Upper paleolithic ibex hunting in southwest Europe

The use of optimal foraging theory to estimate Late Glacial site catchment areas from a central place: The case of eastern Cantabria, Spain

“…This became especially important in the Magdalenian (Straus, 1990/91). During this period, sites tended to focus on either red deer or caprids, mainly ibex (Straus, 1987), which are contemporary with other sites where both species were exploited (González Sainz, 1989;. This trend has been explained as an adaptive response to greater energy demands brought about by Fig.…”

The Magdalenian settlement of the Cantabrian region (Northern Spain): The view from El Miron Cave

“…The fact that (probably warm-season) residents of El Mirón either visited the coast during their stays or (more likely) came to the cave after stays at lowland sites near the shore is attested by the regular presence of isolated sea shells (including rolled, deep-water scallops) in the Lower Magdalenian levels. It could be suggested that the settlement model for this period included long-term, multi-functional, residential base camps in both the coastal lowland and in the montane interior, as well as small, special-purpose, short-terms camps (e.g., hunting stands, "over-night" transit sites) around those hub sites in both topographic zones (see Straus, 1986Straus, , 1987.…”

Of stones and bones: Interpreting site function in the Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic of Western Europe

“…Along with Mousterian, Early Upper Paleolithic, Solutrean, Azilian, Mesolithic, Neolithic, Chalcolithic, and Bronze Age deposits, El Mirón has a full sequence of Magdalenian levels dated by over two dozen radiocarbon determinations between 17 and 11.5 kya and located both throughout the large, sunlit vestibule, and in the dark inner cave González Morales, 2003b, 2005). Unlike many other high mountain sites dominated by ibex remains in the Vasco-Cantabrian and Pyrenean regions which are small (Straus, 1987), El Mirón is a large cave, 130 m deep with a vestibule measuring 30 m deep by 8-16 m wide by at least 13 m high.…”