Unraveling a Neanderthal Palimpsest from a Zooarcheological and Lithic Perspective: Abrigo de la Quebrada level IV (Valencia, Spain)

Summary

Excavations at Abrigo de la Quebrada (Chelva, Valencia) have revealed 9 archaeological levels belonging to Neanderthal occupations. Level IV, characterised by a high density of lithic (>18,000) and bone (>100,000) remains, has been dated with AMS between 43,930±750 BP (Beta-244002) and >50.8 ka BP (OxA-24855). Human presence in the shelter has been favoured by its location, giving rise to a kind of natural trap where hunting animals would be feasible. The immediate environment is varied (abrupt and plain zones), allowing the presence of a wide range of prey. The high density of lithic and bone elements and the large number of combustion structural remains with small variations in spatial distribution reflect a typical structure of palimpsest with frequent, repeated and seasonal occupations with intense on-site processing. The characteristics of the sample (seasonality, exploitation intensity, taphonomic data, lithic refits and raw materials) support that idea and tell us about short-term occupations; the absence of modification by carnivores facilitates the study of the Neanderthal behaviour. With this study we have obtained more information on the subsistence and behaviour of Neanderthal groups, which can be compared to other regional contexts in the central area of the Mediterranean Iberian.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Connecting Middle Paleolithic Datasets: The Interplay of Zooarchaeological and Lithic Data for Unraveling Neanderthal Behavior

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 14686