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The stratigraphy and materials from a survey carried out in 1994 and 1995 in a rock-shelter in Tamajon ´(southwestern Iberian Central Range) are studied here. The Pleistocene deposits were generated by high-energy channelled fluvial flows and dense currents of debris flow and mud flow type. The recovered lithic industry, created mainly in low-quality local materials, can be associated with Gravettian technocomplexes. Three radiocarbon dates obtained from the stratigraphic sequence are located in a temperate interstadial of OIS 3a and in a cold episode at the beginning of OIS 2. The faunal remains, which come from human consumption, display cut and percussion marks. They reveal a predominance of equines, followed by deer, in a mosaic environment. A shale plaque-pendant, worked and decorated, was found outside the stratigraphy. The human occupations of the shelter must have been sporadic, but reflect, with the growing evidence nearby, a thriving population in this area of anatomically modern humans. The association of pre-Solutrean archaeological materials, together with the dates obtained, establishes the human occupation of the Los Enebrales shelter as the oldest evidence of the Upper Palaeolithic in the inner Iberian Plateau., Depto. de Prehistoria, Historia Antigua y Arqueología, Fac. de Geografía e Historia, TRUE, pub

La transición del iii al ii milenio cal ac en la cuenca alta del Tajo cuenta con escasas dataciones radiométricas, a pesar de disponer de un notable registro arqueológico. La aportación de nuevas dataciones contribuye a asentar puntos de referencia para contextos con cerámica campaniforme y los primeros atribuibles a la Edad del Bronce, una realidad que se ha vuelto especialmente compleja en las últimas décadas. En esta noticia damos a conocer cuatro nuevas dataciones radiométricas que proceden de un contexto de finales del iii milenio cal ac excavado en la cueva de la Noguera (Val de San García, Cifuentes). Este contexto nos sirve para actualizar la información sobre las dinámicas culturales que se observan en el área de Guadalajara. Las nuevas dataciones subrayan la complejidad de la transición entre el iii y el ii milenio cal ac en la parte central de la Península Ibérica, resaltando la diversidad en las formas de ocupación del paisaje. A su vez, la cueva de la Noguera muestra una modalidad de vida en cuevas que parece consistente con otras ocupaciones en la Meseta. La fauna recuperada y los materiales encontrados en la superficie exterior de la cueva indican un posible uso agroganadero de la ubicación., he transition from the 3rd to the 2nd millennium cal bc in the Upper Tagus basin counts with few radiometric dates, despite having a significant archaeological record. The contribution of new dates helps to establish reference points for contexts with Bell Beaker pottery and the first ones attributable to the Bronze Age, a reality that has become particularly complex in recent decades. In this paper, we present four new radiometric dates coming from an archaeological context from the late 3rd millennium cal bc excavated at the cueva de la Noguera (Val de San García, Cifuentes). This context allows us to update the information on the cultural dynamics observed in Guadalajara province.The new dates emphasize the complexity of the transition between the 3rd and 2nd millennium cal bc in the central part of the Iberian Peninsula and highlight the diversity in the forms of landscape occupation. In turn, the Noguera cave shows a mode of cave living that appears consistent with other occupations in the Meseta. The recovered fauna and materials found on the cave’s exterior surface indicate a possible agricultural-livestock use of the location., Depto. de Prehistoria, Historia Antigua y Arqueología, TRUE, pub

[Abstract] El Olivo Cave (Pruvia de Arriba, Llanera, Asturias, Spain) is a small karst cave located in the Aboño River basin and formed in the Cretaceous limestone of the Mesozoic cover of the Cantabrian Mountains (north of the Iberian Peninsula). It contains an important upper Pleistocene sedimentary, archaeological, and paleontological record, with abundant technological evidence and faunal remains. The archaeological record shows a first occupation that could correspond to the Middle Paleolithic and a second occupation in the Middle Magdalenian. The stratigraphic sequence inside and outside the cave was studied with geoarchaeological methodology. In this paper, the lithostratigraphic sequence is analyzed, and the data from the granulometric, mineralogical, edaphological, and radiometric analyses are presented. The results of these analyses enable an accurate interpretation of both the lithostratigraphy of the deposit and the processes responsible for its formation and subsequent evolution. The available numerical dates allow us to locate the first sedimentation episode in the cave in OIS 7a, in the Middle Pleistocene, the base of the outer fluvial sedimentation in the cold OIS 3a stage of the Upper Pleistocene and the Magdalenian occupation in the Last Glacial Maximum (OIS 2) at the end of the Late Pleistocene.

El Olivo Cave (Pruvia de Arriba, Llanera, Asturias, Spain) is a small karst cave located in the Aboño River basin and formed in the Cretaceous limestone of the Mesozoic cover of the Cantabrian Mountains (north of the Iberian Peninsula). It contains an important upper Pleistocene sedimentary, archaeological, and paleontological record, with abundant technological evidence and faunal remains. The archaeological record shows a first occupation that could correspond to the Middle Paleolithic and a second occupation in the Middle Magdalenian. The stratigraphic sequence inside and outside the cave was studied with geoarchaeological methodology. In this paper, the lithostratigraphic sequence is analyzed, and the data from the granulometric, mineralogical, edaphological, and radiometric analyses are presented. The results of these analyses enable an accurate interpretation of both the lithostratigraphy of the deposit and the processes responsible for its formation and subsequent evolution. The available numerical dates allow us to locate the first sedimentation episode in the cave in OIS 7a, in the Middle Pleistocene, the base of the outer fluvial sedimentation in the cold OIS 3a stage of the Upper Pleistocene and the Magdalenian occupation in the Last Glacial Maximum (OIS 2) at the end of the Late Pleistocene.

Con este Proyecto de Innovación y Mejora de la Calidad Docente, de carácter institucional, se pretende dar continuidad a la etapa de innovación y formación docente que se inició el pasado Curso 2018-2019 en la Facultad de Geografía e Historia de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid, así como a las anteriores iniciativas de la Facultad de Geografía e Historia en materia de nuevas tecnologías. El objetivo de este proyecto, siguiendo la metodología de los cuatro años anteriores, ha pretendido promover en la Facultad una formación en el ámbito de la innovación educativa y de las nuevas tecnologías basada en: (i) la formación del Profesorado, del Personal de Administración y Servicios, y de estudiantes del Centro y (ii) en el intercambio de experiencias innovadoras entre representantes de estos colectivos, para poder hacer uso de las mismas en su desempeño docente, administrativo y formativo, respectivamente. El Proyecto, dirigido por el Vicedecano de Innovación, Nuevas Tecnologías y Comunicación de la Facultad, se adecua a las líneas prioritarias de la convocatoria Innova-Gestión Calidad, puesto que ha servido para profundizar en la innovación y en la mejora de la calidad docente-investigadora a través de programas formativos que, en la actualidad, constituyen objetivos prioritarios de la Estrategia UCM2020 de Investigación.

Recoge resultados del citado proyecto de innovación

Over the last three decades, more than a dozen sites with Pleistocene palaeoflood deposits in river valleys of the central Iberian Peninsula (basins of the Duero and Tagus rivers and their tributaries) have been located, described, dated and interpreted. Some palaeoflood sediments were deposited next to, or within, Neanderthal occupation sites and, as in the present, those floods impacted on human activities, judging by the flood beds containing and covering Mousterian remains. Here, we characterize and spatio-temporally correlate these palaeoflood deposits within archaeological sites, including analysis of the topographic and geomorphological position of flood beds; detailed stratigraphic descriptions, sediment peels of the stratigraphic profiles; textural analysis, mineralogy and palynological sampling; and sediment dating (luminescence, radiocarbon). These palaeoflood sites share some common characteristics, namely (i) geomorphological context of deposition in caves and rock shelters within fluvio-karst canyons cut on tabular and slope reliefs in Cretaceous carbonate rocks; (ii) location at high elevations (+11 to +25 m) in relation to the present position of the riverbed; (iii) depositional sets with submetric to metric thickness, with alternation or succession of fluvial and colluvial beds; (iv) flood sequences made of sand, silt and clay, with sedimentary structures typical of slackwater depositional environments, such as stagnated flow and eddies; (v) chronology dated to the Late Pleistocene with a mode between 45,000 and 50,000 years ago; (vi) very high specific peak flows, between 6,02 m3·s-1·km-2 (Duratón River) and 12,32 m3·s-1·km-2 (Jarama River), based on estimations using the present topography; but these high specific peak flows significantly decreased when variations in valley geometry (based on geomorphological criteria) from Pleistocene to present are taking into account. The high geographic extent of the Mousterian flood deposition around the Span

The Sella Valley provided refuge for Neanderthal groups during the Middle Paleolithic and the transition to the Upper Paleolithic. During the Upper Paleolithic it functioned as a homogeneous territory, with base camps on the coast and deposits of temporary occupation and logistical utility in the interior sites. This is shown in the deposits of the middle river basin, near Cangas de Onís, as indicated by archaeological remains and artistic manifestations., El valle del Sella acogió grupos neandertales durante el Paleolítico medio y la transición al Paleolítico superior. Durante el Paleolítico superior funcionó como un territorio homogéneo, con campamentos base en la costa y yacimientos de ocupación temporal y utilidad logística al interior. Así se muestra en los yacimientos del curso medio, próximos a Cangas de Onís, según indican los restos arqueológicos y las manifestaciones artísticas.

Los Azules Cave is located in Contranquil, municipality of Cangas de Onís (Asturias). It is placed in the southern slope of the Llueves Mount. It was discovered in 1971, and excavated by Juan A. Fernández Tresguerres between 1973 and 1992. It is one of the most important archaeological cave sites in Cantabrian Region. Furthermore, Los Azules is the most important site for the knowledge of the Azilian in the Iberian Peninsula. As a result of a new research project started in 2019 in this cave, we consider it is convenient to carry out a synthesis of the current state of the research and knowledge on the Cantabrian Azilian, La cueva de Los Azules se encuentra situada en Contranquil, concejo de Cangas de Onís (Asturias), en la ladera sur del monte de Llueves. Fue descubierta en 1971 y excavada entre 1973 y 1992 por Juan A. Fernández Tresguerres. Se trata de uno de los yacimientos arqueológicos en cueva más importantes de la región cantábrica, y del yacimiento más importante de toda la península ibérica para el estudio y conocimiento del Aziliense. A raíz de un nuevo programa de investigación en la cueva, iniciado en 2019, presentamos una síntesis del estado actual de la investigación y conocimiento sobre el Aziliense cantábrico, a partir de los resultados publicados por J. FernándezTresguerres.

El Lugar de Interés Geológico de Jarama VI es un abrigo rocoso que contiene una secuencia litoestratigráfica formada por cinco unidades sedimentarias del Pleistoceno superior, tres de las cuales presentan restos arqueológicos del Paleolítico medio con una edad mayor de 50 ka BP. En una de ellas se ha recuperado unresto óseo de Homo neanderthalensis. Para preservar toda la información analógica disponible sobre este LIG y contar con un registro digital del mismo, hemos llevado a cabo tres proyectos consecutivos cuyosobjetivos se centraron en la obtención de una cartografía digital de detalle del yacimiento y su entorno, la digitalización del registro arqueológico analógico de las excavaciones realizadas entre 1989-1993, la creación y cumplimentación de una Infraestructura de Datos Espaciales y la realización de un análisis microespacial y estadístico del yacimiento, a la vez que hemos llevado a cabo un estudio hidráulico de las paleoinundaciones observadas en su registro sedimentario., The Geosite of Jarama VI is a rock shelter containing a lithostratigraphic sequence formed by five Upper Pleistocene sedimentary units, three of wich present archaeological remains of the Middle Palaeolithic with an age older than 50 ka BP. A bone of Homo neanderthalensis has been found in one of those units. In order to preserve all the analogical information available on this LIG and have a digital record of it, we have carried out three consecutive projects whose objectives were focused (i) on obtaining a detailed digital cartography of the site and its surroundings; (ii) the digitalization of the analogical record from the archeological excavations carried out between 1989-1993; (iii) the creation and completion of a Spatial Data Infrastructure and(iv) the development of a microspatial and statistical analysis of the site; (v) finally, we have carried out a hydraulic study of the paleo-floods observed in its sedimentary register., Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha, UNED, Depto. de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y Paleontología, Depto. de Prehistoria, Historia Antigua y Arqueología, Fac. de Ciencias Geológicas, Fac. de Geografía e Historia, TRUE, pub

El Grado de Arqueología ha permitido introducir métodos pedagógicos de mayor calidad y herramientas multimedia. Este proyecto tiene por objetivo suministrar a los estudiantes del Grado de Arqueología las competencias básicas para entender y manejar los datos arqueológicos, a través de métodos de aprendizaje interactivos multimedia, reproducciones de artefactos antiguos y colecciones de referencia que integren la información usual de la investigación real en el campo arqueológico

El Cierro Cave possesses one of the few sequences in SW Europe in which archaeological levels cover the transition from the late Pleistocene to the early Holocene. Information contributed by the palynological and anthracological studies indicates that this transition was marked by a steady expansion of broadleaf woodland and a reduction in herbaceous-shrub communities. Archaeofaunal studies reveal continuity in subsistence strategies throughout the sequence. This was based on specialisation in hunting red deer, fishing, and gathering molluscs, crustaceans and echinoderm species on rocky shores. The difference between the Azilian and Mesolithic occupations lies in the replacement of some marine invertebrate species and the decrease in limpet sizes. The abiotic evidence is characterised by a lithic assemblage with allochthonous flint types, which has been interpreted as continuity of the raw material procurement strategies inherited from the Magdalenian.

This paper is focused on the Middle Paleolithic rock shelter called “Abrigo de San Lázaro”, placed in the Eresma River valley (Segovia, Spain). In this area, a multisource geomatic approach is used. On the one hand, the external envelope of the shelter has been digitalized by the means of an efficient combination between aerial photogrammetry and laser scanning (static and mobile). On the other hand, the ground penetrating radar and the electric tomography were used with the aim of evaluating the inner disposition of the shelter. The combination of both digitalization (external and internal) has allowed for improving the knowledge of the site characteristics that, in turn, will facilitate the future excavation works. The results of these studies allow archaeologists to know new data for a better understanding of the site formation (geology of the site, sedimentary potential, rock shelter dimensions, etc.) and the events that took place in it (knowing its historical evolution, especially the interaction between man and the environment). Additionally, the information obtained from these studies is very useful to plan future excavation works on the site., Junta de Castilla y León, Depto. de Prehistoria, Historia Antigua y Arqueología, Fac. de Geografía e Historia, TRUE, pub

Traditionally, the Iberian Peninsula has been considered to be a “land of rabbits”, a notion reinforced through the frequent appearance of these animals throughout the Palaeolithic on Mediterranean sites. However, the Cantabrian coast has shown a different pattern, with rabbits being scarce or exceptional at most Northern peninsular sites, with only a few evidences of exploitation. Nevertheless, lagomorphs represent around 10% of the bone assemblage at the Upper Magdalenian levels of Coímbre Cave (Peñamellera Alta, Asturias). In this paper, we conduct a taphonomical analysis of the rabbit assemblage from Coímbre Cave. We note that bones have been exposed to several taphonomical processes, including carnivore tooth marks, chemical alterations on teeth caused by raptor digestion, and the presence of cut-marks on some bone surfaces. Therefore, we argue that the rabbit assemblage at Coímbre is the result of a complex taphonomical history, with evidence for both anthropogenic activity and the actions of other biological agents. This new evidence retrieved from Coímbre Cave further highlights its exceptionality within other Cantabrian sites.

The archaeological sequence of the Palaeolithic site of La Güelga apparently shows an interstratification of Aurignacian between the Mousterian and Châtelperronian layers, a sequence which disagrees with the stratigraphic model for the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition in SW-Europe. We analyzed the witness section of the interior sector in archaeological zone D using micromorphology and collected new radiocarbon dates for the Aurignacian and presumably Châtelperronian levels in order to provide detailed sediment descriptions of the site and scrutinize the presumed interstratification. Thin sections from Mousterian levels 8 and 9 show microstratification, signs of trampling and preferential sub-horizontal orientation of elongated particles. These features are less strongly developed in the Aurignacian deposit of levels 5 and 6 and are lacking in the presumably Châtelperronian ones of levels 1 and 2. The deposits of the latter show other features of reworked slope deposits such as a randomized distribution of limestone clasts. Radiocarbon dating on bone samples from level 2 places this layer to between ~41.5 and 45 ka cal BP, hence older than Aurignacian level 5, dated to between ~35.5 and 41.5 ka cal BP. Comparative dating of bones with and without ultrafiltration pretreatment conducted in two different laboratories yielded results in excellent agreement. Overall, the micromorphological observations and new radiocarbon ages strongly suggest that the few finds of presumably Châtelperronian affinity and sediments of levels 1 and 2 were transported by slope processes into the shelter., La secuencia arqueológica del yacimiento paleolítico de La Güelga muestra, aparentemente, una interestratificación auriñaciense entre los niveles del Musteriense y Chatelperroniense, una secuencia que difiere del modelo estratigráfico para la transición del Paleolítico medio al superior en el SO de Europa. Hemos analizado el testigo existente en la zona D interior, tomando muestras para micromorfología, y realizado nuevas dataciones radiocarbónicas para los niveles auriñacienses y chatelperronienses, con el objetivo de aportar una detallada descripción sedimentológica del yacimiento y analizar a fondo esta presunta interestratificación. Las láminas delgadas de los niveles 8 y 9, musterienses, muestran microestratificación, señales de trampling y una orientación preferente sub-horizontal de los elementos alargados. Estas características están presentes en una menor proporción en los niveles 5 y 6, auriñacienses, y están ausentes en el presunto chatelperroniense de los niveles 1 y 2. Los últimos dos niveles presentan muchas evidencias que remiten a los depósitos de ladera removidos, como por ejemplo la distribución aleatoria de los clastos de caliza, ausencia de compactación por trampling y de microestratificación. Las dataciones radiocarbónicas de las muestras de hueso del nivel 2 sitúan este nivel entre ~41.5 and 45 ka cal BP, siendo por tanto más antiguo que el nivel 5, Auriñaciense, datado entre ~35.5 and 41.5 ka cal BP. Al comparar la datación de huesos con y sin pretratamiento de ultrafiltración realizadas en dos laboratorios diferentes se han obtenido resultados muy similares. En general los resultados micromorfológicos y las nuevas dataciones radiocarbónicas, aportan datos sólidos que sugieren que los escasos restos atribuidos por afinidad al Chatelperroniense, en los niveles 1 y 2, fueron transportados por procesos de ladera hacia el interior del abrigo, German Research Foundation (DFG), Depto. de Prehistoria, Historia Antigua y Arqueología, Fac. de Geografía e Historia, TRUE, pub

Hasta 2012, la ausencia de investigaciones arqueológicas sistemáticas en el alto valle del Eresma, hacía que esta área fuera considerada como un vacío ocupacional durante el Paleolítico. En este trabajo se presentan los primeros resultados del proyecto ‘Primeros Pobladores de Segovia’, cuyo enfoque geoarqueológico ha permitido, no sólo el descubrimiento de yacimientos musterienses como el Abrigo del Molino, sino la contextualización de las primeras ocupaciones humanas de esta zona del valle del Eresma desde un punto de vista cronocultural y paleoambiental. Sin duda, las excavaciones realizadas en este yacimiento son la principal fuente de información para este análisis. Además, los nuevos resultados obtenidos fruto de las excavaciones en la zona superior del Abrigo del Molino, en la recientemente descubierta cueva de San Lázaro y en las prospecciones realizadas en esta área, están aportando nueva información sobre la interpretación geoarqueológica de las primeras ocupaciones humanas en el valle alto del río Eresma., The absence of systematic archaeological investigations in the upper part of the Eresma river valley has resulted in this area being considered as an empty space during the Palaeolithic.This paper presents the first results of the project the ‘First Settlers of Segovia’, where the geoarchaeological approach has not only allowed the discovery of Mousterian sites such as the Abrigo del Molino, but has also allowed the contextualization of the first human occupation of this area of the Eresma river valley from a chrono-cultural and paleoenvironmental point of view. Undoubtedly, the excavations at this site are the main source of information for this analysis. Furthermore, new results obtained during the excavations in the upper part of Abrigo del Molino and in the recently discovered site of the San Lázaro cave, together with the data of the surveys performed in this area are also providing new information on the geoarchaeological interpretation of the first human occupations in the upper part of the Eresma river valley., Depto. de Prehistoria, Historia Antigua y Arqueología, Fac. de Geografía e Historia, TRUE, pub

La cueva de El Cierro (Fresno, Ribadesella, Asturias) es una cavidad kárstica situada en la margen oeste del río Sella y desarrollada en las calizas carboníferas del Macizo Asturiano de la Cordillera Cantábrica (norte de la Península Ibérica), que contiene un importante registro sedimentario, arqueológico y paleontológico del Pleistoceno superior y Holoceno inferior, con abundantes evidencias tecnológicas y restos faunísticos. El registro arqueológico arranca con un nivel que podría corresponder al Paleolítico medio final, sigue con una completa secuencia del Paleolítico superior de la que se cuenta con un nivel del Magdaleniense inferior claramente identificado y datado, y termina con unos niveles datados a finales del Paleolítico superior/Aziliense y en el Mesolítico que configuran un conchero. La secuencia estratigráfica se compone de catorce niveles agrupados en dos unidades litoestratigráficas con características sedimentarias muy distintas, una inferior, siliciclástica y otra superior biogénica formada por la acumulación de conchas y huesos de aporte antrópico, que se estudian con metodología geoarqueológica. En este trabajo se analiza la secuencia litoestratigráfica y se presentan los datos de los análisis granulométricos, mineralógicos, edafológicos y radiométricos. El resultado de estos análisis permite interpretar con precisión tanto la litoestratigrafía del depósito como los procesos sedimentarios y diagenéticos responsables de su formación y posterior evolución. Las dataciones radiocarbónicas disponibles permiten situar los niveles superiores de la secuencia siliciclástica en el GS 2b y el conchero inferior en el GI 1 y el GS 1 (Dryas reciente), al final del Pleistoceno superior, mientras que el conchero superior estaría situado en la cronozona Boreal en los inicios del Holoceno., The Cierro Cave (Fresno, Ribadesella, Asturias) is a karst cavity located in the west bank of the Sella river and developed in the Carboniferous limestone of the Asturian Massif of the Cantabrian Range (northern Iberian Peninsula). This cave contains an important sedimentary, archaeological and palaeontological record of the Upper Pleistocene and Early Holocene with abundant technological remains (lithic and bone industries) and bone remains of mammals and others vertebrates. The archaeological record starts with a probably Middle Palaeolithic level, followed by a complete sequence of the Upper Paleolithic, with a Lower Magdalenian level clearly identified and dated, and ends with levels of the Late Upper Magdalenian/Azilian and the Mesolithic forming three shell middens. The stratigraphic sequence consists of fourteen levels grouped in two litostratigraphic units with very different sedimentary characteristics studied by geoarchaeological methods. The lower unit is characterized by the significant presence of siliceous sands and silts while the upper unit is formed by three anthropic shell middens cemented by carbonates. This paper analyzes the lithostratigraphic sequence and shows the results of the granulometric, mineralogical, edaphic and radiometric analysis. These results allows us to interpret precisely the lithostratigraphy of the deposits and the sedimentary and diagenetic processes responsible for their formation and evolution. In addition, the radiocarbon dates obtained allow us to place the upper levels of the clastic sequence in the GS 2b and the lower shell midden in GI 1 and GS 1 at the end of the Upper Pleistocene, while the upper shell midden would be located in the Boreal cronozona in the Early Holocene., Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO), Depto. de Prehistoria, Historia Antigua y Arqueología, Fac. de Geografía e Historia, TRUE, pub