Human Adaptability to Fauna and Flora Changes during MIS 5-3. Is the Iberian Mediterranean Region a Refuge?

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.

Neanderthal and AMH from the Early Upper Palaeolithic have a really good knowledge of their environment and its potential resources. The local landscape and its changes should influence their behavior and the availability of resources. In this sense, the faunal remains have been better documented than flora. But our team is getting more information about charcoal and seeds thanks to new sampling methods.

Data obtained from diverse sites (e.g. Quebrada, Cova Negra, Malladetes, Cendres) are presented in order to improve our knowledge of the climatic and edaphic conditions from the Middle Palaeolithic to the Early Upper Palaeolithic in the Iberian Mediterranean region. Available data suggest that refuge areas for thermophilous plants are located south of parallel 40° N. Identified plants may be in categories: temperate/cold conditions, warm/dry conditions, matorral and riverine habitats. The taxonomic diversity shows a steady panorama throughout the sequence under study here. The main faunal species are continuously present, mainly because they are eurytherm. We need, therefore, to focus on species that could be bioindicators, as for example rabbits or pines. Combining the results of our studies with the published data from other sites, we can identify some tendencies regarding latitudinal/altitudinal gradients.

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): 25027