clearly confirms the importance of leporid procurement – a pattern that has been recorded elsewhere on the Iberian Peninsula (Delibes & Hiraldo, ; Callou, ; Fa et al ., ). Molí del Salt is strategically located in the eastern sector of the Ebro Basin and the central region of the Littoral Mountain Range (Cordillera Prelitoral) within the Mediterranean vegetation zone system where varied natural resources could be accessed by the site's inhabitants (Vallverdú et al ., ; Vaquero et al ., ; Allué et al ., ). A Catalonian site contemporary with the A sup level at Molí del Salt, which is also characterised by anthropic rabbit accumulations, is Picamoixons (Valls, Alt Camp).…”

“…Allué et al . () noted changes in tool production technology and preferences for raw materials throughout the sequence. The upper layers (A sup and A) have been extensively excavated (Vaquero et al ., ).…”

Leporids as a potential resource for predators (hominins, mammalian carnivores, raptors): An example of mixed contribution from level III of Teixoneres Cave (MIS 3, Barcelona, Spain)

“…These elements are usually associated with accumulation by humans, especially when they are present in large numbers (e.g., Allué et al, 2010;Cochard, 2004a;Cochard et al, 2012;Sanchis, 2010). However, carnivores can also produce this morphotype, although in very low proportions (e.g., Cochard, 2004a;Hockett, 1991;Lloveras et al, 2008a;Sanchis, 2010;Schmitt and Juell, 1994).…”

Nuevas interpretaciones del Paleolítico Superior Final de la Cataluña meridional: el yacimiento de L’ Hort de la Boquera (Priorat, Tarragona)

“…La presencia de gasterópodos terrestres, en concreto de la especie Cepaea nemoralis, generalizada como recurso alimentario en yacimientos de cronología posterior, da al yacimiento un toque de modernidad respecto a otros del Paleolíti-co superior final en Cataluña, canónicamente (Fullola et al 1993) y el Molí del Salt (Vaquero 2004), evidencia la diversificación de los recursos alimentarios que caracterizará el Epipaleolítico cuando aumentan de modo progresivo los gasterópodos terrestres y las presas pequeñas como los lepóridos y inician su presencia los restos carbonizados de frutos silvestres (Allué et al 2010).…”