Identifying activity areas in a neanderthal hunting camp (the Navalmaíllo Rock Shelter, Spain) via spatial analysis

Spatial analysis has been much used to examine the distribution of archaeological remains at Pleistocene sites. However, little is known about the distribution patterns at sites identified as hunting camps, i.e., places occupied over multiple short periods for the capture of animals later transporte...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: Moclán, Abel, Huguet Pamiès, Rosa, Márquez, Belén, Álvarez Fernández, Ana, Laplana Conesa, César, Arsuaga Ferreras, Juan Luis, Pérez González, Alfredo José, Baquedano, Enrique
Tipo de documento: artigo
Data de publicação:2023
País:España
Recursos:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
Repositório:Docta Complutense
Idioma:inglês
OAI Identifier:oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/88309
Acesso em linha:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/88309
Access Level:Acceso aberto
Palavra-chave:569.89(460.27)
Middle Palaeolithic
Neanderthal
Spatial analysis
Hunting camp
Zooarchaeology
Lithic tools
Paleontología
Arqueología
2416.05 Paleontología de Los Vertebrados
5505.01 Arqueología
Descrição
Resumo:Spatial analysis has been much used to examine the distribution of archaeological remains at Pleistocene sites. However, little is known about the distribution patterns at sites identified as hunting camps, i.e., places occupied over multiple short periods for the capture of animals later transported to a base camp. The present work examines a Neanderthal hunting camp (the Navalmaíllo Rock Shelter in Pinilla del Valle, Madrid, Spain) to determine whether different activities were undertaken in different areas of the site. A spatial pattern was detected with a main cluster of materials (lithic tools, faunal remains, and coprolites) clearly related to the presence of nearby hearths—the backbone of the utilised space. This main cluster appears to have been related to collaborative and repetitive activities undertaken by the hunting parties that used the site. Spatial analysis also detected a small, isolated area perhaps related to carcasses processing at some point in time and another slightly altered by water.