Ambrona revisited: The Acheulean lithic industry in the Lower Stratigraphic Complex

Santonja, Manuel; Rubio‐Jara, Susana; Panera, Joaquín; Romero, Laura López; Tarriño, Antonio; Pérez‐González, Alfredo

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2017.01.021

Cited by 19 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 13 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…These two concentrations are part of a “belt” containing most of the lithic accumulations. The largest concentration of lithic remains coincides with the boundaries of unit AS4, which locally erodes AS3 and yielded 353 pieces [53]. The unit that contains the largest number of lithic items is AS4; the other units also contain accumulations of faunal remains but hardly any lithics.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The assemblage contains elements of all sizes, but they were found in derivative, not autochthonous, positions [53]. Unit AS3, where we found a considerable amount of bones and an almost complete elephant skeleton, contained only 74 lithic pieces in a 412 m 2 area.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The main lithic artifacts found here are flakes in the final production phase. In this unit, deposit accumulation mechanisms include small channel facies that may have brought external elements from the vicinity into the pond [53]. …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…More recently, from 1993 to 2000, a total of 688 m 2 were excavated by Santonja and Pérez-González and their collaborators (hereinafter the S&PG team) [52–53]. The S&PG team focused on the features of the different lithostratigraphic units and their levels.…”

Section: The Ambrona Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

“…All of these except the limestone are allochthonous and were brought to the site by humans [59–60]. The lithic industry found in the Lower Unit is typical of the Acheulean technocomplex [53]. The one in the Middle Unit is characterized by the importance of the flake-production chain and the presence of retouched tools; it has been interpreted as dating from the early Middle Paleolithic [61].…”

Section: The Ambrona Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Assessment of Accumulation Processes at the Middle Pleistocene Site of Ambrona (Soria, Spain). Density and Orientation Patterns in Spatial Datasets Derived from Excavations Conducted from the 1960s to the Present

et al. 2016

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Middle Pleistocene site of Ambrona (Soria, Spain) is a major reference for European Acheulean studies. The origin of the lithic and fauna accumulations at this site was first thought to be anthropogenic, but later studies showed that it was mainly natural. The first person to conduct excavations at the Ambrona site was the Marquis of Cerralbo, in 1914; other research groups followed in more recent times (the Howell & Freeman team and the Santonja & Pérez-González team). The digs yielded a great amount of information, but until now it had never been unified. In this paper, we compile all the available published and unpublished excavation documentation from the 1960s to the present. We use these maps and sections to present our spatial study of the LSM (Lower Stratigraphic Member) at the Ambrona site, combining stratigraphic criteria with GIS density and orientation analysis. This study enabled us to define the main concentrations of the LSM, providing an initial contribution to an assessment of their accumulation processes. Most of the concentrations preserved in the ancient shore area of the site display marked orientation patterns which coincide with the direction of the main water flows into the Ambrona wetland. However, random orientation patterns were observed in the central part of the site (Alpha concentration); they may be mostly preserved without undergoing transport processes, as previous taphonomic studies also confirm.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Ambrona Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Ambrona Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Assessment of Accumulation Processes at the Middle Pleistocene Site of Ambrona (Soria, Spain). Density and Orientation Patterns in Spatial Datasets Derived from Excavations Conducted from the 1960s to the Present

et al. 2016

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Early occurrence of lion (Panthera spelaea) at the Middle Pleistocene Acheulean site of Notarchirico (MIS 16, Italy)

Iannucci,

Mecozzi,

Pineda

et al. 2024

J Quaternary Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The long sedimentary sequence of Notarchirico has yielded evidence of one of the earliest Acheulean manifestations in Europe and of recurrent hominin occupation, spanning from the end of the interglacial MIS 17 to the glacial MIS 16 (~695–610 ka). Here, we report the new discovery of a lion, Panthera spelaea, from the site, based on a metatarsal from layer A. This part of the sequence dates to ~660–612 ka (MIS 16, 40Ar/39Ar age). Therefore, Notarchirico's lion represents the earliest confirmed occurrence of the species in southwestern Europe, although older findings are known from adjacent areas. Lions and several other large mammal species dispersed into Europe during the Early–Middle Pleistocene Transition, which also witnessed the spread of the Acheulean. Ecological and behavioural adaptability was probably key, for hominins and other species, to cope with the intense and recurrent environmental fluctuations that occurred during this period.

show abstract

Defining and Characterising Clusters in Palaeolithic Sites: a Review of Methods and Constraints

Romero

Benito‐Calvo

Rios‐Garaizar

2021

J Archaeol Method Theory

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Spatial analysis studies in Palaeolithic archaeology arise as indispensable research tools for understanding archaeopalaeontological sites. In general terms, spatial studies have been specialised in the description of the distribution of materials and in the definition of accumulation areas, with the aim of distinguishing intentional activities or studying postdepositional processes. In recent decades, the development of GIS tools has enabled huge strides forward in the field of spatial archaeology research, such as spatial inferential statistics. These tools are particularly useful in the identification and location of clustering from statistical criteria, facilitating the subsequent analysis of accumulations through other archaeological, taphonomic and spatial techniques, such as fabric analysis or directional distribution. The cluster analysis, and its contextualisation considering all the archaeological and stratigraphical variables, allows the inference of some of the processes and factors that could have taken part in the accumulation of materials, as well as assessing how this affected the composition and preservation of the archaeological assemblage. The present article reviews the more traditional and innovative methods for studying horizontal distribution patterns and the objective definition of clusters, highlighting the parameters, uses and limitations of these techniques. We present an application of these methods to different Palaeolithic sites, going through different scenarios, such as location (open-air vs. cave), context, scale (large vs. small area), excavation methodology and spatial record methods.

show abstract

Ambrona revisited: The Acheulean lithic industry in the Lower Stratigraphic Complex

Cited by 19 publications

References 13 publications

Assessment of Accumulation Processes at the Middle Pleistocene Site of Ambrona (Soria, Spain). Density and Orientation Patterns in Spatial Datasets Derived from Excavations Conducted from the 1960s to the Present

Assessment of Accumulation Processes at the Middle Pleistocene Site of Ambrona (Soria, Spain). Density and Orientation Patterns in Spatial Datasets Derived from Excavations Conducted from the 1960s to the Present

Early occurrence of lion (Panthera spelaea) at the Middle Pleistocene Acheulean site of Notarchirico (MIS 16, Italy)

Defining and Characterising Clusters in Palaeolithic Sites: a Review of Methods and Constraints

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About