Papers by Aurora Grandal-d'Anglade
Gallaecia: revista de arqueoloxía e antigüidade, 2010
Completando o mapa. Novas datacións absolutas para o Paleolítico e Mesolítico do interior galego.... more Completando o mapa. Novas datacións absolutas para o Paleolítico e Mesolítico do interior galego. Completando o mapa. Novas datacións absolutas para o Paleolítico e Mesolítico do interior galego. Filling in the map. New absolute dates for the Paleolithic and Mesolithic of inland Galicia (NW Spain) R. FábRegas ValcaRce a ; s. alonso FeRnández b ; a. ameijenda iglesias a,b ; a. gRandal d´anglade c ; T. lazuén FeRnández d ; a. de lombeRa HeRmida a,b ; a. PéRez albeRTi e ; m. PéRez Rama c ; X. P. RodRíguez álVaRez b ; m.R. seRna gonzález; m. VaqueRo RodRíguez b a) Grupo de Estudos para a Prehistoria do Noroeste (GEPN).
The sites of Liñares and Eirós are closely situated in the NW of Spain and both contains a large ... more The sites of Liñares and Eirós are closely situated in the NW of Spain and both contains a large number of Ursus spelaeus remains. However, the chronology of these sites is different and correspond to different climatic conditions. Once considered the effects of the preservational biass in the deposit, the demographic particularities of each population can be explained in terms of the different climatic conditions suffered by the studied cave bear populations.
Cadernos do Laboratorio Xeolóxico de Laxe: Revista de xeoloxía galega e do hercínico peninsular, 2001
The problem of the species concept in the phylogeny of the cave bears El problema del concepto de... more The problem of the species concept in the phylogeny of the cave bears El problema del concepto de especie en la filogenia del Oso de las Cavernas VILA TABOADA, M. & GRANDAL d'ANGLADE, A.
Geobios, May 1, 2005
The Cave Bear skull is characterized in classic descriptions by a strong development in the front... more The Cave Bear skull is characterized in classic descriptions by a strong development in the frontal area. This feature gives it a characteristic step profile in lateral view. Such morphology is usually present in some adult males (brachycraneous), but it has not been described for females or young individuals. In this work, we present a study on variation in the size and shape in Cave Bear skulls during ontogenetic development, as well as on variability due to sexual dimorphism in adult individuals. In order to study these features, a morphometric analysis (principal component analysis) was made, based on both classical measurements and a group of non-conventional metric data using landmarks established by the authors. The results allow us to differentiate between those parts of the skull that, in adult specimens, present a shape-based sexual dimorphism and those presenting differences only in size. The ontogenetic study can provide data on the age at which the differentiation between males and females starts, and in which regions of the skull these differences are most pronounced.
Historical Biology, Oct 11, 2018
The morphology of both crowns and tooth-roots reflects dietary specialisation in mammalian carniv... more The morphology of both crowns and tooth-roots reflects dietary specialisation in mammalian carnivores. In this article, we analyse the tooth-root morphology of maxillary teeth from CT scans of living bears (Ursus arctos, Ursus americanus, Ursus maritimus, Ursus thibetanus, Melursus ursinus, Helarctos malayanus, Tremarctos ornatus and Ailuropoda melanoleuca) in order to make inferences about the diet and feeding behaviour of the extinct cave bear (Ursus spelaeus sensu lato). Specifically, we investigate two major mitochondrial clades of extinct cave bears recognized by previous authors: Ursus ingressus and Ursus spelaeus (U. spelaeus spelaeus, U. spelaeus ladinicus, U. spelaeus eremus). Our results indicate a close association between tooth-root surface area and feeding behaviour in all living bear species. Tooth-root surface area values of cave bears suggest that they relied more on vegetative matter than living brown bears (Ursus arctos) but subtle differences between these species/subspecies could also indicate different feeding strategies among the members of cave bear complex.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, Apr 1, 2023
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
Earth Surface Processes and Landforms
The Atlantic coast of Galicia (NW Spain) is a high‐energy environment where shingle beaches are c... more The Atlantic coast of Galicia (NW Spain) is a high‐energy environment where shingle beaches are currently developing. These coarser sediments alternate with sandy deposits which are also considered as beaches typical of a low‐energy environment. The physical association of both types of sediment with contrasted sedimentary significance raises problems of interpretation. The study of four outcrops of fossil aeolianites on this coast has allowed us to reconstruct their evolution from the end of the Upper Pleistocene to the present day. Their chronology, estimated by optically stimulated luminescence between 35 and 14 ky at the end of the last glaciation (MIS2), coincides with a local sea level 120 m below the present one. This implies a coastline shifted several kilometres from its current location and the subaerial exposure of a wide strip of the continental shelf covered by sands. The wind blew sand to form dunes towards the continent, covering the coastal areas, which then emerged ...
Annales de Bretagne et des pays de l'Ouest
Arqueología e interdisciplinariedad: la microhistoria de una revolución en la arqueología española (1970-2020), 2021, ISBN 978-84-9168-386-5, págs. 201-205, 2021
Avances de la Geomorfología en España 2012-2014, 2014, ISBN 978-84-617-1123-9, págs. 470-473, 2014
Granite caves and cavities are similar to those found in karstic areas but smaller. They are link... more Granite caves and cavities are similar to those found in karstic areas but smaller. They are linked to underground water flows with a seasonal strong turbulent regime. Pottery remains appear either exposed or buried and may be dated by thermoluminescence (TL). Both the small size of the fragments (due to erosion and fragmentation caused by water dynamics) and the absence of the original sedimentary context in most cases hinder the use of TL for dating. In this work, we show the first age estimates of pottery fragments and some absolute dates of samples of several granite caves of Galicia. The obtained ages go from Medieval (1 ka BP) to Roman or pre-Roman (2 ka BP), Chalcolithic (6 ka BP) and even the beginning of the Neolithic (7 ka BP).
Cadernos do Laboratorio Xeolóxico de Laxe. Revista de Xeoloxía Galega e do Hercínico Peninsular, 2018
Desde el final del Pleistoceno hace 12.700 años hasta el día de hoy se están produciendo efectos ... more Desde el final del Pleistoceno hace 12.700 años hasta el día de hoy se están produciendo efectos dramáticos en toda la orla litoral de la costa de Galicia debidos esencialmente al ascenso del nivel del mar en toda la costa con una velocidad media entre 3mm y 3,5 mm anuales desde el inicio del Holoceno y que se evalúa, aproximadamente, en unos 40,95 metros. El efecto inmediato ha sido una progresiva reducción de la anchura de una plataforma continental cubierta por playas y extensos campos dunares lo que produjo una migración hacia el continente de los depósitos arenosos movilizados por las olas (playas) y/o por el viento (dunas). En el momento actual se ha alcanzado prácticamente el límite del avance transgresivo holoceno al situarse el mar en la base de la costa rocosa acantilada o en su caso frente a alguna masa de agua dulce (ríos o lagunas costeras) que frena temporalmente el avance de las dunas o la acumulación de arenas de playa. La acción marina está procediendo a la destruc...
Cerna Revista Galega De Ecoloxia E Medio Ambiente, 2012
FábRegas ValcaRce, R. a ; de loMbeRa HeRMida, a. b, c, a ; seRna gonzález, M.R. a ; VaQueRo RodRí... more FábRegas ValcaRce, R. a ; de loMbeRa HeRMida, a. b, c, a ; seRna gonzález, M.R. a ; VaQueRo RodRíguez. M. b, c ; PéRez RaMa, M. d ; gRandal d´anglade, a. d ; RodRíguez álVaRez, x. P. b, c ; alonso FeRnández, s. b, c ; aMeijenda iglesias, a. a. a) Grupo de Estudos para a Prehistoria do Noroeste (GEPN).
Estudos Arqueológicos de Oeiras, Oct 31, 2012
... | Ayuda. El oso de las cavernas en Galicia: el yacimiento de cova Eirós. Información general.... more ... | Ayuda. El oso de las cavernas en Galicia: el yacimiento de cova Eirós. Información general. Autores: Aurora Grandal d'Anglade; Editores: O Castro : Ediciós do Castro, 1993; Año de publicación: 1993; País: España; Idioma: Español; ISBN : 84-7492-662-9; ...
Diversity
The techniques of agriculture and animal husbandry at Tell Humeida, a Middle Uruk Period (Late Ch... more The techniques of agriculture and animal husbandry at Tell Humeida, a Middle Uruk Period (Late Chalcolithic) site on the middle Syrian Euphrates, were studied using stable isotopes of bone collagen of domestic and wild mammals and from cereal and ruderal plant seeds. Two archaeological campaigns in 2009 and 2011 yielded a small collection of bones, most of which were taxonomically indeterminable. The work had to be interrupted due to the political conflict. The faunal study comprised collagen peptide fingerprinting for taxonomic identification, followed by isotopic analysis. Multiple 14C dating were performed to date the infill to around 3600 cal BC. An isotopic analysis of the sparse plant remains suggested that irrigation and manuring were common practices. Sheep and equids predominated in the faunal assemblage. Sheep grazed on manured soils, and their diet could include millet or another C4 plant, of which, however, no carpological remains were found. The diet of equids differed ...
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Papers by Aurora Grandal-d'Anglade
Geographic and Geological setting
The cave of Eirós is situated at the East of Galicia, on the north face of the Serra do Ouribio, in the foothills of the eastern ranges of Galicia (see page 44).
The entrance to the cave is halfway up a steep slope on the North side of the mount Costa do Val. The topography of the cave is markedly longitudinal, following a NNW direction. It is a small karstic cave 100 m long. It has an altitude of 780 m above sea level, and 25 m above the present level of a small river, Bezcas (see page 45).
It opens out in the limestone of Cándana, of the Lower Cambrian age. This is grey limestone with parallel lamination, with intercalations of green slates. At this point they reach a thickness of 70 m.
The Cova Eirós deposit
At the Cova Eirós deposit of Ursus spelaeus, there is not evidence to suggest that the type of dental and bone remains discovered has been due in any way to anthropical action or to that of other animals (scavengers). Neither has it been affected by any geological process. These conclusions are based on the following:
- In the material studied, no one part of the skeleton is found to be more abundant than any other (see page 59).
- The well-preserved state of the remains, their position within the sediment and the absence of any size-distribution indicate that the dinamic of the flow which acted upon the deposit was not very great (see pages 57, 58).
The fact that the bones are not always connected anatomically can be explained by displacement on a small scale as well as the movement caused by the bears themselves during their long occupation of the cave.
The Ursus spelaeus population of Cova Eirós
In the bones and dental remains studied, we observe a slight predominance of females over males. The age range is similar to that found at other Cave Bear deposits, and indicates an extremely high incidence of young and neonate mortality (70%) and the presence of a large percentage of senile specimens, recognizable by the extensive erosion of their teeth (see pages 60, 61).
We have not found significant differences to a taxonomic level between the bone and dental morphologies of the Cova Eirós Ursus spelaeus and those of European populations described by other authors. In any case, intrapopulational variability is high, as is usual with this species, which makes it difficult to interpret the polymorphism observed here in interpopulational terms.
We have been able to separate the variability caused by size differences (due principally to sexual dimorphism) from that resulting from morphological differences using the Principal Component Analysis. This allows us to determine the sex of the bone and dental remains, when the size of the sample is significant. The first principal component would explain the variability produced by sexual dimorphism, whilst the remaining principal components would explain purely morphological differences.
Metric characterization of the Cave Bear population of the Cova Eirós has enabled us to quantify the sexual dimorphism in the various remains studied.
As far as the skeleton is concerned, the maximum dimensions of each bone are not only greater in males than in females, but the latter also indicate a more delicate skeleton, mainly reflected in a lesser development in the bone superestructures of the cranium and in he dimensions of the proximal and distal epiphyses of the limb bones, also proportionally smaller.
In the case of dental specimens, the sex difference is clearly ascertained from the canines and (though less evidently) from the molariforms. In the latter case, the sexual dimorphism is hardly discernible using basic statistic techniques, but becomes clearer when a principal component analysis is carried out. Not all dental remains reflect the intersexual difference to the same degree.
On the whole, the first principal components are general components, and deal with the size of the teeth and, finally, with sexual dimorphism. The second principal components seem to explain the shape of the teeth, that we call oclusal line. Finally, the third principal components are related to the development of the cusps and their higher or lower degree of convergence (see page 237).
The lower third molar tends to display a high morphometric variability, even if a large percentage of the variance present (78.2%) is explained by the first principal component. The upper and lower fourth premolars show high percentages of variance produced by sexual dimorphism (71.4% and 63.5% respectively), followed by the upper first molar (58.3%), the lower second molar (41.3%), the upper second molar (39.2%) and the lower first molar (35.6%).
In the three last items, the high percentage of variance present is explained by the following principal components: In the upper second molar, the PC II (related to the morphology of the heel) explains a very high percentage of variance (21.6%), which indicates that it is that area of the tooth that is mainly responsible for the existing high variability, almost equalling the differences produced by sexual dimorphism.
In the lower second molar, the variance explained by the first three principal components is only 64.6%. Its variability will be explained, therefore, by the other principal components, which deal with very specific parts of the tooth topography.
This same phenomenon occurs, to a main degree, in the lower first molar, given that the first three principal components explain only 56.3% of the total variance.
Population comparison
A comparative study of the dental morphologies of the six populations studied using Cluster analysis displays a variable tendency in each tooth. However, an analysis grouping together all the morphological data of all the molariforms from the population of Eirós, Odessa, Troskaeta, Ekain, El Toll y Arrikrutz, relates the various populations according to their geographical situations. If, in the Cluster analysis, we include the populations of El Reguerillo (Madrid) and Cueva Mayor (Burgos), the latter is Ursus deningeri, this process becomes even more apparent. All the peninsular populations of Ursus spelaeus are grouped together, where Eirós is associated with Ekain and El Toll with El Reguerillo. The peninsular group is connected to Ursus deningeri of Cueva Mayor, and then, finally, with Ursus spelaeus of Odessa (see page 210).
The sexual dimorphism which exist in Ursus spelaeus would appear to recommend a sexing of the material before carrying out any metric interpopulational study. However, it is not always possible to do the sexing.
This paper demonstrates that the problem can be avoided by carrying out a principal component analysis and using the data obtained, except the first principal component, for the interpopulational study. Consequently, the variability produced by the differences in size between sexes disappears and the study becomes coherent.
The interpopulational variability which exist in those populations studied manifests itself to a varying degree in each molariform. The results of the variance and discriminant analyses indicate the existence of a very high interpopulational difference in the lower first molar (with a Wilks l value of 0.042), followed by the upper first molar (0.295), lower second molar (0.358) and upper second molar (0.420) whilst in the upper fourth premolar and above all in the lower one, the capacity to differenciate between populations is lower (0.583 and 0.830 respectively) (see page 238).
The overall interpretation of the principal component analysis and the discriminant analysis indicates that certain dental items (the lower second molar, the upper first molar and principally the lower carnassial) display a high variability produced by specific morphological differences (such as the development of each cusp) and not only by sexual dimorphism. These differences, given the high percentages of correct reclassifications obtained, allow us to distinguish between the populations studied.
Other items, on the other hand, owe most of their variability to interpopulational differences, mainly sexual dimorphism. This is the case of the upper and lower fourth premolars, where an interpopulational study using a discriminant analysis does not show up a clear morphological difference between the populations studied (see page 239).