Hunting strategy and seasonality in the last interglacial occupation of Cueva Antón (Murcia, Spain)

Abstract

The Middle Palaeolithic site of Cueva Antón (Murcia, Spain) is a cave/rock shelter with short-term human occupations dated to marine isotopic stages 5a and 3 (MIS 5a and MIS 3). The site provides a high-resolution sequence because the cave’s living floors, organized around hearth features, present rich assemblages of artefacts and faunal remains rapidly buried by low-energy flooding. The accumulation and modification of the faunal remains are mainly due to human agency. Zooarchaeological, taphonomic and tooth-wear analyses provide new insights into the subsistence of the human groups that used the site. Deer is the most abundant prey. The cave was used mainly in late winter and late spring to early summer. During the latter, female herds of deer and ibex were the primary targets of the hunts.