Searching for the lost pieces: unravelling the role of small game in the Iberian Palaeolithic

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New quantitative method for dental wear analysis of small mammals

Publication . Bañuls-Cardona, Sandra; Blasco, Ruth; Rosell, Jordi; Rufà, Anna; Vallverdú, Josep; Rivals, Florent

The application of dental wear study to murids has always been ruled out because of their omnivorous diet, which does not leave significant wear on the dentition. Nevertheless, in our work we select Apodemus sylvaticus (wood mouse) as the object of study for several reasons: its seasonal diet, its ability to resist the gastric juices of predators, the fact that it has not undergone major morphological changes since its appearance 3 million years ago, and its widespread distribution throughout much of Europe and part of Africa. The importance of this work lies in the modifications we make to the dental wear methodology for its application to murids. These enable us to obtain quantitative data on the entire tooth surface. The sample chosen was a total of 75 lower first molars from two different archaeological sites: Teixoneres cave and Xaragalls cave. The chronology of the samples chosen ranges from Marine Isotope Stages 5-3. The data obtained reveal that the part of the tooth that shows most wear is the distal part (entoconid). Furthermore, the results provide us with relevant information on the types of accumulations of remains in the caves (short vs. long term), as well as on the seasonality of Neanderthal occupations during the Upper Pleistocene (MIS5-3) of the northeastern Iberian Peninsula.

2022Journal article

Open access

A deep learning-based taphonomical approach to distinguish the modifying agent in the late pleistocene site of toll cave (Barcelona, Spain)

Publication . Pizarro-Monzo, Marcos; Rosell, Jordi; Rufà, Anna; Rivals, Florent; Blasco, Ruth

One of the most widely used methods to associate lithic tools and bone assemblage in archaeological sites is the identification of cut-marks. However, the identification of these marks is still problematic in some localities on account of the similarities with the modifications generated by non-human processes, including biostratinomic and post-depositional bone surface modifications. Toll Cave (Barcelona, Spain), with chronologies between 47.310 BP and 69.800 BP, is one of the case studies where the cut-marks could easily be confused with abundant grooves generated by the dragging of sedimentary particles (e.g. trampling), but also with the scores produced by carnivores. In this work, we present the results obtained from applying Deep Learning (DL) models to the taphonomic analysis of the site. This methodological approach has allowed us to distinguish the bone surface modifications with 97.5% reliability. We show the usefulness of this technique to help solve many taphonomic equifinality problems in the archaeological assemblages, as well as the need to implement new approaches to eliminate subjectivity in the descriptions of bone damage and make more accurate inferences about the past.

2023Journal article

Restricted access

New insights in Neanderthal palaeoecology using stable oxygen isotopes preserved in small mammals as palaeoclimatic tracers in Teixoneres Cave (Moià, northeastern Iberia)

Publication . Fernández-García, M.; López-García, J. M.; Royer, A.; Lécuyer, C.; Rivals, F.; Rufà, Anna; Blasco, R.; Rosell, J.

The northeastern region of Iberia constitutes a natural pass-area for arriving populations into the peninsula and becomes a key area to understand Neanderthal resilience to changing environmental conditions experienced during Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS 3; 60-30 ka). Short-term but repeated occupations by Neanderthal groups occurred in Teixoneres Cave (Moia, Barcelona) in alternation with large and small carnivores during MIS3. Abundant small-mammal remains accumulated in units III and II of this fossiliferous deposit, providing local climatic and environmental information. This work focuses on the taphonomic history of small-mammal faunas, which a is clue to validate previous palaeoecological interpretations. As was observed with leporids and bird remains, raptors are considered the major source of small-mammal remains. The most likely accumulator is an opportunistic predator, the eagle owl, with very rare inputs by mammalian carnivores. In parallel, high-resolution palaeoclimatic data are provided through oxygen isotope analyses (delta O-18) of rodent teeth from four subunits (IIIb to IIa), which are compared with independent methods of palaeotemperature estimations. According to air temperatures estimated from delta O-18 rodent teeth, cooler conditions than present day (-1.6/- 0.5 degrees C) are recorded along the sequence, but homogenous (< 1 degrees C). Complementary methods also explain higher rainfall than present day (+44/+682 mm). Only slight changes between units III and II show climatic instability, which could be related to palimpsests of stadial-interstadial events. Climatic stable conditions are reported from coeval isotopic and palaeodiet analyses from northeastern Iberia in agreement with the palynological records that underline how the Mediterranean area could have sustained rich ecosystems that assured the Neanderthal subsistence during the abrupt climatic pulsations of the Late Glacial.

2022Journal article

Open access

La Cuevona de Avín (Avín, Asturias, North Spain): A new late pleistocene site in the lower valley of the River Güeña

Publication . Álvarez-Fernández, Esteban; Martín-Jarque, Sergio; Portero, Rodrigo; Vadillo Conesa, Margarita; Martínez-Villa, Alberto; Teresa Aparicio, Mª; Armenteros, Ildefonso; Cerezo-Fernández, Rosana; Domingo, Rafael; García-Ibaibarriaga, Naroa; Javier González, F.; Llorente, Laura; Rufà, Anna; Tarriño, Antonio; Uzquiano, Paloma; Pinto-Llona, Ana C.

The archaeological investigations carried out in the last twenty years in the Lower Valley of the River Gliena (Asturias, central part of northern Spain) have documented different prehistoric sites, particularly with Middle and Upper Palaeolithic occupations. This paper presents the first results of the archaeological excavation carried out in the cave of La Cuevona de Avin. From the systematic study of the biotic and abiotic remains, a total of three occupation phases (Phases 1 to 3) have been determined, dated in the Late Pleistocene. The lithic studies indicate the use of local raw materials (mainly quartzite), but also regional ones (different types of flint) in the whole sequence. Retouched implements are typologically representative only during the Upper Magdalenian (Phase II) and use-wear analysis indicates the manufacture and use of artefacts in situ during this phase. Archaeozoological studies reveal continuity in subsistence strategies throughout the sequence, noting specialization in red deer hunting during the Azilian (Phase I), and more diversified prey in the older phases of the sequence.

2022Journal article

Open access

The exceptional presence of megaloceros giganteus in North-Eastern Iberia and Its palaeoecological implications: the case of Teixoneres cave (Moià, Barcelona, Spain)

Publication . Uzunidis, Antigone; Rivals, Florent; Rufà, Anna; Blasco, Ruth; Rosell, Jordi

In this article we announce the discovery of the first remains of Megaloceros giganteus found in Catalonia (north-eastern Iberia) from the Late Pleistocene: a fragment of maxillary. Dated between 35,000 and 37,000 cal BP, it is also among the youngest occurrence of this taxon in the Iberian Peninsula, while its last known occurrence is dated to the Neolithic period. Through a comparison with the giant deer of the northern Pyrenees, we analyzed the herbivore guilds in which this taxon was associated to understand the context in which it was able to enter the Iberian Peninsula. By comparing its diet with those of specimens from Northern Europe, we detail the ecological adaptations of this taxon in this new environment. We suggest that Megaloceros accompanied the migrations of cold-adapted species by taking advantage of the opening of corridors on both sides of the Pyrenees during the coldest periods of the Late Pleistocene. The diet of the Iberian individuals, which is oriented towards abrasive plants, suggests an adaptation to a different ecological niche than that found in Northern European individuals. The northern Iberian Peninsula may have been an extreme in the geographical expansion of M. giganteus. More specimens will be needed in the future to establish the variability of the southern Megaloceros populations.

2023-02Journal article

Open access