The exceptional finding of Locus 2 at Dehesilla Cave and the Middle Neolithic ritual funerary practices of the Iberian Peninsula

Abstract

There is a significant number of funerary contexts for the Early Neolithic in the Iberian Peninsula, and the body of information is much larger for the Late Neolithic. In contrast, the archaeological information available for the period in between (ca. 4800-4400/4200 cal BC) is scarce. This period, generally called Middle Neolithic, is the least well-known of the peninsular Neolithic sequence, and at present there is no specific synthesis on this topic at the peninsular scale. In 2017, an exceptional funerary context was discovered at Dehesilla Cave (Sierra de Cá diz, Southern Iberian Peninsula), providing radiocarbon dates which place it at the beginning of this little-known Middle Neolithic period, specifically between ca. 4800-4550 cal BC. Locus 2 is a deposition constituted by two adult human skulls and the skeleton of a very young sheep/goat, associated with stone structures and a hearth, and a number of pots, stone and bone tools and charred plant remains. The objectives of this paper are, firstly, to present the new archaeological context documented at Dehesilla Cave, supported by a wide range of data provided by interdisciplinary methods. The dataset is diverse in nature: stratigraphic, osteological, isotopic, zoological, artifactual, botanical and radiocarbon results are presented together. Secondly, to place this finding within the general context of the contemporaneous sites known in the Iberian Peninsula through a systematic review of the available evidence. This enables not only the formulation of explanations of the singular new context, but also to infer the possible ritual funerary behaviours and practices in the 5 th millennium cal BC in the Iberian Peninsula.

Estratigrafía, materiales arqueológicos y dataciones del corte C005 de Cueva de la Dehesilla: primicia pleistocena y nueva contribución a la secuencia neolítica

“…Por tanto, puede deducirse que, según estos dos objetos, este estrato tuvo sendas afecciones durante el Neolítico medio A y después durante el Neolítico final -inicio del periodo al que puede adscribirse el resultado de C14-, o, tal vez de forma más parsimoniosa, una afección durante este último periodo que introdujo hacia abajo (escasos) materiales de los dos periodos. Esta última hipótesis se ajusta a la ausencia de mayores evidencias materiales en esta área concreta durante el Neolítico medio A, así como en la mitad S de la sala, con una estratigrafía más potente documentada por el corte C006, donde para este periodo se ha hallado un depósito funerario ritual -denominado Locus 2-(García Rivero et al, 2020a) sin que existan evidencias de ocupación estable de carácter doméstico.…”

“…Incluso hoy se sabe que los estratos adscritos al Neolítico antiguo tradicional andaluz están precedidos, al menos en el caso del corte C003, por un horizonte más antiguo vinculado con la cerámica impressa de filiación mediterránea (Taylor y García Rivero, 2020). Igualmente, se ha obtenido información relevante respecto a las conductas funerarias y rituales de las poblaciones del VI y V milenios cal BC, así como en relación con sus sistemas económicos y la gestión de los recursos naturales (García Rivero et al, 2019;2020a;2021;.…”

Paleomobility in Iberia: 12 years of strontium isotope research

“…To date, our database includes 1635 87 Sr/ 86 Sr isotopic values from 33 publications ( Alt et al 2016;Albizuri et al 2019;Balsera et al 2016;Carvalho et al 2015, Carvalho et al 2019Díaz-del-Río et al, 2017a;Díaz-del-Río et al, 2017b;Díaz-Zorita Bonilla et al 2009;Díaz-Zorita Bonilla, 2013;Díaz-Zorita Bonilla et al 2018;Díaz-Zorita Bonilla et al, 2021;García-Rivero et al 2020;Fernández-Crespo et al 2020a, Fernández-Crespo et al 2020bGuede et al 2017, Guede, 2018Lillios et al 2015;MacRoberts et al 2020;Merner, 2017;Ortega et al 2013;Prevedorou et al 2010;Saragoça et al 2016;Sarasketa-Gartzia et al 2018, Sarasketa-Gartzia et al 2019Valenzuela-Lamas et al 2016, Valenzuela-Lamas et al 2018Valenzuela-Suau et al 2021;Valera et al 2020, Villalba-Mouco et al 2020Waterman, 2012;Wright et al 2019;Žalait ė, 2016, Žalait ė et al 2018. The bulk (80 %) have been published since 2017 (Fig.…”

Environmental Changes and Cultural Transitions in SW Iberia during the Early-Mid Holocene

“…Many of these new Neolithic sites are located in fluvial environments some kilometres inland, if compared with those belonging to the Mesolithic (Alcalar 7, Ribeira de Alcantarilha, Castelo Belinho, Ibne-Ahmmar, Algarão da Goldra). In the southeastern area of the Gulf of Cádiz it is possible to identify varying typologies of archaeological sites with Neolithic occupations: a single human occupation (El Retamar) based on the exploitation of marine resources, hunting, and animal domestication [18,19], a permanent settlement (Campo de Hockey) with a large necropolis [20][21][22], and a necropolis cave (La Dehesilla) [23]. With the exception of the cave situated in a mountainous area, all other sites are located in the marine-fluvial environments of the Cádiz Bay.…”