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 Cendres

Abstract

During 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.