Late Pleistocene Landscape and Settlement Dynamics of Portuguese Estremadura

Abstract

Here we report the results of an integrated geoarchaeological survey to study Palaeolithic human settlement dynamics in the coastal region of Portuguese Estremadura. The region has been an important focus of human occupation across multiple glacial-interglacial cycles, including periods of well-documented abrupt climate instability during MIS 3 and 2. The pedestrian survey covered a roughly 10 km wide strip of land between São Pedro de Muel and Peniche. The survey intensively targeted three landscape settings with Pleistocene-age surfaces and sediments: the coastal bluffs with exposed aeolian, fluvial, and colluvial sands; the Caldas da Rainha diapiric valley and associated fluvial/estuarine fills; and, Cretaceous chert-rich limestone uplands that bound the inland margin of the study area. We discovered dozens of new Palaeolithic sites, analyzed numerous Pleistocene sedimentary sections, and applied widespread OSL-dating to establish age control that allowed us to build a regional geomorphic history to contextualize Late Pleistocene human settlement across the region.

Los Aljezares archaeological site (Alicante, Spain) and the MIS 6/5 open‐air settlement in the Iberian Peninsula

“…Another interesting question arises when analysing the data by area and chronology. In the Portuguese area, a good number of the sites are dated around the recent MIS 5 and present strategies that, as we have explained, are more elaborate and require a greater degree of technical knowledge (Raposo, 1995; Chacón and Raposo, 2001; Benedetti et al , 2009; Haws et al , 2020). In the Iberian plateau and Cantabrian region, the sites are dated in relatively older chronologies, and technologically, a marked archaic character in their industries can be observed (simple, bifacial, multifacial, tested nodules, indeterminate, etc.)…”

“…In other Iberian regions, pollen sequences from open‐air sites are available at Mendieta I or Praia do Rei Cortiço (Rios‐Garaizar et al , 2008; Benedetti et al , 2009; Haws et al , 2020). In Mendieta I, the dominance of herbaceous vegetation is linked to flooded and humid substrata (Juncaceae and Alisma ), and the presence of alder shows the absence of important low‐water periods.…”

“…The high humidity is also reflected in the large amount of Pseudoschizaea (Rios‐Garaizar et al , 2008). However, the most complete sequence studied is Praia do Rei Cortiço (Haws et al , 2020). Initially, an open marsh with relatively low Pinus percentages suggests patchy or distant conifer woodlands.…”

Pleistocene hunter-gatherer coastal adaptations in Atlantic Iberia

“…Mira Nascente is an open-air location, dated to c. 41 ka ago. It can be found some 30 m above sea level, half-way upslope in a coastal dune (Haws et al, 2010;Haws et al 2020), north of the town of Nazaré. This is a high-quality chertrich country, and thus the lithic assemblage is composed mostly of a regional red chert with just a few pieces of quartzite.…”

Neanderthal Spatial Patterns and Occupation Dynamics: A Focus on the Central Region in Mediterranean Iberia

“…The different modes of territorial organisation of Neanderthal populations are one of the central topics in current scientific discussion of the Middle and Upper Pleistocene. Compared with Central and Eastern Europe, findings from Western Europe remain scarce and is still difficult to produce a general scenario for macro-regional spatial patterns (Geneste 1985;Gamble 1986;Szmidt 2003;Burke 2006;Andrefsky 2009;Turq et al 2013;Haws et al 2020). Much of the debate is focused on the behavioural differences between Neanderthals and Anatomically Modern Humans (AMH), and their capacity to exploit their territory in relation to spatial organisation and planning (Chase 1986(Chase , 1988David and Enloe 1993;Gaudzinski 2000;Grayson and Delpech 2002;d'Errico 2003;Costamagno et al 2006).…”