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La tercera edición de la Tabla Cronoestratigráfica del Cuaderno de la península ibérica (v 3.0) sustituye a las versiones más antiguas editadas en 2007 (v 1.0) y 2009 (v 2.0). Desde esta fecha la Comisión Internacional de Estratigrafía (ICS), y más concretamente la Subcomisión de Estratigrafía del Cuaternario (SQS), ha estado trabajando tanto en la definición del Periodo Cuaternario como en sus subdivisiones, aportando nuevos GSSP (Global Stratotype Section and Points) para los mismos. La nueva tabla incluye los GSSPs recientemente aprobados para la subdivisión de la Serie Holocena (Groenlandiense, Norgripiense y Meghalayense), así como el nuevo piso Chibaniense (774,1 - 128,0 ka) ratificado por la IUGS a principios del 2020, que sustituye al Pleistoceno medio. Esta versión 3.0 también incluye todas las modificaciones y correcciones que han surgido desde entonces, incluyendo la actualización de datos, fechas y dataciones para los yacimientos paleontológicos y/o arqueológicos más representativos de la península. Asimismo, se ha revisado la extensión de los diferentes periodos climáticos considerados para Europa central y Alpes ajustándose a las biozonas de mamíferos y las faunas asociadas. La extensión de estas últimas ha de entenderse referida a Europa central y meridional no solo a la península ibérica. En la distribución temporal de periodos de la prehistoria y complejos tecno-culturales asociados se diferencia entre el continente africano y europeo. De la misma forma la sucesión de especies de homininos se centra también en estos dos continentes. Esta revisión ofrece una lista de referencias actualizada, así como una versión digital interactiva que se implementará próximamente.

The consideration of quartzite as a secondary raw material has relegated in-depth research of this raw material in favour of such other rocks as flint or obsidian. The latter two are the most researched raw materials because of the information derived from their study: long-distance transport of rocks and mobility of people. In contrast, information obtained from research into quartzite generally supported near-site procurement areas mainly related to secondary river deposits. Together with the wide range of rocks called quartzite by archaeologists, this has influenced the poverty of research on the second most-often used raw material during the Palaeolithic. To overcome this narrow perspective, it is necessary to put quartzite in the centre of the debate as a raw material, using an inductive proposal based on geoarchaeological methodologies. This issue is approached by the application of a geoarchaeological methodology that combines thin section analysis, stereomicroscope observation, and X-ray Fluorescence compositional analysis of the quartzite from Level-XXII-R at El Esquilleu. Potential areas where quartzite could be procured, especially river beaches, are also characterised here. The results show complex mechanisms of quartzite acquisition based on intensive and selective searching, not only in proximate river deposits, but also in more distant fluvial deposits and conglomerate formations. Finally, in combination with techno-typological criteria, complex mechanisms of exploitation are proposed. These depended on each quartzite type, which promoted not only lithological but also technological variability. All these data open new perspectives for the characterisation of the second best represented raw material in Europe, as well as for understanding acquisition mechanisms in fluvial deposits and conglomerate formations.

More and more contributions to the field of lithics are taking into consideration skill levels and learning processes in prehistory, with the aim of clarifying not only how individuals acted when they produced their tools but also of addressing the processes of change or continuity in the technocultural traditions of past societies and the participation of different social groups in the collective production. For this purpose, the demarcation of realistic categories of “experts” and “novices” in knapping, as well as a determination of what attributes differentiate each one, are essential. Nowadays, knapping experiments offer a more realistic approach for a comparative study in which skill technotypes can indicate the existence of different skill levels inside a particular assemblage. Through the typologies of these experimental technical entities and their comparison with the archeological record, we can deduce the presence of particular models of social production and learning processes during the Lower and Middle Paleolithic.

Raw material characterization in Paleolithic archaeology has widened our knowledge of Middle Paleolithic societies. Procurement of raw material, specifically flint, has allowed the tracing of the mobility of both stones and people, as well as selective processes to obtain specific types or even extraction activities. The analysis of quartzite has also developed in recent years, providing an opportunity to better understand prehistoric societies. This study characterizes the procurement strategies implemented by Middle Paleolithic people in the mountainous region of the Picos de Europa. To this end, we present a comprehensive characterization of potential catchment areas: massive outcrops, conglomerates, and river deposits. The exploitation of quartzite at the sites of El Habario and El Arteu allows us to understand the territorial management of this mountainous area through the combination of selective processes and mobility mechanisms in lower and middle altitudes. These perspectives enable us to view the mountainous region not as a barrier but as an environmental mosaic managed by Middle Paleolithic groups. This study shows strategies that bring together direct and embedded procurement based on both intensive and extensive searches. These discourses are more closely related to the daily life of people than those only considering the mobility of people and objects., A comprehensive geoarchaeological research project based on the integration of a geographic information system, field survey, stereomicroscopy, and thin‐section petrography, is presented to characterize potential procurement areas of quartzite. The application of this methodology in the Deva, Cares, and Güeña valleys and in three different geological contexts; massive outcrops, conglomerates, and secondary deposits, suggest potential acquisition processes of lithic resources. The analysis of the quartzite assemblages of El Habario and El Arteu unveils complex management of terrain based on a mobility mechanism that connects middle altitude plateaus with open and lower river valleys, as well as intensive and extensive procurement mechanisms of raw material., Education Department of the Government of the Basque Country, The Spanish Ministry of Science Project, The Consolidated Research Group in Prehistory of the Basque Country University

The study of the lithic assemblage from Charco Hondo 2 (Madrid, Spain) indicates the existence of intense activities related to the quarrying of Miocene flint outcrops, within a drainage context inside the interfluvial plateau of the Manzanares and Jarama rivers (Madrid region). This lithic production was oriented to produce the first stages of large flake bifacial shaping, with an important collection of refitted materials of the Lower/Middle Paleolithic. The sedimentological circumstances and the presence of refitted items initially suggest the existence of good preservation conditions for an open-air site. In this contribution, we present a brief analysis of the geoarchaeological sequence with special attention to depositional and post-depositional processes, in order to determine the extent to which tool distribution and the lithic refitting connections were the consequence of human activity or, on the contrary, the combination of different human and natural agents. This site provides us with a good example to discuss the relevance and significance of particular refitted distributions in open-air quarrying contexts.

El presente trabajo pretende sintetizar los estudios realizados en las últimas décadas sobre los yacimientos paleolíticos situados en el valle inferior del río Manzanares, para contextualizar desde el punto de vista geoarqueológico, geocronológico y cronocultural los yacimientos allí localizados. La multiplicación de actuaciones arqueológicas de urgencia durante los últimos años, que han afectado a depósitos pleistocenos, así como la generalización de los métodos de datación numérica y la ampliación de los estudios tecnológicos mediante el análisis de las cadenas operativas líticas, hacen posible dicha revisión actualizada. Este tramo del río Manzanares presenta un sistema de terrazas fluviales solapadas y/o superpuestas que conforman un nivel engrosado a +16/22 m debido a fenómenos de subsidencia del sustrato evaporítico unido a la neotectónica cuaternaria que ha posibilitado la conservación del registro paleolítico. En este trabajo se propone una secuenciación cronocultural paleolítica sustentada sobre una secuencia cronoestratigráfica fiable para la Terraza Compleja del Manzanares (TCMZ: Silva, 2003; Silva et al., 2012). De este modo, los yacimientos achelenses se remontarían al MIS 13-9, en Mz1 o en la base de la TCMZ (Tafesa), existiendo algún yacimiento adscribible al achelense Final (Arriaga IIB). Un gran número de localizaciones del Paleolítico medio estarían adscritas al MIS 5 (EDAR Culebro, Estragales, Gavia I-III, etc.), localizadas en las unidades superiores Mz4, Mz5 y niveles mixtos (Mx), momento en el que se generaliza el débitage predeterminado y jerarquizado (levallois y discoide). Finalmente, en la base de la terraza a +8 m del tramo urbano, así como en depósitos situados por debajo de las actuales llanuras de inundación (Puente de los Tres Ojos, Gavia II), se han localizado conjuntos líticos redepositados, con fuerte arrastre fluvial, con mezcla de materiales de Paleolítico antiguo y superior.

En este trabajo abordamos las actividades de Arqueología Experimental desarrolladas en las Cuevas de La Araña. Éstas, cubren los campos más significativos de la Arqueología y sus protocolos -de campo y laboratorio-, así como la reproducción de los procesos tecnológicos con que se tuvieron que enfrentar los grupos prehistóricos para su supervivencia, desde el Paleolítico Inferior hasta el Calcolítico. Con la reproducción de las diversas tecnologías se obtiene una información más directa, y se aprecia mejor las dificultades inherentes a cada una de ellas, obteniéndose una visión más ajustada de la propia evolución tecnológica, y los avances conseguidos en cada periodo cultural, The following paper addresses a series ofexperimental archeology activities performed at the Archeological Site ofLa Araña. They cover the most significant aspects ofArcheology and its protocols -includingfield and laboratory work-as well as the replication of technological processes prehistoric groups had to face for their survival, from the Lower Paleolithic to the Chalcolithic. With the reenactment of the various technologies more immediate information is obtained, and the difficulties inherent to each of them are better appreciated, building a more accurate perspective of the technological evolution itself, andthe advances achieved in each cultural period

Bifaces, primarily handaxes and cleavers, are the hallmark of the Acheulian techno-complex lithic industry. They spread across Africa and Eurasia during the Early to Middle Pleistocene. While many attempts have been made to define and describe the typology and technology of these tools, most focus on a single stage in their manufacture and usage, from quarry to discard. These attempts are fragmented, primarily due to the fact that at no single site are all stages of biface manufacture and use represented. An additional factor that appears to impede attempts to present the full “life cycle” of bifaces is the view of all Acheulian assemblages as belonging to a single cultural entity. While all assemblages belong to the same techno-complex, distinct stages and phases should be recognized, each different in typology, technology, and probably also in chronology. This research focuses on the large flake stage of the Acheulian. Data accumulated over many years of research from different regions are analyzed together in an attempt to present a holistic view of the life cycle of a biface. The study of particular Acheulian sites from the Levant and Western Europe enables us to reconstruct all stages of the biface, from raw material exploitation to final discard. The result is a model more comprehensive and precise than those suggested previously for understanding the Large Flake Acheulian.

Torres, C., Baena, J. 2018. Everything in its place. Neanderthals and occupation models in the Manzanares-Jarama interfluvial platform along the Upper Pleistocene. Ecosistemas 27(1): 77-86. Doi.: 10.7818/ECOS.1440 In this work, we present a regional study with which we intend to analyze the possible exploitation models that on different ecosystems, were used the human groups throughout the Upper Pleistocene in the Madrid region. This area is not only characterized by abundant resources of different nature and especially abiotic, but also by its varied ecological contrasts existing between the pre-mountainous areas of the foot of the Central System, the basin areas of the main rivers, the deposits of terraces connected to ramps next to these, and as well by the interfluvial platforms with a clear dominance of the Miocene materials. Each of these places provided differentiated environments, landscapes and resources which, as an adaptive response, generated different exploitation models in each one during the Pleistocene. In addition to ecological reconstruction of the Pleistocene deposits of the region through the study of fauna and flora, it is essential to analyze the relationship between tools and the exploitation models in each area. Based on a detailed analysis of the archaeological records, we intend to interpret the main functionality of each of them within each environmental context, in order to propose a reconstruction of the landscape occupation and exploitation that in this region took place throughout the Middle and Upper Pleistocene.

Middle Paleolithic catchment patterns have been exhaustively studied in the past. However, it is essential to clearly define Neanderthal technical and strategic abilities in relation to raw materials self-provide, from a temporal perspective. Here we present a study of quarrying activities in open air sites occupied during Mousterian period in Madrid (Spain), with different patterns of lithic catchment. At the El Canaveral archaeological complex, several sites have been identified, in relation with natural flint outcrops. From these we have gained information about flint supplying patterns, both in primary and secondary deposits. In addition, different “operative chains” and diverse systems of ramification and recycling were employed depending on the final objectives. We were able to appreciate additional actions by analyzing the diacritic superposition of knapping series in blanks, cores and supports of different qualities. Changes in categories, dimensions and raw material qualities, allow a first identification of lithic actions throughout time as a proxy of standardized or random human behavior when catchment actions took place.

En esta contribución realizamos una reflexión a fecha de hoy sobre el valor y significado que en la actualidad tiene la experimentación dentro de la Arqueología como herramienta de investigación. Desde nuestra disciplina la Arqueología Experimental se ha consolidado en buena parte de los trabajos científicos de primer nivel, así como en numerosos espacios destinados a la divulgación de nuestra disciplina. Sin embargo, aún padecemos muchos problemas que en general se centran en el reconocimiento del valor de la experiencia técnica y tecnológica dentro de la aplicación de esta disciplina, In this contribution, we present a recent reflection about the value and sense of using experiments inside the archaeological research. From our discipline, Experimental Archeology has been consolidated in many scientific works, as well as in numerous centers destined to use Experimental archaeology for the dissemination of our discipline. However, we still suffer many problems mainly focus on the recognition of the value of technical and technological experience within the application of this discipline

The presence of thermally altered and broken flint artifacts is common at archaeological sites. Most studies focus their attention on the effects of heat treatment on flint to improve knapping qualities, disregarding the effects of fire over flint under uncontrolled conditions. This paper aims to show how under uncontrolled heating processes flint artifacts develop different heat alterations (such as levels of breakage, presence of scales, etc.) as a result of vertical distribution, volume or raw material and to establish a gradient of rock changes and behavior. Artifacts where macroscopically analyzed and a series of uncontrolled heating experiments through the distribution of flint blanks under two hearths were carried out, allowing a comparison of the before and after of the blanks. Preliminary results show how levels of breakage, surface alteration or development of heat alteration features can be differentiated according to artifact volume, vertical distribution and level of surface alteration. Results also show how two different raw materials react differently to similar thermal impact, and how surface alteration reacts at different rhythm in the case of recycled artifacts. We conclude that levels of thermal alteration can be differentiated through macroscopic analysis of flint surface.

New investigations carried out over the last few years in the Madrid Tertiary basin have revealed a large number of Acheulean sites used for the exploitation of flint. The find is significantly important because it adds context to the understanding of the intense human activity in the central parts of the Iberian Peninsula during the middle Pleistocene. The sites are spread across an extensive zone of 500 ha; Set on a vast platform on the watershed between the Manzanares and Jarama rivers. The Tertiary sedimentary succession that forms the surface of the platform is comprised of about 20 m of thick green clay interbedded with several layers of flint from the Miocene Intermediate unit of the Madrid basin. During the second half of the Middle Pleistocene, seasonal flows of streams eroded the clay, leaving large numbers of flint nodules visible to the hominids. Investigations show a sustained period of active quarrying, with much of the liberated material converted into hand crafted flint axes (Through the direct manipulation of the flint nodules). The find is valuable especially due to STI exceptional state of preservation; fossilized by sandy fluvial deposits, whose sedimentation is controlled by complex localised subsidences caused by karstic processes. The current study provides geoarchaeological background and explores different models for the formation of the sites and provides a preliminary analysis of the main Acheulean assemblages and techniques for working flint nodules. The research also adds a new, rich perspective to our understanding of the region and the organized human exploitation of raw materials in the Acheulean period. The study complements the well-known river terrace sites in the wider area showing the intensity and prevalence of flint extraction and use during the period, and the handaxe tradition typology of the Madrid region (Perez de Barradas, 1924, 1929; Santonja et al., 1980; Rus y Querol, 1981; Rus y Vega, 1984; VVAA, 2002; Baena et al., 2010 ).

Durante los últimos años, la investigación sobre el Paleolítico en la región de Madrid ha proporcionado nuevos yacimientos y datos que permiten llevar a cabo una actualización de nuestro conocimiento del poblamiento humano de esta región durante el Pleistoceno superior. Las condiciones geo-litológicas de la cuenca sedimentaria madrileña, sumada a la peculiar fisiografía de sierra, pie de monte y cuenca drenada por una densa red fluvial, proporciona un contexto singular en el que el poblamiento parece organizarse funcionalmente atendiendo a los rasgos que cada contexto posee. Las comunidades musterienses supieron sacar provecho de una ordenada estructuración funcional del espacio. En este trabajo además de realizar una actualización del conocimiento en la región, planteamos como los grupos musterienses organizaron de manera planificada y complementaria la explotación de los distintos recursos en nuestra región respondiendo a patrones similares al de otras regiones europeas.In recent years, research on the Paleolithic in the region of Madrid has provided new archaeological sites, sequences and interpretations that allow us to update our knowledge about the human settlement in this region during the upper Pleistocene. Geo-lithological conditions of the Madrid sedimentary basin, combined with the peculiar physiography compose by mountains, slopes and basin drained by a dense river network provides a unique context in which the settlement seems to have been organized as a response to each particular context. During millennia, Mousterian communities learned to use a functional structure of space in order to organize the global activities. In this work, in addition to update our knowledge of the Mousterian occupation this region, we propose the existence of a organizational and complementary model of resource exploitation similar to other european regions.

Introduction and objectives Although the Iberian Peninsula is a key area for understanding the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition and the demise of the Neandertals, valuable evidence for these debates remains scarce and problematic in its interior regions. Sparse data supporting a late Neandertal persistence in the Iberian interior have been recently refuted and hence new evidence is needed to build new models on the timing and causes of Neandertal disappearance in inland Iberia and the whole peninsula. In this study we provide new evidence from Los Casares, a cave located in the highlands of the Spanish Meseta, where a Neandertal-associated Middle Paleolithic site was discovered and first excavated in the 1960’s. Our main objective is twofold: (1) provide an updated geoarcheological, paleoenvironmental and chronological framework for this site, and (2) discuss obtained results in the context of the time and nature of the last Neandertal presence in Iberia. Methods We conducted new fieldwork in an interior chamber of Los Casares cave named ‘Seno A’. Our methods included micromorphology, sedimentology, radiocarbon dating, Uranium/Thorium dating, palinology, microfaunal analysis, anthracology, phytolith analysis, archeozoology and lithic technology. Here we present results on site formation processes, paleoenvironment and the chronological setting of the Neandertal occupation at Los Casares cave-Seno A. Results and discussion The sediment sequence reveals a mostly in situ archeological deposit containing evidence of both Neandertal activity and carnivore action in level c, dated to 44,899–42,175 calendar years ago. This occupation occurred during a warm and humid interval of Marine Isotopic Stage 3, probably correlating with Greenland Interstadial 11, representing one of the latest occurrences of Neandertals in the Iberian interior. However, overlying layer b records a deterioration of local environments, thus providing a plausible explanation for the abandonment of the site, and perhaps for the total disappearance of Neandertals of the highlands of inland Iberia during subsequent Greenland Stadials 11 or 10, or even Heinrich Stadial 4. Since layer b provided very few signs of human activity and no reliable chronometric results, and given the scarce chronostratigrapic evidence recorded so far for this period in interior Iberia, this can only be taken as a working hypothesis to be tested with future research. Meanwhile, 42,000 calendar years ago remains the most plausible date for the abandonment of interior Iberia by Neandertals, possibly due to climate deterioration. Currently, a later survival of this human species in Iberia is limited to the southern coasts.

In this paper we study the development of Formal Recycling and Formal Maintenance processes in three lithic assemblages coming from the Mousterian sequence of El Esquilleu Cave (Cantabria, Spain). Each of these assemblages is dominated by a different knapping method (Discoid, Levallois and Quina), and shows a different strategy of resource exploitation. Through the study of raw materials quality, volumetric reduction of cores and tools, and knapping strategies, we show how lithic recycling and maintenance processes are related to the techno-economic behaviors documented in each occupation.

The central region of the Iberian Peninsula is dominated by Mesozoic and Palaeogene sedimentary deposits in which geochemical processes have provided a wide range of siliceous outcrops. In this context, raw material has been exploited since the Middle Pleistocene, notably at Acheulian and Mousterian sites. Several fieldwork projects have been embarked upon in the last 20 years with a view to studying the human occupation of this area. As a result, several archaeological sites have been found. Of these sites, Canaveral, Berrocales and Ahijones have provided a significant amount of lithic evidence, which is currently being studied. In this paper, we present a conceptual discussion of the terms used to understand production levels inside the assemblage, as well as an insight into the reuse and recycling processes detected in the workshop/quarrying sites, that could be considered as evidence for raw material abundance. This approach takes into account a diachronical analysis of the Chaines operatoires in Acheulian, and particularly Mousterian sites. As a preliminary hypothesis, the presence of recycling or reuse in these areas of abundance could be due to social or economic reasons. The changes that occurred during the Lower and Middle Paleolithic introduce important developments in social participation in the flint knapping activities and strategies that could contribute towards explaining its presence.

Traditional views of Neanderthal hunting strategies envisage them preying on herd species such as bison and deer, rather than the sophisticated tracking of solitary animals. Analysis of faunal remains from El Esquilleu Cave in northern Spain, however, demonstrates that during certain periods of the Middle Palaeolithic occupation, Neanderthals focused on the hunting of ibex and chamois, small solitary species that inhabited the mountainous terrain around the site. These results indicate that Neanderthal hunting practices may have had more similarity to those of their Upper Palaeolithic relatives than is usually assumed.

La "enseñanza colegiada" (Finkel y Arney, 1995, p.199 y ss; Finkel, 2008, p.227-236) es un tipo particular de docencia en equipo que consiste en la presencia simultánea de al menos dos profesores en el aula, de los que se espera establezcan entre ellos debates ante los alumnos sobre diversas cuestiones relevantes para la asignatura.En este trabajo presentamos una experiencia de innovación docente con enseñanza colegiada realizada con estudiantes de Postgrado, dentro de la asignatura “Sistemas de Información Geográfica y análisis del territorio” perteneciente al Máster Universitario en Arqueología y Patrimonio de la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. Durante el curso 2014/2015 hemos ampliado y sistematizado las actividades de este tipo de docencia que hasta ahora veníamos realizando al hilo de las habituales explicaciones en el aula (discusiones de los docentes sobre diferentes modos de actuar, puntos de vista diferentes sobre cómo resolver casos concretos, énfasis en según qué tipos de aplicaciones, etc.), con el fin de poder evaluar el resultado que este tipo de actividades tienen en el aprendizaje, y contribuir así al desarrollo de una metodología docente que, en nuestra opinión, contribuye especialmente a la formación de la capacidad investigadora del alumno/a y a la contrastación de posturas como parte esencial de la formación en el espíritu crítico.

The Peña Capón rockshelter contains an archaeological deposit known since 1970 that was the object of a preliminary study in the late 1990’s. In this paper we present a revision of the archaeological material from level 3 that includes the technological and typological study of the lithics and bone tools, the zooarchaeological and taphonomic analysis of the faunal remains, the record of engravings on bones, and the radiocarbon dating of several bone samples. The data obtained has allowed us to relate the level 3 to the Protosolutrean industries with Vale Comprido points defined in the Portuguese Estremadura, a matter that constitutes an important breakthrough within the Meseta area, where little is known about the Upper Palaeolithic prior to the Middle Solutrean. The results are consistent with the definition of the Protosolutrean as a transitional industry between the Gravettian and the Solutrean. Furthermore, the verification of a human settlement in the foothills of the Central System range during the Upper Pleniglacial (MIS 2) strongly points to the abandonment of the classic hypothesis that posit a depopulation of inner Iberia during the coldest stages of the last glacial cycle., Se presentan los resultados del estudio del material arqueológico correspondiente al nivel 3 del abrigo de Peña Capón, cuyo depósito, conocido desde 1970, únicamente había sido objeto de una revisión preliminar a finales de la década de 1990. El análisis de la colección ha incluido el estudio tecnológico y tipológico de la industria lítica y ósea, el análisis zooarqueológico y tafonómico de la fauna, la documentación de grabados sobre soportes óseos, así como la datación radiocarbónica de varias muestras óseas. Los datos obtenidos nos han permitido relacionar el nivel estudiado con las industrias protosolutrenses con puntas de Vale Comprido definidas en la Extremadura portuguesa, lo cual constituye una novedad en la Meseta, donde apenas se conocen datos del Paleolítico Superior anteriores al Solutrense medio. Los resultados son consistentes con la definición del Protosolutrense como una industria transicional entre el Gravetiense y el Solutrense. Asimismo, la verificación de una ocupación humana en el pie de monte del Sistema Central en las fases más frías del último ciclo glaciar (MIS 2) supone un argumento favorable al definitivo abandono de la hipótesis clásica sobre el despoblamiento del interior de la Península Ibérica durante los momentos más fríos del Paleolítico Superior.

The basins of the Manzanares and Jarama rivers have been connected to human activity since the early Palaeolithic. At the boundary between these rivers the abundance of flint has given place to exploitation and mining activities even in historical times. In recent years, projects related to urban expansion in the southeast of Madrid have brought to light various Palaeolithic deposits associated with workshops and tool production. These sites do not have evidence of river pebbles of quartzite, quartz or sandstone in the immediate environment that could have been used as hammerstones, meaning that hammerstones in these raw materials had to be transported and introduced into the sites from large distances. Given this situation, attention was paid to flint elements that show clear signs of being used as hammerstones. The aim of this study is to test the effectiveness of flint as hammerstone, testing whether the use of this raw material is indifferent to other rock types or if you have limitations or advantages in this regard. An experimental protocol was developed, allowing to observe specific knapping behaviours and justifying them in the archaeological and technological context in which they are located.

The XIth Level lithic assemblage of Esquilleu Cave (Cantabria, Spain) permits us to observe the high degree of standardization, morphological as well as technological,of lithic blank production,used mainly for the production of side-scrapers. This homogeneity permits us to infer some notions about function, as deduced by the essential characteristics of the side-scrapers (considerable thickness and convex edge delineation), and to suggest, albeit tentatively, the function of the settlement.El estudio del conjunto del Nivel XI de la Cueva del Esquilleu (Cantabria, España) nos permite observar la elevada estandarización formal y tecnológica de la producción de matrices, orientada de forma preferente a la producción de raederas. Esta homogeneidad permite inferir algunas nociones sobre funcionalidad a partir de las características esenciales de las raederas (considerable espesor y delineación convexa del filo) y aproximamos de forma tentativa a la funcionalidad de la ocupación.

En los ultimos tiempos, los enfoques antropologicos y psicopedagogicos han irrumpido con fuerza en el ambito de la Arqueologia y la Prehistoria con el fin de contribuir a dilucidar de que manera y en que medida actuan los sujetos de modo individual en la produccion de herramientas, punto de partida para el analisis de los procesos de cambio o continuidad de las tradiciones tecno-culturales de las sociedades del pasado. Aunque no exenta de criticas, en especial en momentos historicos, esta perspectiva de analisis individual resulta esencial para los momentos mas antiguos, en los que las relaciones individuales son una fraccion basica en la modelizacion del comportamiento grupal. Asi, el aprendizaje como vehiculo de transmision entre personas se convierte en concepto clave para entender la conducta colectiva. Entendemos que lo que somos capaces de hacer hoy no depende solo de nuestras capacidades naturales y nivel de madurez, sino tambien de nuestro nivel de interaccion e intercambio activo con el medio biologico, geografico y social. De tal modo, esta contribucion se plantea como sintesis de aquellos trabajos que han contribuido a aportar un nuevo enfoque en los estudios arqueologicos en general y, de manera concreta, en el estudio del registro litico. Pues en esencia el aprendizaje contribuye a dar sentido a la informacion recibida, organizarla, almacenarla en la memoria y usarla. En el analisis de los procesos de aprendizaje, distinguimos dos aspectos fundamentales; las variables de indole tecnica o motora, y las tecnologicas o logico-cognitivas: Para cada una de ellas, el aprendizaje se desarrolla de manera desigual, en especial en relacion con las interacciones sociales que desde un punto de vista de ensenanza se apliquen. Analizar los procesos de aprendizaje a lo largo del Paleolitico, va a resultar un aspecto fundamental en el propio conocimiento de las relaciones sociales que en cada momento se establezcan.Palabras Clave: Aprendizaje, talla litica, Paleolitico, destreza.AbstractIn recent times, the anthropological and psycho-educational approaches in the Archaeology have drawn much attention in Prehistory in order to define in which way individual behaviors could be found in the production. This aspect is considered as the starting point for the analysis of the processes of change or continuity of techno-cultural societies of the past. Although some criticism, particularly in recent times, this individual perspective is essential for older times, in which personal relationships are a fraction of the whole group behavior. Thus, learning as a cultural transmission vehicle becomes a key concept for understanding the collective behavior. We consider that what we can do today depends not only on our natural abilities and maturity, but also on our interaction level with the biological, geographical and social frames. So, this contribution is conceived as a synthesis of several works that have helped to provide a new approach to archaeological studies particularly in the comprehension of the lithic testimonies. Learning skills essentially helps in making sense of the information received, organize, store it in memory and use it. In the analysis of learning processes, we distinguish two fundamental aspects; technical or motor variables, and technological or logical-cognitive ones: For each of them, learning develops unevenly, especially depending on the educational- social interactions produced. Discovering and analyzing learning processes in the Paleolithic record, will be a fundamental aspect in the study of the evolution of the social relations.Palabras clave: Learning, Knapping, Paleolithic, Skill.

En el verano de 2011 se iniciaron trabajos de sondeo en la cueva del Higueral-Guardia (Málaga, España). Los sondeos han determinado la existencia de una importante secuencia con niveles del Paleolítico superior y medio todavía en estudio. No obstante, la actividad perpetrada por los clandestinos en la cueva, ha limitado significativamente las posibilidades de interpretación de los niveles solutrenses. En este trabajo pretendemos, además de realizar una presentación preliminar de los datos obtenidos, establecer una discusión sobre el valor que este tipo de registros puede tener de cara a establecer interpretaciones de rango mayor. Aspectos como la intensidad de la ocupación, la diacronía del registro, o la funcionalidad del sitio son discutidos en este sentido, In the summer of 2011 several test pits were made in the Higueral-Guardia Cave (Málaga, Spain). The sondages have determined the existence of an important Upper and Middle Paleolithic archaeological sequence, still under study. However, the illegal digging activity in the cave have significantly limited the possibilities of interpretation of the Solutrean levels. In this paper we present some preliminary results of the field work, and at the same time, establish a discussion about the value of such records in order to establish deeper anthropological interpretations. Aspects such as the intensity of the occupation, the diachronic value of the archaeological record, or the functionality of the site are discussed

[ES] El presente trabajo de investigación, pretende contribuir a profundizar en la cada vez más frecuente aplicación de Nuevas Tecnologías (Láser-scanner 3D) en la disciplina arqueológica, con el objetivo de desarrollar nuevas vías de estudio relacionadas con la documentación, análisis, divulgación, conservación y puesta en valor del registro material arqueológico. Para abordar este proyecto con garantías de éxito, hemos considerado indispensable llevarlo a cabo en un entorno de trabajo multidisciplinar (Departamento de Prehistoria y Arqueología de la UAM y grupo de investigación DAVAP del Departamento de Fotogrametría de la UVA), estrategia que nos permitirá desde una perspectiva conjunta, explorar y evaluar las múltiples posibilidades que nos ofrece el registro de materiales arqueológicos en 3D mediante Láser-Scanner, con el propósito de progresar en la obtención de resultados científicos y divulgativos más completos y acordes con el desarrollo actual de nuestra sociedad., [EN] This research work, aims to contribute to the increasing application of new technologies (3D laser-scanner) in the archaeological discipline, with the aim of developing new avenues of study related documentation, analysis, dissemination, conservation and value of the archaeological register. To tackle this project successfully, we considered essential to implement a multidisciplinary working environment (Department of Prehistory and Archeology of the UAM and research group, Department of Photogrammetry DAVAP of UVA), strategy that will enable us in a joint and evaluate the many possibilities it offers us the register of archaeological materials in 3D Laser-Scanner, with the aim of advancing scientific results more informative and complete and consistent with the current development of our society, Agradecer la ayuda recibida por el Gabinete de Prehistoria de la UAM, y especialmente al apoyo prestado por el proyecto de investigación de I+D (ref. Hum. 2007/645056) “Economía y Sociedad durante el Calcolítico de la Meseta: El yacimiento de Camino de las Yeseras” (San Fernando de Henares, Madrid). Asimismo, agradezco la labor de los directores de los trabajos de campo desarrollados en los yacimientos citados (Inmaculada Rus, Concepción Blasco y Jorge Vega).

4 pages, 1 table, 1 figure., The late survival of archaic hominin populations and their long contemporaneity with modern humans is now clear for southeast Asia1. In Europe the extinction of the Neanderthals, firmly associated with Mousterian technology, has received much attention, and evidence of their survival after 35 kyr BP has recently been put in doubt2. Here we present data, based on a high-resolution record of human occupation from Gorham’s Cave, Gibraltar, that establish the survival of a population of Neanderthals to 28 kyr BP. These Neanderthals survived in the southernmost point of Europe, within a particular physiographic context, and are the last currently recorded anywhere. Our results show that the Neanderthals survived in isolated refuges well after the arrival of modern humans in Europe., We thank all those who have participated in this project. The project Palaeomed was co-funded by the Government of Gibraltar and the European Union Interreg IIIB Programme Medocc. Palynological and geochemical investigations were funded by Fundación Séneca, Murcia, Spain, and Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia, DGI, Spain, respectively. Geomorphological work was funded by Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia, DGI, Spain.

La abundancia de testimonios paleoliticos en la region sur de Madrid, ha sido una constante dentro de las investigaciones sobre el Pleistoceno de la zona. La ausencia durante mucho tiempo de una adecuada politica de excavaciones y sondeos que permitieran contextualizar estos conjuntos, obliga en ocasiones a recurrir a procedimientos imaginativos a la hora de comprender la genesis de este tipo de depositos superficiales. En este trabajo, mediante el empleo de SIG realizamos un ensayo de aplicacion para el conjunto Paleolitico Medio del Camino de Samedina, estableciendo mas que probables relaciones entre los depositos industriales y posibles paleocauces en la zona.