A Stable Isotopes Analysis of Ungulate Remains from Lapa do Picareiro: An Assessment of Refugia Concepts during the Middle Paleolithic and Transition to Upper Paleolithic

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Peninsular Southern Europe Refugia during the Middle Paleolithic" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans (AMH) adapted to a series of environmental changes during the Late Pleistocene and may have sought refugia in the southern reaches of Europe in response to environmental degradation. Explanatory models such as the Ebro Frontier Model propose that Neanderthals were adapted to woodland environments while AMHs preferred open landscapes. This model suggests that Late Neanderthal survival in southern Iberia may have been the result of Neanderthals seeking refuge during the relatively mild conditions during MIS 3 on the peninsula. Heinrich Events, especially H4, however, may have created harsh climatic conditions that may have reduced Neanderthal populations below survival thresholds. Thus, reconstructions of paleoenvironmental conditions to which Neanderthals and AMHs were subjected are key to understanding whether both groups periodically sought refuge in Iberia. Here, we present a paleoenvironmental study using stable isotopes analysis of carbon and oxygen of red deer and ibex tooth enamel from Mousterian and Early Upper Paleolithic levels from Lapa do Picareiro (Portuguese Estremadura). These data are then compared to previous isotopic data recovered from red deer and rabbit tissues as well as other paleoclimate indicators from Picareiro to assess whether central Portugal acted as a refugia during periods of unfavorable climates.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)   •
• Peninsular Southern Europe Refugia during the Middle Paleolithic

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 25807