Cultural contact over the Strait of Gibraltar during the Middle Palaeolithic? Evaluating the visibility of cultural exchange

Abstract

Possible contacts between hunter-gatherers of Northern Africa and Europe via the Strait of Gibraltar during the Pleistocene are still object to discussions. In the absence of significant fossil remains, debates are mainly based on similarities and differences of singular aspects of material culture. However, a theoretical framework for these discussions was lacking. The first aim of this study thus has been the development of a theoretical base. We therein included Maslow´s pyramid of basic needs. The idea of our approach is that the presence or absence of so-called cultural tracers identify either contact or disparity. A large database on archaeological sites of Morocco and Southern Iberia dating between 160 ka and 40 ka years ago has been compiled, containing information about lithic technology and typology, lithic raw material acquisition, subsistence patterns and symbolic behaviour. We formulated three potential contact scenarios between the two regions. The presence and/ or absence of so-called cultural tracers within the data set, that covered all levels of Maslow´s pyramid, led us to conclude that -based on the present archaeological and anthropological data -no contact took place between Iberian and North African populations across the Strait of Gibraltar in the given time frame. RESUMENContactos entre grupos humanos del Pleistoceno superior entre África del Norte y la Península Ibérica cruzando el Estrecho de Gibraltar están siendo objeto de debates. Por la falta de fósiles humanos significativos el debate se centra básicamente en similitudes y diferencias en la cultura material. Pero todavía falta un marco metodológico para la discusión. Este trabajo intenta la presentación de una base teórica preliminar. La pirámide de Maslow con necesidades básicas forma parte de estas reflexiones. La ausencia o presencia de marcadores culturales indica según nuestro enfoque contactos o disparidades. En un banco de datos de yacimientos arqueológicos entre 160 ka y 40 ka de Marruecos y del sur de España hemos compilado información sobre tecnología de inventarios líticos, aprovisionamiento de materias primas, patrones de asentamiento y comportamiento simbólico. Se pueden formular tres escenarios de contacto entre ambas regiones. La aplicación de marcadores culturales in relación con la pirámide entera de Maslow indica que según la información actual no se pueden demostrar contactos entre ambos continentes. LABURPENAIparraldeko Afrikaren eta Iberiar penintsularen artean, Gibraltargo itsasartea zeharkatuta, Goi-pleistozenoan giza taldeen artean izan ziren harremanak eztabaidagai bihurtu dira. Gizakiaren fosil esanguratsurik ez dagoenez, eztabaidaren gai nagusia, batez ere, kultura materialean dauden antzekotasunak eta aldeak dira. Baina oraindik eztabaidarako testuinguru metodologikoa falta da. Lan honen helburua da aurretiazko oinarri teorikoa aurkeztea. Oinarrizko beharrak dituen Maslow piramidea gogoeta horien baitan dago. Gure ustez, markatzaile kulturalik ez izateak edo halakoak izateak harremanak edo desber...

Similarities and differences in the lifestyles of populations using mode 3 technology in North Africa and the south of the Iberian Peninsula

“…The records are dated to 300-70 Ky in North Africa Scerri, 2017;Tafelmaier et al, 2017) and 150-33 ky in Southern Iberia (Cortés et al, 2011;Wood et al, 2013;Shipton et al, 2013) (Table 4). It must be taken into consideration that no archaeological records dated to between 300 and 160 Ky BP have been found in southern Iberia (Cortés, 2008(Cortés, , 2012Baena et al, 2014;Weniger and Ramos, Eds., 2014).…”

“…In the second scenario, the similarities are explained by the arrival of Homo sapiens sapiens groups to North Africa. These groups developed Mode 3-MSA technology, but did not cross the Strait (Tafelmaier et al, 2017). They would, however, have migrated around the Mediterranean (Straus, 2001(Straus, , 2012.…”

“…However, Homo neanderthalensis are generally regarded to have inhabited the south of the Iberian Peninsula and to have born so-called https://doi.org/10. 1016/j.quaint.2019.02.040 Received 20 January 2018; Received in revised form 10 August 2018; Accepted 26 February 2019 Mousterian technology (Vallespí, 1986;Finlayson, 2009;Finlayson et al, 2006Finlayson et al, , 2008Barroso and Lumley, 2006;2007 b;Giles et al, 2012), Middle Palaeolithic (Tafelmaier et al, 2017), or Mode 3 (Clark, 1981;Weniger and Ramos, 2014).…”

Les occupations humaines du Nord du Maroc, du Paléolithique Moyen et du Paléolithique Supérieur. Nouvelles données sur la base des recherches archéologiques des projets de 2005 à 2020

“…Cette occupation humaine peut e ˆtre cerne ´e dans les de ´bats actuels sur la nomenclature de ce technocomplexe (Pale ´olithique Moyen, Mode 3, Mouste ´rien, Ate ´rien, Middle Stone Age-MSA) (Wengler et al, 2001 ;Mercier et al, 2007 ;Mikdad et al, 2004 ;Bouzouggar et Barton, 2005Nami et Moser, 2010 ;Nespoulet et al, 2008aNespoulet et al, , 2008bLinsta ¨edter et al, 2012). Et pour la question Ate ´rien et MSA (Scerri, 2013(Scerri, , 2017Scerri et al, 2014 ;Tafelmaier et al, 2017), leurs auteurs, placent ces populations parmi les Homos sapiens anatomiquement modernes (Zouak, 2001(Zouak, , 2007Hublin et al, 2017 ;Richter et al, 2017). Tableau 6.6 Le ´gende des Tableaux 6.1 a `6.5.…”