Chronological and palaeoenvironmental context of human occupations at the Buendía rockshelter (Central Spain) during the late Upper Pleistocene in inland Iberia

Abstract

This paper introduces the sequence of the Buendía rockshelter (Central Spain), a multi-layered site with abundant lithic assemblages attributed to the Magdalenian. We present 18 new radiocarbon dates that firmly position the whole stratigraphy between 15 and 13 14 C ka BP (18-16 cal ka BP), making the Buendía rockshelter an excellent palaeoenvironmental and archaeological archive for a very specific time span of the late Upper Pleistocene. Available proxies include pollen, phytoliths, charcoal, molluscs, macromammals and other evidence of human occupation of the rockshelter, which enable the portrayal of a detailed picture of Buendía landscapes during the Late Glacial. These were generally characterized by an open landscape with sparse arboreal vegetation, in which pollen shows a dominance of Compositae in the herbaceous taxa and of Pinus among the arboreal taxa. Charcoal analysis also points to an abundance of Pinus sylvestris type, and phytoliths indicate the relevance of Poaceae. Marine and freshwater molluscs were mostly brought into the site by humans, thus highlighting long-distance transport networks among Magdalenian hunter-gatherers between the coast and inland Iberia. Climatic oscillations are observed across the stratigraphic sequence, and discussed in light of the archaeological evidence for the human occupation of inland Iberia.

Human occupations of upland and cold environments in inland Spain during the Last Glacial Maximum and Heinrich Stadial 1: The new Magdalenian sequence of Charco Verde II

“…These levels show Middle Magdalenian assemblages associated to micromammals and archaeobotanical data confirming the existence of cold environments and open landscapes at that time [102,145]. In Buendı ´a, cold and dry conditions are also recorded by different paleoenvironmental proxies both at the bottom and top of the Magdalenian sequence, being most of it in the range of HS 1 [128]. In La Peña de Santana, dates for level 3 are also coincident with GS-2.1a and HS 1 [147].…”

“…However, given the dates of 21.0-22.8 ka cal BP obtained for the Archaic Magdalenian assemblages of the Gato 2 site, in the nearby Jalo ´n River valley (see below), our working hypothesis is that Level 5 of Charco Verde II attest for a Lower or Archaic Magdalenian occupation. If confirmed, this site would join La Peña de Estebanvela PLOS ONE [102] and Buendı ´a [128] as rock shelters bearing long sequences of recurrent Magdalenian occupations in inland Iberia. The relevant feature of Charco Verde II is, however, that the human presence at this site starts during the Last Glacial Maximum, a phase which is absent in the mentioned sequences.…”

“…Finally, among the sites in the Ebro Valley, Gato 2 corresponds to the LGM, Vergara and Alexandre include layers related to GS-2 and HS 1, while Peña del Diablo is related to GS-1 (roughly equivalent to the Younger Dryas) [123]. Although in the case of Buendı ´a their excavators hypothesize that human occupations correspond to temporal incursions of groups based in the Mediterranean region [128,134], and Alexandre, Vergara and Peña del Diablo environments are favored by the presence of thermal waters in the surroundings [123], the general pattern is sound. The growing concentration of Magdalenian occupations during periods of cold and dry conditions in these upland regions, being Charco Verde II the most recent addition, reflects a marked contrast with the classic idea limiting the Last Glacial settlement of the Iberian interior to punctuated occupations or ephemeral visits during interstadial periods or warm spells.…”

“…In Buendı ´a there is a long stratigraphic sequence bearing Magdalenian assemblages, radiocarbon dated by 18 assays to 15.7-18.6 ka cal BP (i.e. in the time range of the Middle and mostly Lower Magdalenian) [128,134]. Yet, in Verdelpino only conventional and unprecise 14 C dates are available, although the Magdalenian nature of the lithic assemblages is sound [135,136] (Table 9).…”

Tradiciones gráficas e interacción cultural: arte mueble paleolítico del interior peninsular

“…El abrigo fue utilizado de manera esporádica durante el Magdaleniense como taller lítico (de la Torre et al 2015). En el Nivel 8C se recuperó, asociado a un hogar datado en 18.607-18.169 cal BP (Beta-246581), la única evidencia mobiliar (García-Díez et al en prensa).…”