Abstract:Recent cross-disciplinary research in the Iberian Peninsula has revealed a synchronous pattern between rapid climate change and widespread cultural modifications during the Late Paleolithic. The beginning and development of each traditionally defined techno-complex is thought to be associated with different environmental conditions. A main contrast is put on the impact of cold and arid conditions at the onset of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and its coincidence with the development of blade/flake-size project… Show more
“…Yet, the presence of a Proto-Solutrean component at Peña Capón remains without doubt, and is now reinforced by obtained radiocarbon dates in levels 4–6 matching the Proto-Solutrean time span, as recorded in Portugal, between ∼26 and 25 ka cal BP 53 , 64 , 96 . Furthermore, this dating supports the triggering of the Proto-Solutrean as related to the rapid climate and environmental changes caused by HS 2, and especially to a decrease in vegetation cover and forest diversity 52 – 54 , as also reinforced by palaeoecological data obtained at Peña Capón. Figure 10 Pre-Solutrean lithic assemblages.…”
As the south-westernmost region of Europe, the Iberian Peninsula stands as a key area for understanding the process of modern human dispersal into Eurasia. However, the precise timing, ecological setting and cultural context of this process remains controversial concerning its spatiotemporal distribution within the different regions of the peninsula. While traditional models assumed that the whole Iberian hinterland was avoided by modern humans due to ecological factors until the retreat of the Last Glacial Maximum, recent research has demonstrated that hunter-gatherers entered the Iberian interior at least during Solutrean times. We provide a multi-proxy geoarchaeological, chronometric and paleoecological study on human–environment interactions based on the key site of Peña Capón (Guadalajara, Spain). Results show (1) that this site hosts the oldest modern human presence recorded to date in central Iberia, associated to pre-Solutrean cultural traditions around 26,000 years ago, and (2) that this presence occurred during Heinrich Stadial 2 within harsh environmental conditions. These findings demonstrate that this area of the Iberian hinterland was recurrently occupied regardless of climate and environmental variability, thus challenging the widely accepted hypothesis that ecological risk hampered the human settlement of the Iberian interior highlands since the first arrival of modern humans to Southwest Europe.
“…Yet, the presence of a Proto-Solutrean component at Peña Capón remains without doubt, and is now reinforced by obtained radiocarbon dates in levels 4–6 matching the Proto-Solutrean time span, as recorded in Portugal, between ∼26 and 25 ka cal BP 53 , 64 , 96 . Furthermore, this dating supports the triggering of the Proto-Solutrean as related to the rapid climate and environmental changes caused by HS 2, and especially to a decrease in vegetation cover and forest diversity 52 – 54 , as also reinforced by palaeoecological data obtained at Peña Capón. Figure 10 Pre-Solutrean lithic assemblages.…”
As the south-westernmost region of Europe, the Iberian Peninsula stands as a key area for understanding the process of modern human dispersal into Eurasia. However, the precise timing, ecological setting and cultural context of this process remains controversial concerning its spatiotemporal distribution within the different regions of the peninsula. While traditional models assumed that the whole Iberian hinterland was avoided by modern humans due to ecological factors until the retreat of the Last Glacial Maximum, recent research has demonstrated that hunter-gatherers entered the Iberian interior at least during Solutrean times. We provide a multi-proxy geoarchaeological, chronometric and paleoecological study on human–environment interactions based on the key site of Peña Capón (Guadalajara, Spain). Results show (1) that this site hosts the oldest modern human presence recorded to date in central Iberia, associated to pre-Solutrean cultural traditions around 26,000 years ago, and (2) that this presence occurred during Heinrich Stadial 2 within harsh environmental conditions. These findings demonstrate that this area of the Iberian hinterland was recurrently occupied regardless of climate and environmental variability, thus challenging the widely accepted hypothesis that ecological risk hampered the human settlement of the Iberian interior highlands since the first arrival of modern humans to Southwest Europe.
“…Crombé, ), from the Middle Stone Age (Thompson et al, ) to the Mesolithic, and geographical contexts, from South Asia (Roberts et al, ) to Atlantic Iberia (i.e. Cascalheira and Bicho, ; Straus, ), sometimes bounded by great climatic phases, such as MIS 3 (Riel‐Salvatore and Negrino, ) or the Last Glacial Maximum (Burke et al ., ). Links between climate and human technological adaptations have been provided for large millennial scales to short Bond events.…”
Researchers have long debated the impact of climate change on human culture and particularly in hunter-gatherer societies. Climate drifts, particularly abrupt ones, have been continuingly seen as major prompts for rapid technological and cultural innovation. Recent advances in paleoclimatic reconstructions and ongoing developments in the quality and chronological resolution of archeological data have allowed a better understanding of the extent to which patterns of specific environmental changes triggered modifications in the technological systems of hunter-gatherers. This volume brings together contributions addressing strategic changes in the organization of hunter-gatherer technologies as a response to drastic environmental shifts. It includes topics such as lithic, organic tools and ceramic production, pyrotechnology, hunting strategies, pigment processing, use of plants and adornments, starting with Middle Stone Age and ending with Mesolithic and coming from a diversity of geographical contexts. This introduction to the volume provides a general view on the continuing debate over cause and effect in the interplay between humans and climate with the aim to provide a better understanding of the role and magnitude of environmental determinism in the archeology of hunter-gatherers.
“…Following previous work by Turrero et al . (2013) and Cascalheira and Bicho (2018), values were extracted calculating a 20 m radius buffer around each site location and then averaging the values of each spatial variable within those buffers.…”
Section: Methodsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Spatial variables (Elevation, Slope, Aspect and Distance to rivers) were extracted from these raster layers using a series of functions within the Raster package (Hijmans and van Etten, 2012). Following previous work by Turrero et al (2013) and Cascalheira and Bicho (2018), values were extracted calculating a 20 m radius buffer around each site location and then averaging the values of each spatial variable within those buffers.…”
Currently available data on the Pleistocene human occupation of the westernmost territories of Iberia attest to the presence of Middle Palaeolithic industries from c. 240 ka cal bp until c. 37 ka cal bp. Previous studies focusing on this time frame have suggested that Middle Palaeolithic populations were highly mobile and predominately utilised locally available raw materials, with many cave and open‐air sites being located near fluvial settings. Other than these observations, no specific studies have focused on exploring the factors influencing human site location choice during that time range. Employing statistical and GIS approaches, this paper provides an initial assessment of spatial patterning in human settlement during the Middle Palaeolithic of westernmost Iberia. Results show that site locations are biased towards lower elevations and riverine settings and suggest that distance to rivers might have impacted the diversity and specific types of lithic raw materials used at each site. These results help to shed light on the particularities of Neanderthal adaptations in a region regarded as a refugium during periods of unfavourable climate during the Middle Palaeolithic.
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