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A millennium of coastside occupation. Micromorphological insights from the indigenous site of Las Estacas Cave, Tenerife
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Resumo(s)
The archaeological site of Las Estacas Cave (NW Tenerife, Canary Islands) preserves some of the earliest human occupations in Tenerife, dating to the 2nd century CE, spanning the entire pre‐European time range up to the 15th century. Using soil micromorphology, this study applies a geoarchaeological approach to reconstruct site formation processes and human activities through the analysis of 12 thin sections from 9 stratigraphic units, covering most of the sequence. The deposit is largely geogenic and consists of autochthonous basalt fragments, detrital volcanic gravel, and aeolian quartz grains from the Sahara Desert in a spongy clayey matrix characteristic of sodic coastal soils. Aridification evidence in the soil is observed from Unit IV onwards, spanning roughly from the 11th to 15th century. Certain stratigraphic Units (VIII, VII, IV, and II) exhibit increased concentrations of microscopic anthropogenic particles and clear evidence of sedimentary reworking due to trampling. The dominance of geogenic sedimentation and sporadic anthropogenic signals implies episodic use of the cave rather than continuous occupation. The results highlight the interplay between natural depositional processes and human activities in shaping the cave's archaeological record. This study demonstrates the value of microstratigraphic, microcontextual approaches for understanding coastal indigenous sites in Tenerife.
Descrição
Palavras-chave
Canary Islands Coastal archaeology Geoarchaeology Human activities Island archaeology Site formation Sodic soils
Contexto Educativo
Citação
Editora
Wiley