Browsing by Author "Angelucci, Diego E."
Now showing 1 - 10 of 14
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Cueva Antón: A multi-proxy MIS 3 to MIS 5a paleoenvironmental record for SE IberiaPublication . Zilhão, João; Ajas, Aurélie; Badal, Ernestina; Burow, Christoph; Kehl, Martin; López-Sáez, José Antonio; Pimenta, Carlos; Preece, Richard C.; Sanchis, Alfred; Sanz, Montserrat; Weniger, Gerd-Christian; White, Dustin; Wood, Rachel; Angelucci, Diego E.; Villaverde, Valentín; Zapata, JosefinaOverlying a palustrine deposit of unknown age (complex FP), and protected from weathering and erosion inside a large cave/rock-shelter cavity, the sedimentary fill of Cueva Ant on, a Middle Paleolithic site in SE Spain, corresponds in most part (sub-complexes AS2-to-AS5) to a ca.3 m-thick Upper Pleistocene terrace of the River Mula. Coupled with the constraints derived from the deposit’s paleoclimatic proxies, OSL dating places the accumulation of this terrace in MIS 5a, and radiocarbon dates from the overlying breccia cum alluvium (sub-complex AS1) fall in the middle part of MIS 3; the intervening hiatus relates to valley incision and attendant erosion. The two intervals represented remain largely unknown in Iberia, where the archeology of the early-to-middle Upper Pleistocene is almost entirely derived from karst sites; Cueva Ant on shows that this dearth of data, often interpreted in demographic terms, has depositional underpinnings ultimately determined by past climate variation. In early MIS 5a, the paleobotanical evidence indicates climate conditions similar to present, albeit wetter, followed by progressive cooling, reflected in the replacement of Aleppo pine by black pine and, at the very end, juniperdominated landscapes d the latter characterizing also mid-MIS 3 times. The variation in sedimentary facies and composition of the mollusk assemblages reflects the changing position of the river channel relative to the back wall of the cave. Such changes represented the major constraint for the occupation of the sitedmost of the time inaccessible to terrestrial mammals, it was used throughout by the eagle-owl, explaining the abundance of rabbit bones. Human occupation occurred during a few, short windows of availability, and is reflected in well-preserved living floors defined by hearths, artefact scatters, and the remains of hunted herbivores. The stone tool assemblages are Middle Paleolithic, which, in Europe, implies a Neandertal identity for their makers and, hence, that Neandertals persisted in the region until GI 8. Cueva Anton’s high-resolution record provides unique, critical information on the paleoenvironments and adaptations of humans in two short windows of time during which wetter conditions existed in SE Iberia, where arid or semi-arid climates prevailed through most of the Upper Pleistocene and the Holocene.
- Environmental changes in eastern Iberia during the Solutrean: contribution of isotopic analysis (δ13C) of charcoal from l'Abrigo de la Boja and la Cova de les CendresPublication . Audiard, Benjamin; Villaverde, Valentín; Zilhão, João; Zapata, Josefina; Angelucci, Diego E.; Real, Cristina; Roman, Dídac; Badal, ErnestinaDuring the coldest periods of the Pleistocene, parts of the Iberian Peninsula were favorable to the establishment of forest refuges. It is therefore essential to characterize them and study their evolution, in order to gain a better understanding of the territories occupied by prehistoric societies during these same periods. In this article, we propose to revisit the regional study of environmental changes in eastern Spain around the LGM, through the analysis of the isotopic signal (δ13C) of Solutrean charcoal from Abrigo de la Boja and Cova de les Cendres (ca. 24,500–19,500 cal. BP). The first application of this approach to the Iberian Pleistocene will not only allow us (i) to clarify environmental changes at the two sites and their synchronicity with the North Atlantic influences of this period, but also (ii) to discuss the presence of more or less marked forest refuges in relation to the evolution of regional climatic contrasts.
- Firewood in the fireplace : Fuel use in the Solutrean of La Boja rock-shelter (Murcia, Spain)Publication . Badal, Ernestina; Martínez-Varea, Carmen María; Cantó, Ana; Angelucci, Diego E.; Villaverde Bonilla, Valentín; Zapata, Josefina; Zilhão, JoãoOur paper focuses on plant use in the Lower Solutrean to Solutreogravettian sequence of La Boja, a rock-shelter in the Rambla Perea gorge, near Mula (Murcia, Spain). We report on 5692 fragments of charcoal collected (a) within, or in immediate proximity, of 19 fireplaces, or (b) scattered away from hearth features in the same occupation horizons. Firewood selection patterns are the same throughout: >96% is Juniper sp. Small-diameter wood from shrubs and bushes (Artemisia sp., Ephedra sp., etc.) was used to initiate or rekindle the fire. The taxonomic composition of the assemblage indicates that, during the LGM (Last Glacial Maximum), Rambla Perea featured a landscape like that extant at the summit of nearby Sierra Espuña (Murcia), >1200 m amsl (above modern sea level). In Iberia’s Southeast, aridity is a structural feature of climate; therefore, we infer that LGM rainfall would have been of the semiarid or dry types. The limited presence of Pinus nigra / P. sylvestris supports this inference and further suggests an annual average temperature in the range of 8-15ºC, significantly cooler than at present.
- Formation processes at a high resolution Middle Paleolithic site: Cueva Antón (Murcia, Spain)Publication . Angelucci, Diego E.; Anesin, Daniela; Susini, Davide; Villaverde, Valentín; Zapata, Josefina; Zilhão, JoãoCueva Antón is a Middle Paleolithic rockshelter located in the valley of the River Mula (Murcia, Spain). The archeological investigation of the site, which began with salvage work in 1991, resumed in 2006 and is still ongoing, uncovered a succession spanning most of MIS 3 and MIS 4 (ca. 75e36 ka) and featuring a well preserved human occupation record. This paper presents the first information about site stratigraphy and site formation processes. Geoarcheological data collected in the field and through micromorphological observation show that the archeological succession at Cueva Antón is mainly composed of alluvial sediments, with thin intercalations of gravitational and slope material. The sedimentary characteristics of the alluvial succession are well preserved as the result of a rapid accumulation rate and the protective effect of the rockshelter. Several sedimentary facies produced by the shifting of distinct fluvial sub-environments (channel, bar and floodplain) are recognized. With the exception of a few units (II-u, a thin buried alluvial soil, and the archeologically richest units at the base of the succession), postdepositional modification is rare. The site was occupied within a framework of infrequent, short-term visits, resulting in a relatively low overall density of finds and the formation of well-defined archeological lenses that correspond to synchronous paleosurfaces preserving the spatial distribution of finds and features. This pattern explains the limited anthropogenic evidence observed in thin sections, even those from units where archeological excavation uncovered significant remains of human occupation.
- Formation processes, fire use, and patterns of human occupation across the Middle Palaeolithic (MIS 5a-5b) of Gruta da Oliveira (Almonda karst system, Torres Novas, Portugal)Publication . Angelucci, Diego E.; Nabais, Mariana; Zilhão, JoãoGruta da Oliveira features a c. 13 m-thick infilling that includes a c. 6.5 m-thick archaeological deposit (the “Middle Palaeolithic sequence” complex), which Bayesian modelling of available dating results places in MIS 5a (layers 7–14) and MIS 5b (layers 15–25), c. 71,000–93,000 years ago. The accumulation primarily consists of sediment washed in from the slope through gravitational processes and surface dynamics. The coarse fraction derives from weathering of the cave’s limestone bedrock. Tectonic activity and structural instability caused the erosional retreat of the scarp face, explaining the large, roof-collapsed rock masses found through the stratification. The changes in deposition and diagenesis observed across the archaeological sequence are minor and primarily controlled by local factors and the impact of humans and other biological agents. Pulses of stadial accumulation—reflected in the composition of the assemblages of hunted ungulates, mostly open-country and rocky terrain taxa (rhino, horse, ibex)—alternate with interstadial hiatuses—during which carbonate crusts and flowstone formed. Humans were active at the cave throughout, but occupation was intermittent, which allowed for limited usage by carnivores when people visited less frequently. During the accumulation of layers 15–25 (c. 85,000–93,000 years ago), the carnivore guild was dominated by wolf and lion, while brown bear and lynx predominate in layers 7–14 (c. 71,000–78,000 years ago). In the excavated areas, conditions for residential use were optimal during the accumulation of layers 20–22 (c. 90,000–92,000 years ago) and 14 (c. 76,000–78,000 years ago), which yielded dense, hearth-focused scatters of stone tools and burnt bones. The latter are ubiquitous, adding to the growing body of evidence that Middle Palaeolithic Neandertals used fire in regular, consistent manner. The patterns of site usage revealed at Gruta da Oliveira are no different from those observed 50,000 years later in comparable early Upper Palaeolithic and Solutrean cave sites of central Portugal.
- A Gruta da Oliveira (Torres Novas): uma jazida de referência para o Paleolítico Médio da Península IbéricaPublication . Zilhão, João; Angelucci, Diego E.; Aubry, Thierry; Badal, Ernestina; Brugal, Jean-Philip; Carvalho, Rui; Gameiro, Cristina; Hoffmann, Dirk L.; Matias, Henrique; Maurício, João; Nabais, Mariana; Pike, Alistair W. G.; Póvoas, Liliana; Richter, Daniel; Souto, Pedro; Trinkaus, Erik; Wainer, Karine; Willman, JohnA Gruta da Oliveira é uma jazida do Paleolítico Médio descoberta em 1989 no quadro da exploração espeleoarqueológica do sistema cársico da nascente do rio Almonda. Uma vez desobstruído o espesso abatimento brechificado que selava a respectiva entrada, puderam escavar-se, entre 1992 e 2012, os ~9 m de estratificação arqueológica subjacente. Além de uma indústria lítica em sílex, quartzo e quartzito totalizando mais de 25.000 objectos, de restos do Homem de Neandertal, e de estruturas de combustão, os depósitos também forneceram abundantes restos de microfauna, fauna e carvão de madeira. Datada do intervalo ~35 -105 ka por Radiocarbono, Urânio -Tório e Termoluminescência, esta sucessão é uma referência para o estudo paleoambiental e paleoantropológico do Plistocénico Superior da Península Ibérica.
- Last Interglacial Iberian Neandertals as fisher-hunter-gatherersPublication . Zilhão, João; Angelucci, Diego E.; Igreja, Marina; Arnold, L. J.; Badal García, Ernestina; Callapez, Pedro M.; Cardoso, João Luis; d’Errico, F.; Daura, Joan; Demuro, Martina; Deschamps, Marianne; Dupont, Catherine; Gabriel, Sónia; Hoffmann, Dirk L.; Legoinha, P.; Matias, Henrique; Soares, António Monge; Nabais, Mariana; Portela, P.; Queffelec, A.; Rodrigues, Filipa; Souto, PedroThe origins of marine resource consumption by humans have been much debated. Zilhão et al. present evidence that, in Atlantic Iberia's coastal settings, Middle Paleolithic Neanderthals exploited marine resources at a scale on par with the modern human–associated Middle Stone Age of southern Africa (see the Perspective by Will). Excavations at the Figueira Brava site on Portugal's Atlantic coast reveal shell middens rich in the remains of mollusks, crabs, and fish, as well as terrestrial food items. Familiarity with the sea and its resources may thus have been widespread for residents there in the Middle Paleolithic. The Figueira Brava Neanderthals also exploited stone pine nuts in a way akin to that previously identified in the Holocene of Iberia. These findings add broader dimensions to our understanding of the role of aquatic resources in the subsistence of Paleolithic humans.
- Luminescence Dating of Fluvial Deposits in the Rock Shelter of Cueva Antón, SpainPublication . Burow, Christoph; Kehl, Martin; Hilgers, Alexandra; Weniger, Gerd-Christian; Angelucci, Diego E.; Villaverde, Valentín; Zapata, Josefina; Zilhão, JoãoThe fluvial sediments at Cueva Antón, a Middle Palaeolithic rock shelter located in the valley of the River Mula (Southeast Spain), produced abundant lithic assemblages of Mousterian affinities. Radiocarbon dates are available for the upper part of the archaeological succession, while for the middle to lower parts chronometric data have been missing. Here we present luminescence dating results for these parts of the succession. Quartz OSL on small aliquots and single grain measurements yield ages ranging from 69 ± 7 ka to 82 ± 8 ka with a weighted mean of 72 ± 4 ka for sub-complexes AS2 to AS5. Equivalent dose estimates from large aliquots were highest and inconsistent with those from single grains and small multiple grain aliquots. This is probably caused by the presence of oversaturating grains, which have been quantified by single grain measurements. Additional post-IR IRSL measurements on coarse grained feldspar give strong support to a well-bleached quartz OSL signal. While independent chronometric control is missing, the results are within the expected age range and support the notion of a rapid accumulation of the fluvial deposits.
- Obsidian in the Upper Palaeolithic of IberiaPublication . Zilhão, João; Angelucci, Diego E.; Le Bourdonnec, François-Xavier; Lucena, Armando; Martín-Lerma, Ignacio; Martínez, Susana; Matias, Henrique; Villaverde, Valentín; Zapata, JosefinaSourced from the Tyrrhenian Islands and exchanged over long distances, obsidian was used widely across prehistoric Western Europe. An obsidian core and bladelets from a newly discovered rockshelter site in south-eastern Spain, however, raised the possibility of an unrecognised mainland source of obsidian. EDXRF analysis of the Early Magdalenian finds from La Boja links them to a source 125km to the south-west. The artefacts were discarded during two brief activity phases at the site, indicating that obsidian procurement was integral to the technological choices of the site's users. The specificities of the technocomplex may explain the unique nature of this occurrence.
- Precise dating of the Middle-to-Upper Paleolithic transition in Murcia (Spain) supports late Neandertal persistence in IberiaPublication . Zilhão, João; Anesin, Daniela; Aubry, Thierry; Badal, Ernestina; Cabanes, Dan; Kehl, Martin; Klasen, Nicole; Lucena, Armando; Martín-Lerma, Ignacio; Martínez, Susana; Matias, Henrique; Susini, Davide; Steier, Peter; Wild, Eva Maria; Angelucci, Diego E.; Villaverde, Valentín; Zapata, JosefinaThe late persistence in Southern Iberia of a Neandertal-associated Middle Paleolithic is supported by the archeological stratigraphy and the radiocarbon and luminescence dating of three newly excavated localities in the Mula basin of Murcia (Spain). At Cueva Antón, Mousterian layer I-k can be no more than 37,100 years-old. At La Boja, the basal Aurignacian can be no less than 36,500 years-old. The regional Middle-to-Upper Paleolithic transition process is thereby bounded to the first half of the 37th millennium Before Present, in agreement with evidence from Andalusia, Gibraltar and Portugal. This chronology represents a lag of minimally 3000 years with the rest of Europe, where that transition and the associated process of Neandertal/modern human admixture took place between 40,000 and 42,000 years ago. The lag implies the presence of an effective barrier to migration and diffusion across the Ebro river depression, which, based on available paleoenvironmental indicators, would at that time have represented a major biogeographical divide. In addition, (a) the Phlegraean Fields caldera explosion, which occurred 39,850 years ago, would have stalled the Neandertal/modern human admixture front because of the population sink it generated in Central and Eastern Europe, and (b) the long period of ameliorated climate that came soon after (Greenland Interstadial 8, during which forests underwent a marked expansion in Iberian regions south of 40°N) would have enhanced the "Ebro Frontier" effect. These findings have two broader paleoanthropological implications: firstly, that, below the Ebro, the archeological record made prior to 37,000 years ago must be attributed, in all its aspects and components, to the Neandertals (or their ancestors); secondly, that modern human emergence is best seen as an uneven, punctuated process during which long-lasting barriers to gene flow and cultural diffusion could have existed across rather short distances, with attendant consequences for ancient genetics and models of human population history.