Alfred Sanchis
Phone: 00 34 963 883 597
Address: Alfred Sanchis Serra, PhD
Museu de Prehistòria de València
Servei d'Investigació Prehistòrica
Gabinet de Fauna Quaternària Innocenci Sarrión
Corona 36, 46003 Valencia, Spain
Address: Alfred Sanchis Serra, PhD
Museu de Prehistòria de València
Servei d'Investigació Prehistòrica
Gabinet de Fauna Quaternària Innocenci Sarrión
Corona 36, 46003 Valencia, Spain
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Early Upper Paleolithic levels of Cova de les Malladetes and Cova de les Cendres (central Mediterranean
area of the Iberian Peninsula). In Malladetes, the rabbit accumulations from Aurignacian levels are mainly
due to the activity of birds of prey and the human evidences are very scarce. Instead, the remains from
the Gravettian levels of Cendres are mostly associated with anthropogenic processing and consumption.
These data, together with the references in the literature, seem to confirm that this lagomorph is becoming
an important resource in the subsistence of AMH at least from the Gravettian.
Papers by Alfred Sanchis
Early Upper Paleolithic levels of Cova de les Malladetes and Cova de les Cendres (central Mediterranean
area of the Iberian Peninsula). In Malladetes, the rabbit accumulations from Aurignacian levels are mainly
due to the activity of birds of prey and the human evidences are very scarce. Instead, the remains from
the Gravettian levels of Cendres are mostly associated with anthropogenic processing and consumption.
These data, together with the references in the literature, seem to confirm that this lagomorph is becoming
an important resource in the subsistence of AMH at least from the Gravettian.
Cristina Real Margalef 1, Alfred Sanchis Serra 2, Juan Vicente Morales Pérez 1, Aleix Eixea Vilanova 1, João Zilhão 3 and Valentín Villaverde Bonilla 1
1 Departament de Prehistòria i Arqueologia. Universitat de València. Blasco Ibáñez 28, 46010 Valencia, Spain. [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]
2 Museu de Prehistòria de València. Servei d’Investigació Prehistòrica. Diputació de València. Corona 36, 46003 Valencia, Spain. [email protected]
3 Seminari d’Estudis i Recerques Prehistòriques, Departament de Prehistòria, Història Antiga i Arqueologia, Facultat de Geografia i Història, Universitat de Barcelona/ICREA, Spain. [email protected]
Introduction
Abrigo de la Quebrada (Chelva, Valencia) is an archaeological site with various levels of Neanderthal occupation. Human presence in the shelter has been favoured by its location in a narrowing ravine, giving rise to a kind of natural trap where hunting animals would be feasible. Moreover, the immediate environment is varied (abrupt and plain zones), allowing the presence of a wide range of preys.
The seven excavation seasons conducted (24 m²) have determined eight sedimentary levels. It has been obtained three AMS radiocarbon datings, one in level III of 40 500 ± 530 BP (Beta-244003); and two at level IV of 43 930 ± 750 BP (Beta-244002) and >50.8 ka BP (OxA-24855).
The materials presented in this work are from level IV, whose formation reflects a slower rate of sedimentation, favoured the typical structure of palimpsest, with a high density of lithic and bone elements and a large number of combustion structural remains.
Materials and Methods
The faunal sample (103 510 remains) has a high level of fragmentation, which represent a low rate of determination. A large number of bones are affected by fire and post-depositional processes that have complicated the characterization of prey processing and consumption. This problem has led to the application of a specific methodology for small indeterminate fragments. The species and anatomical elements identification has been done using reference collections. It has been established the age structure of the preys, the fragmentation level of the remains, the origin of fractures and it has been described the bone surface modifications to determine the origin of the accumulations.
Results
It has been taxonomically identified only the 1.3% of the sample, including different families: Bovidae, Equidae, Cervidae, Leporidae, Testudinidae, Suidae, Rhinocerotidae, Felidae and Canidae, where Spanish ibex, horse and red deer are the predominant species. Among the indeterminate remains highlights small fragments of long bones, sometimes with fire modifications, corresponding mostly to the Spanish ibex and red deer sizes. The anatomical representation data show that medium size preys carcases have been transported complete; while the large size ones indicate a certain parts selection processes. The age structure of the three main species is characterized by the predominance of adult individuals.
Percussion impacts and cut marks have been identified on some remains that confirm the human character of the sample. The modifications related to the action of other non-human predators, as carnivores or bird of prey, are very scarce. The remains also show high frequencies of calcareous deposits.
Conclusions
The faunal accumulations are the result of repeated occupation of the shelter by Neanderthals groups.
The shelter has functioned as a hunting ground, where it has been transported and processed hunted animals in the immediate environment. With this study we obtained more extended information on the subsistence of Neanderthals groups in central Mediterranean Iberia.
Manuel Pérez Ripoll 1, Alfred Sanchis Serra 2, Cristina Real Margalef 1 and Valentín Villaverde Bonilla 1
1 Departament de Prehistòria i Arqueologia. Universitat de València. Blasco Ibáñez 28, 46010 Valencia, Spain. [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]
2 Museu de Prehistòria de València. Servei d’Investigació Prehistòrica. Diputació de València. Corona 36, 46003 Valencia, Spain. [email protected]
Introduction
The rabbit is a very abundant species in the archaeological sites of the Upper Pleistocene and early Holocene from the Mediterranean area of the Iberian Peninsula. In some general theoretical models, has proposed the intensive use of rabbits from the beginning of the AMH occupation in the Mediterranean Iberia. However, in most Aurignacian sites in this area, there are not concluding taphonomic studies, samples are reduced and in some cases there are conservation problems (Cova de les Malladetes, Cova Beneito, Cova Foradada, Cova de l'Arbreda). As to the Gravettian, the human origin of the samples is defined from the analysis of one site.
The present work aims to conduct a review and a taphonomic study of various rabbit accumulations of the Early Upper Paleolithic of the Iberian Mediterranean area, to determine the moment when the rabbit starts to be a predominant resource in the diets of AMH.
Materials and methods
The rabbit assemblages studied come from the Aurignacian and Gravettian levels of Cova de les Malladetes (Barx, Valencia), that belong to the excavations of the 40s (unpublished materials) and 70s (review of Davidson work, 1989) with an area about 13m2. The Gravettian samples of Cova de les Cendres come from the study made by Pérez Ripoll in 2004 (2 m2) and new excavations (2 m2).
The remains have been identified taxonomically and anatomically using reference collections. For quantification it has been used the NISP, MNE, MNI and %R. The age structure has been estimated from degree of joint fusion. A complete taphonomic analysis has been realized: fragmentation, origin of fractures and bone surface modification (anthropogenic, other predators or post-depositional origin).
Results
The Aurignacian samples of Malladetes show two types of accumulations: (1) a majority of non-anthropogenic remains (bones with digestive corrosion) that come mostly from the interior area; and (2) a reduced set of bones of anthropogenic origin (cut marks and fractures), located in the entrance area. The Gravettian samples are very scarce and do not provide crucial information about its origin.
The Gravettian sample of Cendres, as opposed to Malladetes, is very important in number and the remains are mainly of anthropogenic origin (marks, fractures and fire modification).
Conclusions
The Aurignacian anthropogenic samples (Malladetes) are very scarce and it is possibly that they can be related to sporadic human occupations (important role of carnivores). The emergence of rabbit prominently in the AMH diets of the regional Upper Paleolithic is determined from the Gravettian of Cendres but not in Malladetes.
All this results takes us away from a specific model for the Early Upper Paleolithic in this area, and suggest the fact that the role of the rabbit in human diets may vary depending on the features and functionality of human occupations and the settlements localization.
In this geographical area, consumption of these preys are recorded from the Middle Palaeolithic, but is in the Upper Palaeolithic and Epipalaeolithic when this resource is incorporated into human diet prominently. Taphonomic studies indicate that anatomically modern humans consumed this resource, coming to represent up to 95% of NISP in some assemblages of the Late Palaeolithic. Its exploitation has been linked to a different management model territory in terms of mobility than that of the Neanderthals.
investigación “De lo real a lo imaginario. II. Aproximación
a la fauna ibérica durante la Edad del Hierro”
desarrollado entre 2009 y 2012, cuyos datos completos
y accesibles a todo el mundo se encuentran en
http://www.florayfaunaiberica.org/
Con él se completa el estudio del paisaje biótico de los iberos que iniciamos en 2005 con el proyecto sobre la flora de la Edad del Hierro en la fachada mediterránea peninsular.