An early Gravettian point cache from Vale Boi: implications for the arrival of Anatomically Modern Humans to southern Iberia

Summary

During the 2014 and 2015 field season, we have excavated a new loci with an early Gravettian horizon in the Rock Shelter area of the site of Vale Boi, Southern Portugal. The loci is marked by a unique cache composed of close to 20 artifacts, most of which are pristine backed points in non-local chert. Due to typological characteristics, that includes points identical to those found in Pego do Diabo cave near Lisbon, and to those found in Vale Boi dated to 32.5 ka cal BP, as well as to the stratigraphical position and absolute depth of the finds, this cache is likely to be one of the earliest Gravettian occupations in southern Iberia. A series of AMS samples will be dated to confirm the estimated chronology of the cache.

In this paper, we will discuss the importance of such a find, including technology, typology, raw material and use wear studies in addition to zooarchaeological and geoarchaeological analyses, for the arrival of first Anatomically Modern Humans to southern Iberia just prior to the H3 event.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• Papers in Honor of Lawrence Guy Straus

Keywords

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