A new chronological framework and site formation history for Cova del Gegant (Barcelona): Implications for Neanderthal and Anatomically Modern Human occupation of NE Iberian Peninsula

Daura, Joan; Sanz, Montserrat; Demuro, Martina; Arnold, Lee J.; Costa, Ana Novo; Moreno, João; Freitas, Maria da Conceição; Lopes, Vera; Égüez, Natàlia; Hoffmann, Dirk L.; Benson, Alexa; Cabanes, Dan; García-Targa, Joan; Fullola, Josep María

doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2021.107141

Cited by 9 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 133 publications

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“…Two different dating methods were applied in the GL1 gallery to construct the chronological framework: U-Th dating of speleothems and bones, and luminescence dating of sediments. A detailed methodological description for each technique and the sample provenience has been explained in detail in Daura et al [5,6]. In summary U-Th dating of the flowstone sealing the GL1 (sample #2) was performed using alpha-spectrometers BR-024-450-100 ORTEC OCTETE PLUS at the Institute of Earth Sciences Jaume Almera (ICTA-CSIC) [5].…”

Section: Dating Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cova del Gegant has several galleries (Figure 2(5)) located a few metres above sea level, where archaeological sediments have been preserved. Cova del Gegant is mainly formed by three different chambers, one large gallery that is 22 m long (GP1 + GP2) and two lateral galleries (GL) that are almost parallel to each other; one closer to the sea (GL1) (Figure 2 (6)) and the other deeper inside the cave (GL2) (Figure 2(5)). Two small remnants of cemented sediments are preserved from sea erosion, one between Cova del Gegant and Cova Llarga and the other close to the GL1 entrance (BPII).…”

Section: Study Area and Site Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The stratigraphic sequence at Cova del Gegant was grouped [6][7][8] into eight site formation episodes from the Late Pleistocene (Episodes 1-3), ca. 145-30 ka, to the Holocene (Episodes 4-7), alternating between periods of continental and marine sediment deposition and periods of coastal erosion.…”

Section: Study Area and Site Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Remnant sediments are still visible, adhering in the breccia at point Y and to the rear of GL1. Figure 2(5) shows the location of the profiles described here and Figure 3 (3,4,6) shows the sedimentary architecture of this cave section as preserved in 2007. Profile C-D is a 10-m-long section, which allows us to correlate the layers where the Cova del Gegant's human mandible (Gegant-1) and incisor (Gegant-2) were found with the rest of the cavity.…”

Section: Gl1 Stratigraphy and Chronologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Lateral Gallery 1 (GL1) in Cova del Gegant has been described in several publications, mostly concerning the chronological framework [5,6] and human remains. The first descriptions of two Neanderthal specimens from GL1 (namely Gegant-1 and Gegant-2) [7][8][9][10] led to renewed interest in the site.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Neanderthal Fossils, Mobile Toolkit and a Hyena Den: The Archaeological Assemblage of Lateral Gallery 1 in Cova Del Gegant (NE Iberian Peninsula)

et al. 2022

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Lateral Gallery 1 (GL1) in Cova del Gegant is a Middle Palaeolithic assemblage yielding diagnostic Neanderthal remains, together with Mousterian tools and faunal remains. It is a good archive for evaluating the environmental conditions of the coastal areas during MIS 4 and MIS 3 in the NE of the Iberian Peninsula, and also the Neanderthals’ behaviour and mobility. Here we provide a comprehensive assessment of all of the data available from GL1, such as lithics, human remains, fauna and chronostratigraphic details. The biotic ecofacts studied point to the development of a coastal plain in front of the cave and indicate that local conditions likely favoured a large variety of ecosystems characterised by open environments and woodland-edge taxa, and favoured repeated visits by humans during the Middle Palaeolithic. The evidence suggests that the gallery was mainly used by carnivores, such as hyenas, and also by Neanderthals as a brief stopping place, in view of the presence of transported and abandoned ergonomic lithic artifacts and/or the placement of bodies (or parts of bodies). The regional context suggests high human mobility and emphasises the variability of Neanderthal behaviour.

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Section: Dating Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Area and Site Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Area and Site Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Gl1 Stratigraphy and Chronologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Neanderthal Fossils, Mobile Toolkit and a Hyena Den: The Archaeological Assemblage of Lateral Gallery 1 in Cova Del Gegant (NE Iberian Peninsula)

et al. 2022

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Eating through time: Understanding dietary practices across late prehistory in the northeastern Iberian Peninsula

Hernando,

Moreno‐Ibáñez,

Carbonell

et al. 2024

American Journal of Biological Anthropology

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ObjectiveThis study seeks to contribute to the current understanding of dietary variation in the late Prehistory of the northeastern Iberian Peninsula by examining buccal dental microwear patterns alongside archeological data from the same populations.Materials and MethodsTeeth from 84 adult individuals from eight distinct samples spanning the Middle‐Late Neolithic to the Middle Bronze Age (Cova de l'Avi, Cova de Can Sadurní, Cova de la Guineu, Cova Foradada, Cova del Trader, Roc de les Orenetes, Cova del Gegant, Cova dels Galls Carboners) were analyzed using optical microscopy to examine buccal dental microwear patterns.ResultsThe analysis did not reveal clear chronological contrasts in the dietary habits of these samples. Nevertheless, significant differences emerged among the samples, leading to their classification into two distinct sets based on the abrasiveness of the diet informed by the microwear patterns. These findings offer similarities and differences among samples in the Iberian Peninsula, shedding light on the diverse lifestyles of these individuals.DiscussionIntegrating our new results with other available proxies points to a multifaceted specialization in dietary patterns among these samples, influenced by factors such as habitat, resource selection, and available technology. By contextualizing the results within the broader context of the Iberian Peninsula, this research discerns shared characteristics and distinctive adaptations in the dietary practices and subsistence strategies of these groups. Ultimately, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the intricate interplay between culture and environment in shaping human diets throughout late Prehistory.

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Revisiting the late Quaternary fossiliferous infills of Cathedral Cave, Wellington Caves (central eastern New South Wales, Australia)

Fusco

Arnold

Gully

et al. 2023

J Quaternary Science

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The Wellington Caves were the first Australian locality from which Europeans collected and analysed vertebrate fossils. Within this system, Cathedral Cave contains Australia's stratigraphically deepest sequence of fossil‐bearing infill sediments, the age and depositional history of which has been poorly understood. Here we present results from a new excavation of the upper 4.2 m of the deposit, reanalysing the stratigraphy, petrography, sedimentology and geochemistry, and employing optically stimulated luminescence dating, radiocarbon dating and Bayesian age modelling to establish a robust chronology. We recognise 13 sedimentary layers and sublayers in two stratigraphic units. Unit 2 accumulated between 72 000 ± 5000 and 38 000 ± 7000 years ago as sediments and animals entered through a now‐blocked ceiling hole. Accumulation halted for around 30 000 years when the hole closed. Unit 1 accumulated when deposition was reinitiated around 7000 ± 2000 years ago, continuing through to a few hundred years ago. Our chronology refutes earlier dating of the deposit, which suggested that extinct Pleistocene megafauna taxa persisted locally until the Last Glacial Maximum. It confirms the deposit as one of the few in Australia that formed during the interval of major environmental upheaval marked by the arrival of humans, variable climate and the extinction of many megafaunal species.

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A new chronological framework and site formation history for Cova del Gegant (Barcelona): Implications for Neanderthal and Anatomically Modern Human occupation of NE Iberian Peninsula

Cited by 9 publications

References 133 publications

Neanderthal Fossils, Mobile Toolkit and a Hyena Den: The Archaeological Assemblage of Lateral Gallery 1 in Cova Del Gegant (NE Iberian Peninsula)

Neanderthal Fossils, Mobile Toolkit and a Hyena Den: The Archaeological Assemblage of Lateral Gallery 1 in Cova Del Gegant (NE Iberian Peninsula)

Eating through time: Understanding dietary practices across late prehistory in the northeastern Iberian Peninsula

Revisiting the late Quaternary fossiliferous infills of Cathedral Cave, Wellington Caves (central eastern New South Wales, Australia)

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