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The Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in southern Iberia

Publication . Cortes Sanchez, Miguel; Jiménez-Espejo, Francisco J.; Simon Vallejo, Maria D.; Gibaja Bao, Juan; Carvalho, António Faustino; Martinez-Ruiz, Francisca; Rodrigo Gamiz, Marta; Flores, Jose-Abel; Paytan, Adina; Lopez Saez, Jose A.; Pena-Chocarro, Leonor; Carrion, Jose S.; Morales Muniz, Arturo; Rosello Izquierdo, Eufrasia; Riquelme Cantal, Jose A.; Dean, Rebecca M.; Salgueiro, Emilia; Martinez Sanchez, Rafael M.; De la Rubia de Gracia, Juan J.; Lozano Francisco, Maria C.; Vera Pelaez, Jose L.; Llorente Rodriguez, Laura; Bicho, Nuno Gonçalo Viana Pereira Ferreira

New data and a review of historiographic information from Neolithic sites of the Malaga and Algarve coasts (southern Iberian Peninsula) and from the Maghreb (North Africa) reveal the existence of a Neolithic settlement at least from 7.5 cal ka BP. The agricultural and pastoralist food producing economy of that population rapidly replaced the coastal economies of the Mesolithic populations. The timing of this population and economic turnover coincided with major changes in the continental and marine ecosystems, including upwelling intensity, sea-level changes and increased aridity in the Sahara and along the Iberian coast. These changes likely impacted the subsistence strategies of the Mesolithic populations along the Iberian seascapes and resulted in abandonments manifested as sedimentary hiatuses in some areas during the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition. The rapid expansion and area of dispersal of the early Neolithic traits suggest the use of marine technology. Different evidences for a Maghrebian origin for the first colonists have been summarized. The recognition of an early North-African Neolithic influence in Southern Iberia and the Maghreb is vital for understanding the appearance and development of the Neolithic in Western Europe. Our review suggests links between climate change, resource allocation, and population turnover. (C) 2011 University of Washington. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

2012-03Journal article

Restricted access

Multi-decadal atmospheric and marine climate variability in southern Iberia during the mid- to late-Holocene

Publication . Schirrmacher, Julien; Weinelt, Mara; Blanz, Thomas; Andersen, Nils; Salgueiro, Emilia; Schneider, Ralph R.

To assess the regional multi-decadal to multicentennial climate variability along the southern Iberian Peninsula during the mid- to late-Holocene record of paleoenvironmental indicators from marine sediments were established for two sites in the Alboran Sea (ODP-161-976A) and the Gulf of Cadiz (GeoB5901-2). High-resolution records of organic geochemical properties and planktic foraminiferal assemblages are used to decipher precipitation and vegetation changes as well as hydrological conditions with respect to sea surface temperature (SST) and marine primary productivity (MPP). As a proxy for precipitation change, records of plant-derived n-alkane composition suggest a series of five distinct dry episodes in southern Iberia at 5.4 +/- 0.3 ka cal BP, from 5.1 to 4.9 +/- 0.1 ka cal BP, from 4.8 to 4.7 +/- 0.1 ka cal BP, from 4.4 to 4.3 +/- 0.1 ka cal BP, and at 3.7 +/- 0.1 ka cal BP. During each dry episode the vegetation suffered from reduced water availability. Interestingly, the dry phase from 4.4 to 4.3 +/- 0.1 ka cal BP is followed by a rapid shift towards wetter conditions revealing a more complex pattern in terms of its timing and duration than was described for the 4.2 ka event in other regions. The series of dry episodes as well as closely connected hydrological variability in the Alboran Sea were probably driven by NAO-like (North Atlantic Oscillation) variability. In contrast, surface waters in the Gulf of Cadiz appear to have responded more directly to North Atlantic cooling associated with Bond events. In particular, during Bond events 3 and 4, a pronounced increase in seasonality with summer warming and winter cooling is found.

2019Journal article

Open access