The Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition in La Güelga cave (Asturias, Northern Spain)

Menéndez, Mario; Álvarez-Alonso, David; Andrés-Herrero, María de; Carral, Pilar; García-Sánchez, Eduardo; Pardo, Jesús F. Jordá; Quesada, J. M.; Rojo, Julio

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2017.08.061

Cited by 27 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Overall, and as based on the comparison to current radiocarbon chronologies, the Mousterian occupation at Abrigo del Molino thus took place before the chronology suggested for the final Mousterian in Cueva Antón (Zilhão et al, 2016) and Gruta da Oliveira (Hoffmann et al, 2013), but after the final Mousterian in Cantabrian Spain (Higham et al, 2014; Wood et al, 2016). Apparently, it shows temporal overlap with the transitional Aurignacian of unit 18B at El Castillo, dated to between 45 and 42 cal BP (see discussion in Wood et al, 2016) and with the presumably Châtelperronian level 2 at La Güelga, where similar dating results were found (Menéndez et al, 2014). This temporal overlap may relate to methodological problems in radiocarbon dating or cultural attribution of lithic assemblages, or it may indicate co-existence of these techno-complexes over large geographical distances.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 56%

The rock shelter Abrigo del Molino (Segovia, Spain) and the timing of the late Middle Paleolithic in Central Iberia

Kehl

Álvarez-Alonso²,

Andrés-Herrero

et al. 2018

Quat. res.

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The timing of the late Middle Paleolithic and late disappearance of Neanderthals in the Iberian Peninsula are hotly debated subjects in Paleolithic archeology. Several studies suggested a late survival in South and Central Iberia until about 32 ka, but were probably subject to significant age underestimation due to contamination of dating samples, undiagnostic lithic assemblages, and/or lack of stratigraphic integrity. We conducted a radiocarbon and luminescence-dating study backed by detailed sedimentological and micromorphological investigations at the newly discovered rock shelter sequence of Abrigo del Molino (Central Spain). Accumulation of the sediment sequence was rapid. It started with deposition of paleoflood slack-water deposits at around 48 ka and continued until about 41 ka with deposition of colluvial and detrital sediments. These contain two Mousterian levels, which place the latest Neanderthal occupation at around 45 to 41 ka, i.e., between Heinrich Stadials 5 and 4, and probably during a time of climate amelioration. Abrigo del Molino thus provides a detailed and chronologically well-constrained record of Late Neanderthal presence and morphodynamic change in Central Iberia during times of millennial-scale climate changes. The site gives further evidence for an early disappearance of Neanderthals in Central Iberia.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 56%

The rock shelter Abrigo del Molino (Segovia, Spain) and the timing of the late Middle Paleolithic in Central Iberia

Kehl

Álvarez-Alonso²,

Andrés-Herrero

et al. 2018

Quat. res.

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“…In La Güelga one of the dates goes beyond the timing determined for this cultural technocomplex in the region of 38 000–37 000 14 C a bp (Marín‐Arroyo et al ., 2018) and is dated at 40 300 ± 1200 14 C a bp (OxA‐27958). The archaeologists at this site proposed the attribution of these levels to a Châtelperronian technocomplex due to some guiding fossils highly characteristic of this period (Châtelperron points) (Menéndez et al ., 2018). Unfortunately, the lack of coherence in the dating of the other Châtelperronian level 10 identified in Cueva Morín and the absence of faunal assemblage in Aranbaltza prevented its inclusion in this analysis.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These results proved what the taphonomic studies also show. During the Mousterian, Amalda VII and Llonín VIII have the highest values, while during the Châtelperronian, Labeko Koba IX inf shows the highest value of the studied period, while there are no published data about carnivores in La Güelga, although the presence of panther is attested (Menéndez et al ., 2014). During the Aurignacian, according to the NISP, Labeko Koba VII has the highest values, followed by Ekain IXB, Aitzbitarte III Vb and Labeko Koba VI.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Neanderthals and AMH ate: reassessment of the subsistence across the Middle–Upper Palaeolithic transition in the Vasco‐Cantabrian region of SW Europe

Marín-Arroyo

Sanz-Royo

2021

J Quaternary Science

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Recent research in northern Spain has revealed the disappearance of Neanderthal populations in the Vasco‐Cantabrian region a few millennia earlier than in eastern and southern Iberia and discovered a short period of overlap with modern humans, at least, in terms of radiocarbon dates. However, the causes of Neanderthal decline understood as a regional and temporal process remain open. Despite the abundance of technological studies, modern‐quality chronological dating, and the availability of archaeofaunal and palaeoenvironmental data, there is a lack of consensus about how climatic and environmental conditions could have affected ungulate prey and, therefore, Neanderthal subsistence strategies. In this paper, an analytical summary of the archaeofaunal and taphonomic data available for the Vasco‐Cantabrian region, combined with the most recent chronological evidence, present general knowledge about animal biogeography and ecology during the Middle–Upper Palaeolithic transition, and provides an interpretation of the behaviour of both human species in the region. This work reviews the palaeomammal community of animals represented in the record as exploited by human groups in several caves and rock shelters and pointing to continuing lacunae in knowledge. Further research is needed to verify and potentially explain the apparent hominin population gap and the ultimate fate of the Neanderthals.

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“…The chronology of these technocomplexes is one of the thorniest questions in these discussions, and one of the most prominent settings is the Cantabrian coast (northern Iberian Peninsula) (Maroto et al 2018). This is one of the European regions with the greatest density of archaeological sites from the period in question, contrasting with the bordering northern Submeseta (Álvarez-Alonso et al 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A chrono-cultural reassessment of levels III-V from El Cuco rock-shelter: a new sequence for the late Middle Palaeolithic – early Upper Palaeolithic boundary in the Cantabrian region (northern Iberia)

Río¹,

Maroto²,

Muñoz-Fernández³

et al. 2021

Comptes Rendus Palevol

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The Iberian Peninsula is one of the key areas for studying the last populations of Neanderthals and the arrival in Europe of the first anatomically modern humans. In the Cantabrian region, this process can be traced in just a few sites with levels dating to the final stages of the Middle Palaeolithic and the earliest phases of the Upper Palaeolithic. One of these singular enclaves is El Cuco rock-shelter, where the sequence was initially dated by 14C only to the early Upper Palaeolithic sensu lato. However, new studies and datings now place this archaeological sequence in the late Mousterian and the Aurignacian. In this article we present a chrono-cultural reassessment of the upper levels of El Cuco (III-V), including a study of the large mammals. Levels Vc and Vb (>43.5-40.5 ky uncal BP) date from the late Mousterian, whereas levels Va, IV and III (c. 36.5-30 ky uncal BP) cover an interval extending at least from the Early Aurignacian to the Evolved Aurignacian. Particularly noteworthy is the discovery in level Va of a set of decorative beads made from marine shells in a context of possible symbolic behaviour.

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The Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition in La Güelga cave (Asturias, Northern Spain)

Cited by 27 publications

References 14 publications

The rock shelter Abrigo del Molino (Segovia, Spain) and the timing of the late Middle Paleolithic in Central Iberia

The rock shelter Abrigo del Molino (Segovia, Spain) and the timing of the late Middle Paleolithic in Central Iberia

What Neanderthals and AMH ate: reassessment of the subsistence across the Middle–Upper Palaeolithic transition in the Vasco‐Cantabrian region of SW Europe

A chrono-cultural reassessment of levels III-V from El Cuco rock-shelter: a new sequence for the late Middle Palaeolithic – early Upper Palaeolithic boundary in the Cantabrian region (northern Iberia)

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