1. Paleoenvironmental context of Neanderthal occupations in northeastern Iberia: The small-mammal assemblage from Abric Romaní (Capellades, Barcelona, Spain).
- Author
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Fernández-García, Mónica, López-García, Juan Manuel, Bennàsar, Maria, Gabucio, Maria Joana, Bargalló, Amèlia, Gema Chacón, M., Saladié, Palmira, Vallverdú, Josep, Vaquero, Manuel, and Carbonell, Eudald
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NEANDERTHALS , *PALEOENVIRONMENTAL studies , *ARCHAEOLOGICAL assemblages ,ABRIC Romani Site - Abstract
The Abric Romaní site (Capellades, Barcelona, Spain) constitutes a key site for understanding the latest Neanderthal occupations in Western Europe. Here we present a comprehensive systematic and taphonomic analysis of a small-mammal assemblage from Level O of the Abric Romaní site, with the aim of reconstructing the paleoecological context in which the Neanderthals lived. The assemblage, which probably dates from a stadial episode between Interstadial 15 and Interstadial 14, contains fifteen small mammal species, including species uncommon for the northeast of Iberia, such as Sciurus vulgaris , Nyctalus lasiopterus and Pipistrellus pipistrellus . Taphonomic studies suggest a predatory origin for the assemblage, probably related to Strix aluco , and paleoecological inferences suggest lower temperatures (−3/−4 °C) and higher rainfall (+70/+170 mm) than at present and a landscape dominated by an open forest with watercourses. The new data improve our knowledge of trends associated with Marine Isotope Stage 3 that affected Neanderthal populations in the Iberian Peninsula, showing that the Neanderthals were well adapted to cooler and wetter conditions across Iberia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2018
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