Methodological Approach for Understanding Middle Palaeolithic Settlement Dynamics at La Roca dels Bous (Noguera, Catalunya, Northeast Spain)
[EN] La Roca dels Bous is a multi-layered Middle Palaeolithic rockshelter located in the southeastern Pyrenees, in the eastern part of the Iberian Peninsula. Archaeological levels show a general palimpsest character making Neanderthal behavioural patterns difficult to observe in the bone and lithic...
| Autores: | , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | otro |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2004 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) |
| Repositorio: | DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:digital.csic.es:10261/396828 |
| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/10261/396828 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Prehistory Archaeological objects Archaeological sites |
| Sumario: | [EN] La Roca dels Bous is a multi-layered Middle Palaeolithic rockshelter located in the southeastern Pyrenees, in the eastern part of the Iberian Peninsula. Archaeological levels show a general palimpsest character making Neanderthal behavioural patterns difficult to observe in the bone and lithic accumulations. We introduce simple techniques and observational elements that allow us to determine intrasite organization and mobility patterns. Both aspects are significant in the reconstruction of Neanderthal lifeways. In recent years intense debate has occurred concerning the organizational and behavioural attributes of archaic hominids. Level 10 has been selected to illustrate these aspects. Contextual observations related to site formation dynamics are discussed here. The paper addresses how horizontal and vertical material dispersion of finds allows for the clarification of attributes related to spatial management patterns. Such spatial analysis is essential for understanding the temporal patterns within the introduction of archaeological materials to the site. Determining internal settlement organization is essential for linking patterns of mobility within reconstructions of Neanderthal lifeways. Level 10 of La Roca dels Bous demonstrates that arqueographic aspects related with properties of the archaeological record must be analyzed in depth before establishing unequivocal relationships between the archaeological record and behavioural inferences. |
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