Conference Proceedings by Mikelo Elorza
by Ramon Obeso, Alvaro Arrizabalaga, Mikelo Elorza, Álvaro Moreno-Jiménez, Pablo Lopez Cisneros, Dan Cabanes, Sonia Gabriel, Marcos García-Diez, Irantzu Elorrieta-Baigorri, David Álvarez Alonso, Antonio Tarriño Vinagre, Rafael Domingo Martínez, Paloma Uzquiano Ollero, Jesus Tapia, Aitor Calvo, Jesús F. Jordá, and María de Andrés Herrero 57th Annual Meeting in Heidenheim: 15-16. ISBN.978-3-933474-97-1, 2015
Authors:D. Álvarez-Alonso, J. Yravedra, A. Arrizabalaga, J. F. Jordá, E. Álvarez-Fernández, M. de... more Authors:D. Álvarez-Alonso, J. Yravedra, A. Arrizabalaga, J. F. Jordá, E. Álvarez-Fernández, M. de Andrés-Herrero, M. Elorza, S. Gabriel, García-Díez, D. Garrido, M. M. J. Iriarte, J. Rojo, C. Sesé, P. Uzquiano, T. Aparicio, M. Arriolabengoa, A. Calvo, P. Carral, R. Domingo, I. Elorrieta, V. Estaca, O. Fuente, M. García, E. García, E. Iriarte Avilés, P. López, M. Meléndez, J. Tapia, A. Tarriño, G. J. Trancho, A. M. Valles, M de Andrés-Chain, D. Ballesteros, D. Cabanes, A. Moreno, D. Rodrigo & R. Obeso
Coímbre cave (142 meters asl) is located on the southwestern slope of Mount Pendendo (529 m), in the small valley of Besnes river, tributary of Cares river, in a medium-higher mountain are in the central-western Cantabria –northern Iberian Peninsula- (Álvarez-Alonso et al., 2009; 2013b). The landscape in the surroundings of the cave –situated in an interior valley but near to the current coast in a low altitude- can be described as a mountainous environment where valleys, small hills and steep mountains with high slopes are integrated, which confer a relative variety of ecosystems to this area. Coímbre contains an important archaeological site divided in two different areas. B Area, is the farthest from the entrance, and is the place where took place the excavations carried out to date, between 2008 and 2012 (Álvarez-Alonso et al., 2009, 2011, 2013a, 2013b).
Coímbre B shows a complete and very interesting Magdalenian sequence (with Lower, Middle and Upper Magdalenian levels), and a gravettian level, that converts this cave in one of the biggest habitat areas in western Cantabria. Its rich set of bone industries, mobiliar art and ornaments, provide key information that shows the connections between this area, the Pyrenees and the south-west of Aquitaine.
Moreover, Coímbre cave presents an interesting set of Magdalenian engravings, locatedin different places of the cavity, both in open and accessible areas, and in narrower and inaccessible places, which clearly define two different symbolic spaces. All this artistic expressions belong to the Magdalenian, and it is possible to establish a division between a set of engravings framed in the first stages of this period (the most abundant and remote); and a more limited set of engravings, in which stand out a block with a engraving of a bison with a deep trace of more than one meter long, that belongs to the recent Magdalenian.
This work presents the preliminary results of the analysis of Magdalenian occupations in Coímbre, after the end of the excavations in B Area, and the study of its rock art, shaping this site as one of the most important places of Magdalenian human activities in western Cantabria.
Papers by Mikelo Elorza
Salduie
Se da cuenta de los restos de Mamiferos y Aves procedentes de las excavaciones llevadas a cabo re... more Se da cuenta de los restos de Mamiferos y Aves procedentes de las excavaciones llevadas a cabo recientemente en los niveles Musterienses, Solutrenses y Magdalenienses de la cueva de Abauntz (Navarra). No se observa caza especializada en ninguno de los niveles, siendo las especies más frecuentes Equus f. gallicus, Cervus elaphus, Rupicapra rupicapra, y Capra pyrenaica. Destaca la presencia de algunos contados restos de elementos indicadores de fauna fría o esteparia, como Rangifer tarandus en todos los niveles, Coelodonta antiquitatis en el Solutrense y Saiga tatarica en el Magdaleniense Medio. Entre las Aves, aparte de especies existentes actualmente en la zona, destaca como elemento boreal Lagopus lagopus, presente en los dos niveles Magdalenienses.
El Cuaternario en …, 1993
Información del artículo El yacimiento de herriko-Barra (Zarautz, País Vasco) y su relación con l... more Información del artículo El yacimiento de herriko-Barra (Zarautz, País Vasco) y su relación con las transgresiones marinas holocenas.
Munibe. Antropologia-arkeologia, 2005
Résumé/Abstract A fossil record of Steller's Eider (Polysticta stelleri) from a late glacial... more Résumé/Abstract A fossil record of Steller's Eider (Polysticta stelleri) from a late glacial settlement of the Biscay Bay is reported. A first approach about the climatic and paleoethnographic signification of the remains, as well as the bird fauna of Santa Calina is ...
Archaeological Research in Asia
We present the results of the zooarchaeological analysis carried out on the fauna recovered in fi... more We present the results of the zooarchaeological analysis carried out on the fauna recovered in five different areas of ancient Termez (Uzbekistan). The sequence analysed covers the period from c 300 BCE to c 1400 CE (Greco-Bactrian/Yuezhi, Kushan, Sassanian, and Islamic periods). The investigation focused on the main animal species raised, the skeletal profiles represented and their age at death. A taphonomic study was also performed to evaluate the processing of the animals' bone carcasses by the human groups in Termez, and to determine other natural and biological agents that have affected the samples. The results reveal a livestock population dominated by sheep and goats throughout the period of occupation of the settlement, from which meat, wool and other dairy products were obtained. Cattle and horses are represented in the whole stratigraphic sequence, although they were particularly important during the Sassanian period. Swine also appears notably, although its frequency significantly decreases in the Islamic period. The diet included roosters and hens, probably also raised for their eggs. Wild species hunted and processed by the inhabitants of Termez appear in all phases of occupation. We should note the presence of gazelle and, in the Greco-Bactrian/Yuezhi phase, saiga antelope. Camelids are scarce and only documented during the Sassanian phase. The use of bones to manufacture game playing pieces or objects for textile production has also been recognised in ancient Termez.
Iriarte-Chiapusso, M. J.; Yravedra Sainz de los Terreros, J.; David Álvarez-Alonso, D.; Alvarez-F... more Iriarte-Chiapusso, M. J.; Yravedra Sainz de los Terreros, J.; David Álvarez-Alonso, D.; Alvarez-Fernández, E.; Aparicio, M. T.; Arrizabalaga, A.; Elorza, M.; Gabriel, S.; Jordá-Pardo, J. F.; Sesé, C. & Uzquiano, P. (2017): El contexto paleoambiental de las ocupaciones humanas de la cueva de Coímbre (Peñamellera Alta, Asturias) durante el Pleistoceno Superior. En: La Cueva de Coímbre (Peñamellera Alta, Asturias). Ocupaciones humanas en el valle del Cares durante el Paleolítico superior (Álvarez-Alonso, D. & Yravedra Sainz de los Terreros, J., Dirs.). Investigación y Mecenazgo. Fundación María Cristina Masaveu Peterson. Asturias: 526-535. Resumen: En este capítulo presentamos la síntesis paleoecológica y paleoambiental de la cueva de Coimbre obtenido a partir de las diferentes evidencias proporcionadas paleovegetales y paleofaunísticas y siguiendo los resultados de los estudios polínicos, antracológicas, macro- y micofaunísticos. Los resultados muestran un medio con paisajes abiertos y unas condiciones frías más o menos rigurosas según el momento bajo las cuales tuvieron lugar las ocupaciones humanas del Gravetiense y Magdaleniense inferior y medio. La secuencia arqueológica culmina con una fase más húmeda y una mayor diversidad del ecosistema durante el Magdaleniense superior. Palabras Clave: Pleistoceno superior, Cornisa Cantábrica, Paleoecología, Paleoambiente Abstract: In this chapter we offer a paleoecological and paleoenvironmental synthesis of the Coímbre cave using the evidence provided by plant and animal remains, as well as the results of the studies on pollen, wood charcoal, and microfauna. The result shows a milieu characterized by open landscapes and cold conditions of varying degrees of severity, depending on the time when the Gravettian and Lower and Middle Magdalenian human occupations took place. The archaeological sequence culminates in a more humid phase with a greater diversity of ecosystems during the Upper Magdalenian. Key Words: Upper Pleistocene, Cantabrian Mountains, Paleoecology, Paleoenvironment
El Cierro se localiza en Fresnu, en el concejo de Ribadesella (Asturias). Sus coordenadas geográf... more El Cierro se localiza en Fresnu, en el concejo de Ribadesella (Asturias). Sus coordenadas geográficas son 43º 27’ 26’’ de latitud N y 5º 06’ 20’’ de longitud O. Se sitúa a unos 83 m sobre el nivel del mar, del que dista en la actualidad 3,1 km en línea recta a la desembocadura del río Sella y 2,1 km a los acantilados de Tereñes. La cueva se encuentra en el extremo oriental del macizo asturiano de la Cordillera Cantábrica, en un sector formado por materiales paleozoicos de la Zona Cantábrica del Macizo Ibérico. Se trata de una cavidad kárstica situada en las calizas de La Escalada, del Carbonífero (Moscoviense), constituidas por calizas micríticas y bioclásticas de color gris y muy recristalizadas.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Trabajo presentado en la VI Reunion Cientifica de Arqueomalacologia de la Peninsula Iberica, cele... more Trabajo presentado en la VI Reunion Cientifica de Arqueomalacologia de la Peninsula Iberica, celebrada en Malloraca (Espana), del 7 al 9 de noviembre de 2019
Journal of Islamic Archaeology, 2021
The aim of this paper is to understand the ways of life for the inhabitants of Termez (Uzbekistan... more The aim of this paper is to understand the ways of life for the inhabitants of Termez (Uzbekistan) and its surrounding environment through the analysis of the zooarchaeological, charcoal, and ceramic material found inside a domestic combustion structure (tannur) dated to the early Islamic period (8th and 9th centuries AD). The tannur was located in a manufacturing area outside the city walls of old Termez, discovered during the 2018–2019 archaeological campaigns of the Uzbek-Spanish team IPAEB. The analysis of the charcoal hints at an abundance of local floral taxa that was used as firewood. The faunal remains indicate the presence of birds, mammals and fish at the site. The zooarchaeological study reveals the exploitation of the fluvial resources through the presence of fish of the Cyprinidae family in the vicinity of the Amu Darya. The scarcity of cut marks on and thermoalteration of the mammalian remains inside the tannur lead us to believe that the presence of the bones inside t...
Paléo, 2002
1997 et d'un donateur anonyme en 1999. Ce travail a été rendu possible suite à l'invitation de J.... more 1997 et d'un donateur anonyme en 1999. Ce travail a été rendu possible suite à l'invitation de J. Zilhão, que nous remercions vivement, qui poursuit un important projet de recherche sur l'ensemble du complexe karstique d'Almonda. Les analyses et images au MEB ont été prises au
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2020
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2020
This paper presents new archaeological evidence recorded in the late Pleistocene levels from Aran... more This paper presents new archaeological evidence recorded in the late Pleistocene levels from Arangas cave (Northern Spain). The main goal is to reconstruct the subsistence strategies of the hunter-gatherer groups that occupied the cave between 18,500 and 12,500 cal BP from the integral study of biotic and abiotic remains. Anthracological study reveals that during the Lower Magdalenian (Levels G and F) and Azilian (Level E) daily firewood was collected mainly from species such us as Scots pine nowadays disappeared around the catchment area of the cave or the common oak located in sheltered areas of the hillsides. Faunal remains indicate that the diet was based almost exclusively in the hunting of several ungulates species (red deer, Iberian ibex and chamois). Small vertebrate assemblage is only abundant during the Level G where an open humid and not very cold environment has been inferred. The abiotic evidence is characterized by a lithic assemblage made in local raw materials (above all quartzite). Whereas in the levels dated during the Lower Magdalenian the retouched implements are typologically unrepresentative, in the Azilian level they are more characteristic, above all with the classification of a "thumbnail" end scraper. 1. Introduction A large number of archaeological siteshave been dated to the late Upper Pleistocene in northern Spain. Many of them are attributed to the Magdalenian or Azilian periods and are situated at the lower section of the valleys of the largest rivers (e.g. Tito Bustillo on the River Sella, La Fragua on the Asón, and Ermittia on the Deba), but others are located inland in the middle valleys of the rivers: Cueva Oscura de Ania, in the
Oxford Journal of Archaeology, 2017
The exploitation of ungulates in the Cantabrian region during the Upper Palaeolithic is character... more The exploitation of ungulates in the Cantabrian region during the Upper Palaeolithic is characterized by the appearance of progressively specialized hunting strategies, especially during the Magdalenian. This specialization focused on either Iberian ibex or red deer, depending on environmental or topographic features. Red deer, for instance, was hunted mostly on the plains while ibex and/or chamois was hunted in rocky and mountainous areas. Here we present new zooarchaeological and taphonomic evidence from Coímbre cave (northern Spain), a site located in the rugged region between the Picos de Europa and Sierra del Cuera (Asturias) which has evidence for specialized ibex hunting. We discuss the possible reasons for such a selective hunting pattern. While the predominance of mountain species such as Iberian ibex or chamois in the Magdalenian levels suggests prey selection based on topographic or environmental criteria, the predominance of large bovids in the Gravettian level could imply that other alternatives were available. We also provide evidence of a pattern of rabbit exploitation which is unusual by comparison with other Upper Palaeolithic sites of northern Spain, and which taphonomic evidence suggests was due to human activity.
Quaternary International, 2018
L'Anthropologie, 2016
La grotte de El Cierro (Ribadesella, Asturies, Espagne) se trouve près de l'embouchure du fleuve ... more La grotte de El Cierro (Ribadesella, Asturies, Espagne) se trouve près de l'embouchure du fleuve Sella. Elle renferme l'une des séquences les plus importantes du Paléolithique supérieur de la Région Cantabrique. Jusqu'alors on a isolé et daté trois périodes d'occupation de la grote, celui au début de l'Holocène (ca. 8500 BP, ca. 9000 cal BP), celui de la fin du Paléolithique supérieur, durant le Younger Dryas (YD) ou Greenland Stadial 1 (GS1) (ca. 11 200 BP, ca. 12 700 cal BP) et celui du Greenland Stadial 2 (GS2) (ca. 16 300-15 500 BP ; ca. 19 200-18 700 cal BP). Dans cet article, nous présentons, d'une part, la stratigraphie relevée lors des interventions de F. Jordá Cerdá et A. Gómez-Fuentes entre les années 1977-1979 et les premières datations des deux périodes citées et, d'autre part, les résultats concernant le matériel archéologique répertorié dans le niveau F. Ce niveau, daté de 15.500 BP (ca. 18 700 cal BP), est caractérisé du point de vue archéozoologique par la chasse spécialisée du cerf et par la récolte de ressources marines (bigorneaux). Divers artefacts faits de matières premières animales ont été répertoriés. Il s'agit de produits finis ou d'ébauches, aussi bien que d'objets d'art mobilier. L'industrie lithique, élaborée principalement à partir de matière première d'origine locale, avec la rare présence de silex allochtones, se caractérise par une grande abondance de nucléus, de produits laminaires de petite taille et d'outils à dos. Ces preuves archéologiques et la datation radiocarbone permettent d'inscrire le niveau F dans le communément nommé « Magdalénien inférieur cantabrique ». Cette période a été documentée archéologiquement et il lui a été attribué un âge similaire à celui d'autres sites de la Vallée du Sella et du reste de la Région Cantabrique.
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2016
The use of bone as fuel has been already documented in some sites dated to the Middle and Upper P... more The use of bone as fuel has been already documented in some sites dated to the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic. They contribute to a longer combustion time due to their durability; consequently, they are useful to reduce the need for firewood, a good advantage in open palaeoenvironmental contexts with limited arboreal vegetation. The use of bones as fuel can be identified by several lines of evidence. The main one is a large number of burned bones, with an intense cremation-charring or calcination, together with high fragmentation resulting from the long contact with the fire. Other features may be present, although they can also result from individual circumstances. They include either the presence of complete skeletal profiles-which implies using all the bones of the animal-or a selection of the anatomical parts which contribute better to combustion, i.e. epiphyses and axial elements. In this article, we argue that the faunal assemblage of level Co.B.6 of Coímbre cave fully corresponds to this model. Moreover, this level coincides with a cold palaeoclimatic event, which was correlative to the climatic deterioration that occurred at the end of MIS 3, and an open environment. Thus, we propose that this level contains the first known use of bones as fuel in the Cantabrian Gravettian.
Acceso de usuarios registrados. Acceso de usuarios registrados Usuario Contraseña. ...
57th Annual Meeting in Heidenheim, 7-11 April 2015. Erlangen: Hugo Obermaier-Gesellschaft fur Erf... more 57th Annual Meeting in Heidenheim, 7-11 April 2015. Erlangen: Hugo Obermaier-Gesellschaft fur Erforschung des Eiszeitalters und der Steinzeit e. V. = Hugo Obermaier Society for Quaternary Research and Archaeology of the Stone Age, 2015
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Conference Proceedings by Mikelo Elorza
Coímbre cave (142 meters asl) is located on the southwestern slope of Mount Pendendo (529 m), in the small valley of Besnes river, tributary of Cares river, in a medium-higher mountain are in the central-western Cantabria –northern Iberian Peninsula- (Álvarez-Alonso et al., 2009; 2013b). The landscape in the surroundings of the cave –situated in an interior valley but near to the current coast in a low altitude- can be described as a mountainous environment where valleys, small hills and steep mountains with high slopes are integrated, which confer a relative variety of ecosystems to this area. Coímbre contains an important archaeological site divided in two different areas. B Area, is the farthest from the entrance, and is the place where took place the excavations carried out to date, between 2008 and 2012 (Álvarez-Alonso et al., 2009, 2011, 2013a, 2013b).
Coímbre B shows a complete and very interesting Magdalenian sequence (with Lower, Middle and Upper Magdalenian levels), and a gravettian level, that converts this cave in one of the biggest habitat areas in western Cantabria. Its rich set of bone industries, mobiliar art and ornaments, provide key information that shows the connections between this area, the Pyrenees and the south-west of Aquitaine.
Moreover, Coímbre cave presents an interesting set of Magdalenian engravings, locatedin different places of the cavity, both in open and accessible areas, and in narrower and inaccessible places, which clearly define two different symbolic spaces. All this artistic expressions belong to the Magdalenian, and it is possible to establish a division between a set of engravings framed in the first stages of this period (the most abundant and remote); and a more limited set of engravings, in which stand out a block with a engraving of a bison with a deep trace of more than one meter long, that belongs to the recent Magdalenian.
This work presents the preliminary results of the analysis of Magdalenian occupations in Coímbre, after the end of the excavations in B Area, and the study of its rock art, shaping this site as one of the most important places of Magdalenian human activities in western Cantabria.
Papers by Mikelo Elorza
Coímbre cave (142 meters asl) is located on the southwestern slope of Mount Pendendo (529 m), in the small valley of Besnes river, tributary of Cares river, in a medium-higher mountain are in the central-western Cantabria –northern Iberian Peninsula- (Álvarez-Alonso et al., 2009; 2013b). The landscape in the surroundings of the cave –situated in an interior valley but near to the current coast in a low altitude- can be described as a mountainous environment where valleys, small hills and steep mountains with high slopes are integrated, which confer a relative variety of ecosystems to this area. Coímbre contains an important archaeological site divided in two different areas. B Area, is the farthest from the entrance, and is the place where took place the excavations carried out to date, between 2008 and 2012 (Álvarez-Alonso et al., 2009, 2011, 2013a, 2013b).
Coímbre B shows a complete and very interesting Magdalenian sequence (with Lower, Middle and Upper Magdalenian levels), and a gravettian level, that converts this cave in one of the biggest habitat areas in western Cantabria. Its rich set of bone industries, mobiliar art and ornaments, provide key information that shows the connections between this area, the Pyrenees and the south-west of Aquitaine.
Moreover, Coímbre cave presents an interesting set of Magdalenian engravings, locatedin different places of the cavity, both in open and accessible areas, and in narrower and inaccessible places, which clearly define two different symbolic spaces. All this artistic expressions belong to the Magdalenian, and it is possible to establish a division between a set of engravings framed in the first stages of this period (the most abundant and remote); and a more limited set of engravings, in which stand out a block with a engraving of a bison with a deep trace of more than one meter long, that belongs to the recent Magdalenian.
This work presents the preliminary results of the analysis of Magdalenian occupations in Coímbre, after the end of the excavations in B Area, and the study of its rock art, shaping this site as one of the most important places of Magdalenian human activities in western Cantabria.