A context for the last Neandertals of interior Iberia: Los Casares cave revisited
Introduction and objectives: Although the Iberian Peninsula is a key area for understanding the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition and the demise of the Neandertals, valuable evidence for these debates remains scarce and problematic in its interior regions. Sparse data supporting a late Neandert...
| Autores: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2017 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya) |
| Repositorio: | Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:recercat.cat:2445/175370 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/2445/175370 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Casares, Cueva de los (Castella-la Manxa) Home de Neandertal Datació per radiocarboni Casares Cave (Castilla-La Mancha) Neanderthals Radiocarbon dating |
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A context for the last Neandertals of interior Iberia: Los Casares cave revisitedAlcaraz Castaño, ManuelAlcolea González, JavierKehl, MartinAlbert Cristóbal, Rosa MariaBaena Preysler, JavierBalbín Behrmann, Rodrigo deCuartero, FelipeCuenca-Bescós, G.Jiménez Barredo, FernandoLópez Sáez, José AntonioPiqué i Huerta, RaquelRodríguez Antón, DavidYravedra, JoséWeniger, Gerd ChristianCasares, Cueva de los (Castella-la Manxa)Home de NeandertalDatació per radiocarboniCasares Cave (Castilla-La Mancha)NeanderthalsRadiocarbon datingIntroduction and objectives: Although the Iberian Peninsula is a key area for understanding the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition and the demise of the Neandertals, valuable evidence for these debates remains scarce and problematic in its interior regions. Sparse data supporting a late Neandertal persistence in the Iberian interior have been recently refuted and hence new evidence is needed to build new models on the timing and causes of Neandertal disappearance in inland Iberia and the whole peninsula. In this study we provide new evidence from Los Casares, a cave located in the highlands of the Spanish Meseta, where a Neandertal-associated Middle Paleolithic site was discovered and first excavated in the 1960's. Our main objective is twofold: (1) provide an updated geoarcheological, paleoenvironmental and chronological framework for this site, and (2) discuss obtained results in the context of the time and nature of the last Neandertal presence in Iberia. Methods: We conducted new fieldwork in an interior chamber of Los Casares cave named 'Seno A'. Our methods included micromorphology, sedimentology, radiocarbon dating, Uranium/Thorium dating, palinology, microfaunal analysis, anthracology, phytolith analysis, archeozoology and lithic technology. Here we present results on site formation processes, paleoenvironment and the chronological setting of the Neandertal occupation at Los Casares cave-Seno A. Results and discussion: The sediment sequence reveals a mostly in situ archeological deposit containing evidence of both Neandertal activity and carnivore action in level c, dated to 44,899-42,175 calendar years ago. This occupation occurred during a warm and humid interval of Marine Isotopic Stage 3, probably correlating with Greenland Interstadial 11, representing one of the latest occurrences of Neandertals in the Iberian interior. However, overlying layer b records a deterioration of local environments, thus providing a plausible explanation for the abandonment of the site, and perhaps for the total disappearance of Neandertals of the highlands of inland Iberia during subsequent Greenland Stadials 11 or 10, or even Heinrich Stadial 4. Since layer b provided very few signs of human activity and no reliable chronometric results, and given the scarce chronostratigrapic evidence recorded so far for this period in interior Iberia, this can only be taken as a working hypothesis to be tested with future research. Meanwhile, 42,000 calendar years ago remains the most plausible date for the abandonment of interior Iberia by Neandertals, possibly due to climate deterioration. Currently, a later survival of this human species in Iberia is limited to the southern coasts.Public Library of Science (PLoS)2021202120172021info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion54 p.application/pdfhttps://hdl.handle.net/2445/175370Articles publicats en revistes (Història i Arqueologia)reponame:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunyainstname:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)InglésReproducció del document publicat a: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0180823PLoS One, 2017, vol. 12, num. 7, p. e0180823https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0180823info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/FP7/628179info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/643410cc-by (c) Alcaraz Castaño, Manuel et al., 2017http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/esinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:recercat.cat:2445/1753702026-05-29T05:05:01Z |
| dc.title.none.fl_str_mv |
A context for the last Neandertals of interior Iberia: Los Casares cave revisited |
| title |
A context for the last Neandertals of interior Iberia: Los Casares cave revisited |
| spellingShingle |
A context for the last Neandertals of interior Iberia: Los Casares cave revisited Alcaraz Castaño, Manuel Casares, Cueva de los (Castella-la Manxa) Home de Neandertal Datació per radiocarboni Casares Cave (Castilla-La Mancha) Neanderthals Radiocarbon dating |
| title_short |
A context for the last Neandertals of interior Iberia: Los Casares cave revisited |
| title_full |
A context for the last Neandertals of interior Iberia: Los Casares cave revisited |
| title_fullStr |
A context for the last Neandertals of interior Iberia: Los Casares cave revisited |
| title_full_unstemmed |
A context for the last Neandertals of interior Iberia: Los Casares cave revisited |
| title_sort |
A context for the last Neandertals of interior Iberia: Los Casares cave revisited |
| dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv |
Alcaraz Castaño, Manuel Alcolea González, Javier Kehl, Martin Albert Cristóbal, Rosa Maria Baena Preysler, Javier Balbín Behrmann, Rodrigo de Cuartero, Felipe Cuenca-Bescós, G. Jiménez Barredo, Fernando López Sáez, José Antonio Piqué i Huerta, Raquel Rodríguez Antón, David Yravedra, José Weniger, Gerd Christian |
| author |
Alcaraz Castaño, Manuel |
| author_facet |
Alcaraz Castaño, Manuel Alcolea González, Javier Kehl, Martin Albert Cristóbal, Rosa Maria Baena Preysler, Javier Balbín Behrmann, Rodrigo de Cuartero, Felipe Cuenca-Bescós, G. Jiménez Barredo, Fernando López Sáez, José Antonio Piqué i Huerta, Raquel Rodríguez Antón, David Yravedra, José Weniger, Gerd Christian |
| author_role |
author |
| author2 |
Alcolea González, Javier Kehl, Martin Albert Cristóbal, Rosa Maria Baena Preysler, Javier Balbín Behrmann, Rodrigo de Cuartero, Felipe Cuenca-Bescós, G. Jiménez Barredo, Fernando López Sáez, José Antonio Piqué i Huerta, Raquel Rodríguez Antón, David Yravedra, José Weniger, Gerd Christian |
| author2_role |
author author author author author author author author author author author author author |
| dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv |
Casares, Cueva de los (Castella-la Manxa) Home de Neandertal Datació per radiocarboni Casares Cave (Castilla-La Mancha) Neanderthals Radiocarbon dating |
| topic |
Casares, Cueva de los (Castella-la Manxa) Home de Neandertal Datació per radiocarboni Casares Cave (Castilla-La Mancha) Neanderthals Radiocarbon dating |
| description |
Introduction and objectives: Although the Iberian Peninsula is a key area for understanding the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition and the demise of the Neandertals, valuable evidence for these debates remains scarce and problematic in its interior regions. Sparse data supporting a late Neandertal persistence in the Iberian interior have been recently refuted and hence new evidence is needed to build new models on the timing and causes of Neandertal disappearance in inland Iberia and the whole peninsula. In this study we provide new evidence from Los Casares, a cave located in the highlands of the Spanish Meseta, where a Neandertal-associated Middle Paleolithic site was discovered and first excavated in the 1960's. Our main objective is twofold: (1) provide an updated geoarcheological, paleoenvironmental and chronological framework for this site, and (2) discuss obtained results in the context of the time and nature of the last Neandertal presence in Iberia. Methods: We conducted new fieldwork in an interior chamber of Los Casares cave named 'Seno A'. Our methods included micromorphology, sedimentology, radiocarbon dating, Uranium/Thorium dating, palinology, microfaunal analysis, anthracology, phytolith analysis, archeozoology and lithic technology. Here we present results on site formation processes, paleoenvironment and the chronological setting of the Neandertal occupation at Los Casares cave-Seno A. Results and discussion: The sediment sequence reveals a mostly in situ archeological deposit containing evidence of both Neandertal activity and carnivore action in level c, dated to 44,899-42,175 calendar years ago. This occupation occurred during a warm and humid interval of Marine Isotopic Stage 3, probably correlating with Greenland Interstadial 11, representing one of the latest occurrences of Neandertals in the Iberian interior. However, overlying layer b records a deterioration of local environments, thus providing a plausible explanation for the abandonment of the site, and perhaps for the total disappearance of Neandertals of the highlands of inland Iberia during subsequent Greenland Stadials 11 or 10, or even Heinrich Stadial 4. Since layer b provided very few signs of human activity and no reliable chronometric results, and given the scarce chronostratigrapic evidence recorded so far for this period in interior Iberia, this can only be taken as a working hypothesis to be tested with future research. Meanwhile, 42,000 calendar years ago remains the most plausible date for the abandonment of interior Iberia by Neandertals, possibly due to climate deterioration. Currently, a later survival of this human species in Iberia is limited to the southern coasts. |
| publishDate |
2017 |
| dc.date.none.fl_str_mv |
2017 2021 2021 2021 |
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info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion |
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article |
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publishedVersion |
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https://hdl.handle.net/2445/175370 |
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https://hdl.handle.net/2445/175370 |
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Inglés |
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Inglés |
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Reproducció del document publicat a: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0180823 PLoS One, 2017, vol. 12, num. 7, p. e0180823 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0180823 info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/FP7/628179 info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/643410 |
| dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv |
cc-by (c) Alcaraz Castaño, Manuel et al., 2017 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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cc-by (c) Alcaraz Castaño, Manuel et al., 2017 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es |
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openAccess |
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54 p. application/pdf |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
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Articles publicats en revistes (Història i Arqueologia) reponame:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya instname:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya) |
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