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El Niño cave, located on the south-eastern border of the Spanish Meseta, hosts a discontinuous sequence including Middle Palaeolithic and Neolithic levels, along with Upper Palaeolithic and Levantine style paintings. It is a key site for understanding human occupations of inland Iberia during the Palaeolithic and early prehistory. This paper summarises the main results of a multidisciplinary project aimed at defining the prehistoric human occupations at the site.

Spatial analysis studies in Palaeolithic archaeology arise as indispensable research tools for understanding archaeopalaeontological sites. In general terms, spatial studies have been specialised in the description of the distribution of materials and in the definition of accumulation areas, with the aim of distinguishing intentional activities or studying postdepositional processes. In recent decades, the development of GIS tools has enabled huge strides forward in the field of spatial archaeology research, such as spatial inferential statistics. These tools are particularly useful in the identification and location of clustering from statistical criteria, facilitating the subsequent analysis of accumulations through other archaeological, taphonomic and spatial techniques, such as fabric analysis or directional distribution. The cluster analysis, and its contextualisation considering all the archaeological and stratigraphical variables, allows the inference of some of the processes and factors that could have taken part in the accumulation of materials, as well as assessing how this affected the composition and preservation of the archaeological assemblage. The present article reviews the more traditional and innovative methods for studying horizontal distribution patterns and the objective definition of clusters, highlighting the parameters, uses and limitations of these techniques. We present an application of these methods to different Palaeolithic sites, going through different scenarios, such as location (open-air vs. cave), context, scale (large vs. small area), excavation methodology and spatial record methods.

This research has received support from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion-AEI-FEDER (proyecto PGC2018-093925-B-C33), Research Group IT1418-19 from the Eusko Jaurlaritza-Gobierno Vasco. AGO was supported by a Ramon y Cajal fellowship (RYC-2017-22558). NS was supported by a Juan de la Cierva Incorporacion postdoctoral contract (IJCI-2017-32804).

Visibility has been the subject of study in Palaeolithic rock art research ever since the discovery of Altamira Cave in 1879. Nevertheless, until now, the different approaches have been based on subjective assessments, due to computational limitations for a more objective methodology. Nowadays, cutting-edge technologies such as GIS allow us to address spatial studies in caves and overcome their geomorphologically complex and closed characteristics. Here we describe an innovative methodology that uses computing tools available to any researcher to study the viewsheds of the graphic units in decorated caves. We have tested its validity on the recently discovered rock art ensemble of Atxurra Cave, in Northern Spain. We demonstrate that this technology (GIS), widely used in other fields of archaeology, especially in outdoor studies, is also useable in caverns, taking into account the complex morphologies -ceilings and diverse floor-levels, for example. These programmes have also allowed us to consider the lighting systems used by the prehistoric groups inside the cave, as well as various data previously estimated by other authors, such as the height of individuals during the European LUP. The dynamism of these tools −2.5D-, as well as the advancement of new 3D GIS technologies, will allow in the future remarkable progress in these types of structural studies for a better understanding of Palaeolithic cave art phenomena.

The Level VII of Amalda I cave (Gipuzkoa, Spain) represents one of the latest Middle Palaeolithic occupations in the Cantabrian Region. It is characterized by the presence of Middle Palaeolithic lithic industry and animal remains, with clear evidences of anthropic and carnivore manipulation. At this site, the Neanderthal presence has been questioned in relation to the role of carnivores in the accumulation of large, medium-sized and small mammals. It has also been proposed that the Neanderthal occupation could have consisted of short-term occupations, where different activities took place in a structured space within the cave. However, all hypotheses lacked any integrative analysis of the site formation processes. With the aim of understanding these processes, a combination of spatial techniques, based on GIS and inferential statistics (density analysis, hotspots tools and palaeotopographic reconstruction), along with the taphonomic study of identifiable and non-identifiable macromammals remains, were employed. This study has revealed distinct use of the cave space by Neanderthals and carnivores. The major concentrations of lithics and medium-size mammal remains were clearly accumulated by humans at the cave entrance, while the small-size mammals were gathered by carnivores in an inner zone. The activities of the Neanderthals seem to be distinctly structured, suggesting a parallel exploitation of resources. This research has received financial support from Diputación de Gipuzkoa (Orden Foral 0210/239/2016 and 0210/209/2017). The results presented here have been partially funded by the research projects of the Spanish Science Ministry HAR2017-84997-P and the ERCCoG project (SUBSILIENCE Ref 818299) led by Ana B. Marín-Arroyo.

The record of open-air Middle Palaeolithic sites in the Iberian Peninsula—specifically in the Mediterranean basin—is scarce, hampering the interpretation of the landscape use strategies developed by Neanderthals in this area. In this work, we present Los Aljezares, a new Middle Palaeolithic site found in Pleistocene fluvio-lacustrine deposits in the sedimentary basin of the Vinalopó River. A U/Th age (132 ± 10 ka) from associated carbonate deposits allows us to attribute the site to the uppermost part of the Middle Pleistocene to Late Pleistocene (marine isotope stage 6/5). To date, a total of two levels of human occupation have been identified in which the density of lithic remains is low compared with cave and rock shelter sites in the region. The first results of technology and use-wear, raw material procurement and geological data indicate a settlement in Los Aljezares along a territory characterised by ephemeral channels and their associated palustrine and lacustrine zones. This palaeoenvironmental setting provided biotic and abiotic resources in a transit area between inland and coastal locations. The research has been funded through the following research projects: El pasado lejano: aproximación a la conducta y la ocupación del territorio en el paleolítico valenciano (PROMETEO/2017/060), Estudio del registro climático reciente preservado en depósitos cuaternarios: el caso de Los Aljezares (Aspe, Alicante) y su relación con los depósitos del Medio y Bajo Vinalopó (GRE17-02), Caracterización tecnológica y funcional de los elementos líticos apuntados durante el Paleolítico medio en la región central del mediterráneo ibérico (GV/2021/054) and Síntesis del Paleolítico medio y superior en Valencia y Murcia: aspectos cronológicos, paleoambientales, económicos y culturales (HAR2017-85153-P).

The Châtelperronian open-air site of Aranbaltza II presents a set of very particular characteristics, such as the large number of well-preserved lithic materials in a small area and the presence of lobular accumulations that represents the 33% of different size and shape of lithic materials of the whole assemblage. Through the application of density, hotspots, and 3D-fabric analysis, in combination with sedimentological data, we discuss the factors responsible of the accumulation of these archaeological materials. The main goal of this work is inferring the formation processes from a geoarchaeological perspective and the spatial organization of this site, unraveling the high-density accumulations of this site and therefore the activities carried out. The complexity of site formation processes has not traditionally been taken into account, leading to explanatory proposals in terms of human behavior disconnected from the sedimentary context. In this work, we highlight the need to analyze site formation processes before making assumptions about human behavior. Thus, the difficulties of dismantling and interpreting high density concentrations of materials in reduced areas are addressed, as it is also observed in other Châtelperronian open-air sites, like Vieux Coutets, Les Bossats at Omersson, Canaule II, or Le Basté, which show concentrations of lithic materials that have been interpreted as waste accumulations in knapping areas, where other activities also took place. The results obtained have revealed that some materials could have suffered a short-distance displacement followed by a rapid burial that protected them and their spatial integrity, thus allowing a preservation of the main zones of accumulation of materials and therefore the type of actions performed at Aranbaltza II.

Level US4 of the Bois-de-Riquet archeological site represents a mudslide type deposit dating to the early Middle Pleistocene. It has yielded a rich lithic assemblage made from basalt, aplite and quartz, whose components represent all of the operating chains of production: cores, flakes, hammers, worked cobbles and blocks, as well as a biface. The latter, associated with the production of large flakes, testifies to the first phases of the European Acheulian. This article presents the analysis of part of the macro-tools made from basalt. The methodology is based on a techno-morpho-functional and traceological analysis of the artefacts, coupled with the creation of a specific experimental frame of reference. These approaches allow us to distinguish among five tool types. Three groups of tools present a transverse opposition between their cutting edges and gripping zones, while the other two groups present an oblique opposition. These functional structures refer to different gestures. However, the size and weight characteristics of the artefacts, as well as the angle of the cutting edges, allow us to propose a mode of action in direct launched percussion. This hypothesis was experimentally tested on wood and fresh bone to verify, on the one hand, the effectiveness of these tools for these activities and, on the other hand, to analyze the damage produced on the cutting edges and compare it to the archeological tools. The data obtained experimentally support the hypothesis that launched percussion was used in these five groups of sharp-edged macro-tools. We discuss the implications of these results for the characterization of the first phases of the European Acheulean. Indeed, beyond the presence of a biface, the production of massive flakes as tool supports may be perceived as a technological innovation in Europe, possibly characterizing an evolution of cognitive order. At the same time, the use of these sharp tools in launched percussion could indicate that hominins were exploiting their environments in new ways. Finally, this article brings new elements of reflection to the debate on the origins of the European Acheulean.

L’US4 de Bois-de-Riquet livre un important cortège de macro-outils en basalte appartenant au tout début du Pléistocène moyen. Associé à un biface, l’assemblage lithique de ce site participe à la ­caractérisation des premières manifestations acheuléennes en Europe. Cet article porte sur l’analyse technologique et fonctionnelle d’une partie de l’outillage lourd. Ces deux approches menées conjointement permettent de décrire des outils dont l’organisation fonctionnelle (interaction entre les parties actives et les parties préhensives) guide vers une hypothèse d’usage en percussion lancée. Par ailleurs, des dommages macroscopiques ont pu être identifiés sur certains tranchants. L’analyse tracéologique menée, en parallèle de la constitution d’un référentiel expérimental dédié aux gestes de percussion lancée avec du macro-outillage en basalte, permet d’appuyer l’hypothèse d’un usage en percussion lancée. Finalement, l’article discute des éléments de caractérisation des premières phases de l’Acheuléen en Europe. Il s’agit d’évaluer, d’une part, l’importance du développement de l’outillage de percussion tranchant, et, d’autre part, de la production de gros éclats comme supports d’outils.

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This paper presents for the first time an experimental protocol for the assessment of use-wear produced when using Precambrian and metamorphic white Naibor Soit quartzite (NQ) flakes. NQ is the most recurrent raw material from the archaeological sites of the Olduvai Gorge during the Early Stone Age (ESA). The objective of this study is to provide a preliminary description of the experimentally produced use-wear traces that can be applied to the analysis of sites like the Acheulean site of Thiongo Korongo (TK, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania) or other sites from Olduvai where NQ was used to tool production. This experimental protocol incorporates a broad range to tasks including plant processing (underground storage organs [USOs], wood, herbaceous plants, and canes) and carcass processing (butchery and bone processing). The most novel activity of this experimental protocol is the processing of USOs. For this we have replicated different steps of tuber processing including the cutting, peeling, and scraping of five varieties of USOs (Beta vulgaris, Daucus carota, Ipomoea batatas, Pastinaca sativa and Zingiber, officinale) with differences in hardness, fibrosity, water content, and peel regularity. After analysing micro and macro-wear traces on the experimental flakes, several criteria for distinguishing between different activities (scraping, cutting, peeling, sawing, cutting, butchery) and the different materials being processed were identified. These criteria are based on the presence, continuity, and morphology of macro-scars along with the presence, distribution, nature, and intensity of different micro traces (micro-scars, attrition, striations, pits, rounding, polish). Additionally, we have identified several processes that limit the formation of traces, including the tendency of some activities to weaken NQ edges and shorten the duration of use.

Microlithization in the Middle Paleolithic is an important aspect to consider as a means to understand Neanderthal technology, economic organization and cognitive and psychomotor capacities. Small tool production has been related to the economy of high-quality raw materials or to the planned production of tools for precision tasks. The objective of this investigation is to evaluate if there are differences in precision depending on the size of the flake used. To achieve this, we carried out an experimental test in a group of 50 individuals to measure the relationship between the size of the tool and the precision achieved. The experiment consisted of tracing different lines using standard Levallois (>4 cm) and micro-Levallois (

The Mohelno-Plevovce site, located in Moravia (Czech Republic), has yielded two stone structures that represent the remains of two different short occupations. The chronology of these occupations situates them in the midst of the Last Glacial Maximum, and the techno-typological features of the lithic assemblages link them with the recently defined ‘Epi-Aurignacian with Sagaidak–Muralovka-type microliths’. High power use-wear analysis of representative lithic samples from the two stone structures has been carried out to understand site function and the particular uses made of the different tool types represented at the site. The results of the use-wear analysis are used to test whether these occupations represent the archaeological signatures of pioneer populations that reoccupied the Moravia region, which had previously been abandoned by human populations due to the climatic hardships of the Last Glacial Maximum.

In this paper, we present an updated technological analysis of the lithic collection excavated in the 1980s in a high-altitude site in the Ebro Basin, Pena Miel level e. This level represents one of the latest occurrences of Middle Palaeolithic technology in the Iberian Peninsula, so it is of special interest for understanding the trajectories of late Neandertals in this region. The results show the use of local lithic resources combined with few quantities of medium–long distance–transported raw materials. The technological choices in level e include a majority discoid production in quartzite and limestone, less abundant Levallois production in quartzite, limestone, lydite and flint, all of this combined with the production of macro-tools in limestone and quartzite. The objective of these productions is to obtain functional blanks, fundamentally outrepassing or pseudolevallois flakes, ready for direct use or for use after light edge configuration. These technological features are consistent with a short occupation in a remote and high-altitude area by groups that occasionally, and probably seasonally, roamed through the mountainous region where the site is located. Also, the technological features show links with the late Middle Palaeolithic of the Franco-Cantabrian region.

[EN] The characterization of the first portable artistic depictions in Cantabrian Spain is crucial for comprehension of the symbolic development of Neandertals and Homo sapiens in the context of the passage from the Middle to the Upper Paleolithic. However, despite the importance of these first graphic representations, their study has tended to lack the application of suitable methodologies to be able to discriminate between graphic activity and other kind of alterations (use-wear, taphonomic, or post-depositional). The present study has examined a significant sample of Middle and Upper Paleolithic lithic and osseous objects from Cantabrian Spain that have been cited as evidence of graphic activity in the literature. The contexts in which the objects were found have been considered, and the objects have been analyzed through the microscopic observation of the marks to distinguish between incisions, pecking, and engraving made for a non-functional purpose (graphic activity) and those generated by diverse functional actions or taphonomic processes (cutmarks, trampling, root marks, percussion scars, and use-wear). The results show that some regional Middle Paleolithic osseous objects display incisions that are neither functional nor taphonomic and whose characteristics are similar to graphic evidence attributed to Neandertals in Europe and the Near East. In turn, the first portable art produced by Homo sapiens in the Cantabrian Spain seems to be limited mostly to linear signs, and no figurative representation can be recognized until the Gravettian. This appears to indicate a particular idiosyncrasy of the region in the Early Upper Paleolithic, which, in comparison with other regions such as south-west France and the Swabian Jura, shows a later and less abundant production of portable art., Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. The study presented in this paper was funded by the research project of the Spanish Science Ministry “Learning and developing artistic skills in anatomically modern humans: a multidisciplinary approach”, Publicación en abierto financiada por el Consorcio de Bibliotecas Universitarias de Castilla y León (BUCLE), con cargo al Programa Operativo 2014ES16RFOP009 FEDER 2014-2020 DE CASTILLA Y LEÓN, Actuación:20007-CL - Apoyo Consorcio BUCLE

The destroyed site(s) of Koskobilo (Olazti, Navarre, Northern Iberian Peninsula) have yielded unique archaeo-paleontological evidence in the Western Pyrenees region. The quarry uncovered a karstic site with faunal remains in 1940, and fossils were recovered both in situ and from the quarry dump. Ten years later, while the quarry was still working, a new visit to the dump yielded a large lithic assemblage and additional fossil remains with a different taphonomic pattern, which has been interpreted as the remains coming from a different site or zone within the same karst system. Here we re-study the paleontological evidence and provide new dating on a speleothem covering a Stephanorhinus hemitoechus tooth, which has yielded a minimum date of c. 220 ka for part of the assemblage. In total, the fossil assemblage comprises 38 mammal and six avian taxa and three fish remains. The faunal evidence indicates that in 1940 a mix of taxa from both the Middle and Upper Pleistocene were recovered, and it is difficult to assign most of them to a concrete period. However, based on biochronological criteria some of the identified taxa (e.g., Ursus thibetanus, Ursus cf. deningeri, Cuon cf. priscus, Macaca sylvanus, cf. Megaceroides) could be roughly contemporaneous with the dated rhino tooth, which would provide a new window to the Middle Pleistocene of the region, with deposits from MIS 7d and/or older. Despite the difficulties in studying this collection, recovered without stratigraphic context and in a salvage operation, Koskobilo has yielded an important paleontological assemblage which helps to understand the paleoecology of the Middle Pleistocene human occupations in the Western Pyrenees., This work was supported by the Research Group IT1418-19 (Eusko Jaurlaritza-Gobierno Vasco) and the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (projects PGC2018-093925-B-C31 and PGC2018-093925-B-C33; MCI/AEI/FEDER, UE) and benefitted from a Synthesys grant (AT-TAF-3663). A.G.-O. is funded by a Ramón y Cajal fellowship (RYC-2017-22558). A. R.-H. is funded by a Juan de la Cierva-I. fellowship (IJC-037447-I). M. Fernández-García is beneficiary of a PEJ grant (PEJ2018-005222-P) funded by the Spanish National System of Garantía Juvenil and the European Social Fund. M. Villalba de Alvarado is funded by a FPU fellowship (Fpu 15/06882; Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades).

The Level VII of Amalda I cave (Gipuzkoa, Spain) represents one of the latest Middle Palaeolithic occupations in the Cantabrian Region. It is characterized by the presence of Middle Palaeolithic lithic industry and animal remains, with clear evidences of anthropic and carnivore manipulation. At this site, the Neanderthal presence has been questioned in relation to the role of carnivores in the accumulation of large, medium-sized and small mammals. It has also been proposed that the Neanderthal occupation could have consisted of short-term occupations, where different activities took place in a structured space within the cave. However, all hypotheses lacked any integrative analysis of the site formation processes. With the aim of understanding these processes, a combination of spatial techniques, based on GIS and inferential statistics (density analysis, hotspots tools and palaeotopographic reconstruction), along with the taphonomic study of identifiable and non-identifiable macromammals remains, were employed. This study has revealed distinct use of the cave space by Neanderthals and carnivores. The major concentrations of lithics and medium-size mammal remains were clearly accumulated by humans at the cave entrance, while the small-size mammals were gathered by carnivores in an inner zone. The activities of the Neanderthals seem to be distinctly structured, suggesting a parallel exploitation of resources.

Humans have evolved a distinctive relationship with “objects” (tools and technology), which has strongly influenced their anatomical and cognitive capacities. The human hand is functionally specialized for manipulation and, in terms of cognition, tools are generally integrated into the body scheme when handled. Stone tools can supply information on the evolution of this cognitive reciprocal relationship. Despite the many studies on stone tool morphology, information on hand-tool system is scanty. In this preliminary survey, we measure hand-tool distances in three lithic instruments of different size (cleaver, handaxe, convergent sidescraper), in order to investigate basic patterns associated with their handling patterns. Tool size does influence the distance from the wrist and the aperture of the hand. The associated grasping differences depend more on the tool length than on the hand morphology or dimension. Nonetheless, hand-tool metrics covariation patterns are different according to the different tool types, suggesting specific factors associated with their respective haptic experience. Females display, on average, more variability than males when handling the sidescraper, but not for the power-gripped cleaver and handaxe. We propose a new method to analyze hand-tool metrics according to the haptic interaction. These kinds of studies provide basic mandatory information which can be used to develop proper ergonomic and cognitive perspectives in tool extension and cognitive archaeology.

A large number of sites dated to the Late Middle Paleolithic and the Early Upper Paleolithic have been recorded in the Cantabrian region (northern Iberia), making this area a key location to investigate the lifeways of the last Neanderthals and the first anatomically modern humans. The stratigraphic sequence from El Cuco rock-shelter was originally attributed to the Early Upper Paleolithic based on radiocarbon dates measured on bone apatite. However, new radiocarbon dates on shell carbonates from the lower levels produced inconsistent dates with those previously published. In order to clarify this anomaly, a reassessment of the chronology of levels VI to XIV was undertaken. The review was based on new radiocarbon dates performed on bones and shells, and a re-evaluation of the lithic assemblages. Bone samples did not produce radiocarbon dates due to a lack of collagen preservation but radiocarbon dating of shell carbonates provided dates ranging from 42.3 to 46.4 ka BP. These dates are significantly older than that previously obtained for level XIII using biogenic apatite from bones (?30 ka uncal BP), suggesting that the bone apatite used for radiocarbon dating was rejuvenated due to contamination with secondary carbonate. Lithic assemblages, defined in the first place as Evolved Aurignacian, have now been confidently attributed to the Mousterian techno-complex. These results suggest a Middle Paleolithic chronology for this part of the sequence. The new chronology proposed for El Cuco rock-shelter has significant implications for the interpretation of Neanderthal subsistence strategies and settlement patterns, especially for coastal settlement and use of marine resources, not only in northern Iberia, but also in Atlantic Europe. Radiocarbon dates OxA-27196 and OxA-27730 were funded by the NERC Radiocarbon Facility (NF/2012/1/18) and they were part of the project NF100413 (Newton International Fellowship to IGZ). Radiocarbon dates OxA-30851, P-32155 (ORAU) and UGAMS-9076 were part of the project HAR2013-46802-P funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. Two other samples that failed to be dated at the ORAU (P-35524 and P-35523) as well as the date Beta – 382682 and elemental analysis were obtained in the project HAR2010-22013, funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. Isotopic analysis was performed as part of the projects HAR2012-33956 funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and EUROREFUGIA (Ref. 322112) funded by the European Union through FP7-PEOPLE-2012-CIG (https://eurorefugia.wordpress.com/), with additional support from the Max Planck Society. IGZ and ABMA were funded by the Juan de la Cierva (JCI-2012-12094) and the Ramón y Cajal (RYC-2011-00695) Research Programmes of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, respectively

The Paleolithic parietal art of the Aitzbitarte V Cave was discovered in 2015, during the surveying work carried but in the east of Cantabrian Region. We have documented ten engravings located in three deep sectors of the cave. The engravings represent bisons and lines. The formal characteristics of the bisons are specific to Gravettian art in the case of sectors A, C and D, and to the Magdalenian in sector B. In both cases, the graphic conventions have parallels in the French record, with the French S/SW in the first case, and with the Pyrenean groups in the second. Thus, in the cave of Aitzbitarte V two decorative phases are identified, corresponding to two chronologically distant events. This is the first case of graphic recurrence recognized in the eastern Cantabrian Region., El arte parietal paleolítico de la cueva de Aitzbitarte V se descubre en 2015, en el marco de las labores de prospección desarrolladas en la última década en el oriente cantábrico. Hemos documentado una decena de grabados situados en tres sectores profundos de la cavidad y compuestos por representaciones de bisontes y líneas. Las características formales de los primeros son específicas del arte gravetiense en el caso de los sectores A, C y D, y del Magdaleniense en el sector B. En ambos casos las convenciones gráficas presentan paralelos continentales, con el S/SO francés en el primer caso, y con los conjuntos pirenaicos en el segundo. De esta manera, en la cueva de Aitzbitarte V se identifican dos fases decorativas correspondientes a dos periodos distantes en el tiempo, siendo el primer caso de recurrencia gráfica reconocido en la Región Cantábrica oriental.

El yacimiento de la cueva de Abittaga, excavado por J.M. Barandiarán entre 1964 y 1965, contiene una secuencia arqueológica con ocupaciones del Magdaleniense Superior y de la Prehistoria Reciente. Este yacimiento apenas ha participado en los debates de la prehistoria vasca de los últimos 40 años, fundamentalmente porque el yacimiento había sido estudiado de manera parcial y porque la información estratigráfica resultaba confusa. En este trabajo presentamos la revisión la colección arqueológica de Abittaga (industria lítica, ósea, cerámica, macrofauna y restos humanos). Se presentan además nuevas dataciones para las ocupaciones magdalenienses (nivel VII), y las de la Prehistoria Reciente (niveles I-III), y los resultados de la intervención arqueológica realizada en 2016. Estos resultados proporcionan una visión actualizada de un yacimiento usado con fines sepulcrales en la Edad del Bronce y como campamento ocasional, dentro de una amplia red de emplazamientos en la cuenca del Lea, durante el Magdaleniense Superior., J.M. Barandiaranek, 1964 eta 1965 artean, Goi Madeleine aldiko eta Historiarre Hurbileko okupazioak dituen Abittaga kobazuloko aztarnategiaren segida arkeologikoa induskatu zuen. Aztarnategi horrek oso parte-hartze txikia izan du euskal historiaurrearen inguruan azken 40 urteotan egin izan diren eztabaidetan; horretarako arrazoiak bi dira batez ere: aztarnategia modu partzialean aztertu zutelako eta informazio estratigrafikoa nahasia zelako. Lan honetan, Abittagako bilduma arkeologikoaren (industria litikoa, hezurrak, zeramikoa, makrofauna eta giza aztarnak) berrikusketa aurkezten dugu. Gainera, Madeleine aldiko okupazioetarako datazio berriak (VII. maila) eta Historiaurre Hurbilekoak (I-III mailak), eta 2016an egindako lan arkeologikoko emaitzak aurkezten dira. Emaitza hauek aztarnatergiaren ikuspegi eguneratua eskaintzen dute. Brontze Aroan kobazuloa hilobi gisa erabilia izan zen. Bestalde, Goi Madeleine aldian Lea ibaiaren arroan garai horrentan zegoen kokaleku sareko aldizkako kanpamentua bezala erabilia izan zen., The archaeological site of Abittaga cave, excavated by J.M. Barandiarán between 1964 and 1965, has yielded a stratigraphic sequence with Late Magdalenian and Recent Prehistory occupations. For several reasons, this site has barely contributed to the debates about the Basque Prehistory during the last 40 years, debates such as the subsistence strategies and cultural transformations of the last hunter gatherers in the region, or the use of caves by the first farmer communities. This can probably be explained not only by the absence of a complete comprehensive analysis of the site and the archaeological materials, but also because some of the information provided by J.M. Barandiarán about the site, specially about its stratigraphy, was rather confusing. In this work we present the systematic revision of the archaeo-palaeontological collection, and we offer new data about the lithic tools, bone industry, pottery, and faunal and human remains. The analysis of the documentation of the site recorded by J.M. Barandiarán and J.M. Apellániz complemented with the results of the excavation made in 2016 at the site, suggest that the archaeological deposits excavated by J.M. Barandiarán probably correspond with deposits in primary position preserved only by the right wall of the entrance hall of the cave. The analysis of the pottery assemblage suggests different uses of the cave between the III and the I millennium cal BC. The presence of a single human individual buried in levels I-III, directly dated between 1895-1689 cal BC, indicates a funerary use of the cave during the Bronze Age. Levels IV-VI are really poor in archaeological materials and thus very difficult to interpret. Level VII presents the bulk of the archaeological material and it has been dated between 14321-14051 cal BP. In this level, the lithic assemblage is well preserved, with different refitting series. Almost all the lithic artifacts have been knapped using Flysch flint, but there are examples of flint varieties coming from more than 50 km of distance. We have recognized an in situ bladelet production obtained from carinated burins and small blocks, and the production of larger blades outside the cave, that were subsequently carried to Abittaga. The retouched toolkit is composed basically by burins, partially retouched blades and backed bladelets, with a remarkable absence of endscrapers. On the other hand, the bone industry is rich and varied, with bone points, single-row barbed harpoons, and rods. This lithic and bone industry is similar to other coeval sites in the same region such as Santa Catalina or Atxurra. The Late Magdalenian occupation of Abittaga cave is interpreted as a short-term occupation which was part of a wider settlement network that existed at that time in the Lea basin.

The cave of Hornos de la Peña contained one of the most relevant stratigraphic sequences for the study of the Middle and Upper Paleolithic in the Cantabrian Region, northern Iberia, as well as an important group of Paleolithic rock art. The site was discovered in 1903 and excavated during 1909-1910. Those excavations did not take place in the main hall of the cave because it was already emptied for modern phosphate extraction. At that time, in the preserved deposits, the archeological excavations revealed an interesting sequence with Mousterian, Early Upper Paleolithic, Solutrean and Magdalenian cultural remains. Since then, the site has received little attention owing to the difficulties of interpreting the sequence and the biased nature of the preserved collections. In 2016 and 2017 a limited area of the preserved section was excavated to document its archeological sequence, obtain samples for dating and achieve some insights about the cultural attribution of the identified units and their correlation with Obermaier's sequence. The results show that there is a coarse correlation between both sequences. More interestingly, this work has revealed the good preservation and interest of the Mousterian occupation, the presence of Early Upper Paleolithic, the indefinite nature of the Solutrean and the existence of a Middle Magdalenian occupation. These results provide new insights about the human presence at the site and allow to incorporate it into the new debates about the Middle and Upper Paleolithic in the Cantabrian Region. The authors wish to thank the Consejeria de Educacion, Cultura y Deporte of the Cantabria Government for funding the multidisciplinary study project “Estudio del arte parietal paleolitico de la Cueva de Hornos de la Pena” directed by Dr. Olivia Rivero. The present study has been carried out within the framework of this project. The results presented here have been partially funded by the research projects of the Spanish Science Ministry HAR2017-87739-P and HAR2017-84997-P led by Olivia Rivero and Ana B. Marin-Arroyo, respectively. Additionally, funds from CENIEH, UNED, USAL and the ERC-CoG project (SUBSILIENCE Ref 818299) also led by Ana B. Marin-Arroyo were used for radiocarbon dating, logistics expenses, making inventories and material analyses. Inaki Libano, Juan Vizcaino and Ana Maria Mateo took part in the excavation. Virginia Martinez-Pillado also helped with the speleothem sampling.

OBJECTIVES We provide the description and comparative analysis of all the human fossil remains found at Axlor during the excavations carried out by J. M. de Barandiaran from 1967 to 1974: a cranial vault fragment and eight teeth, five of which likely belonged to the same individual, although two are currently lost. Our goal is to describe in detail all these human remains and discuss both their taxonomic attribution and their stratigraphic context. MATERIALS AND METHODS We describe external and internal anatomy, and use classic and geometric morphometrics. The teeth from Axlor are compared to Neandertals, Upper Paleolithic, and recent modern humans. RESULTS Three teeth (a left dm2, a left di1, and a right I1) and the parietal fragment show morphological features consistent with a Neandertal classification, and were found in an undisturbed Mousterian context. The remaining three teeth (plus the two lost ones), initially classified as Neandertals, show morphological features and a general size that are more compatible with their classification as modern humans. DISCUSSION The combined anatomical and stratigraphic study suggest that the remains of two different adult Neandertals have been recovered during the old excavations performed by Barandiaran: a left parietal fragment (Level VIII) and a right I1 (Level V). Additionally, two different Neandertal children lost deciduous teeth during the formations of levels V (left di1) and IV (right dm2). In addition, a modern human individual is represented by five remains (two currently lost) from a complex stratigraphic setting. Some of the morphological features of these remains suggest that they may represent one of the scarce examples of Upper Paleolithic modern human remains in the northern Iberian Peninsula, which should be confirmed by direct dating.

Probably, one of the biggest questions about the Acheulean is focused on the functional aspects of its lithic industry and, more specifically, its link to subsistence activities developed by hominins during the Early Stone Age. Historically, tecno-functional research on ESA techno-complex has focused on the role played by flakes and LCT in the processing of animal carcasses, but less attention has been payed to other possible activities related with subsistence and tool making. Previous traceological studies on African Lower Paleolithic lithic industries have shown the complexity of activities made with the earliest lithic tools, including not only the processing of animal carcasses, but also activities dedicated to processing wood, non-woody plants and underground storage organs (USOs). In this paper we present the use-wear results obtained from the analysis of the Early Acheulean lithic tools with potentially functional edges which are part of the lithic assemblage from the Thiongo Korongo archaeological site (TK) (Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania). The three main levels of the archaeological site, TKSF, TKLSC and TKLF, have been used as samples. From 466 lithic artefacts analyzed, 16 pieces present sufficient preservation of use related traces that are able to clearly identify the activities developed when compared with experimental reference collections. As a result, we have identified activities mainly related with the cutting and scraping of wood and non-woody plants, including USOs. In addition, some pieces have also presented traces indicating the processing of animal carcasses. These data provides important information about different activities developed in TK by early hominids, allowing us to make broader inferences about the different subsistence activities carried out during the Acheulean in Eastern Africa.

Aitzbitarte hill is a classic archaeological site for the Upper Palaeolithic in the Cantabrian Region. Excavations in caves III and IV were started at the end of the 19th century and continued during the next, revealing broad sequences of human occupations. The first very modest evidence of parietal art was located in 2012 in Aitzbitarte IV, and shortly after in 2015, more clear evidence of Gravettian and Magdalenian rock-art manifestations were reported for caves III, V and IX. In 2017, Felix Ugarte Elkartea speleologists located a new decorated gallery in a chimney inside the main gallery of Aitzbitarte IV. The preliminary study, presented in this paper, reveals a unique rock art composition where the natural clay from the walls was engraved and modelled in some cases to create low-relief bison, horses, reindeer and vulvas. This uncommon technique, totally unknown in the archaeological record of the Iberian Peninsula, the formal conventions (horns and legs in perspective, closed eyes in bison, scapular quarterings in the horses, etc.) and the presence of vulvas engraved in clay (as in Bedeilhac, Montespan or Oxocelhaya), relate this cave to Middle Magdalenian rock-art sites in the French Pyrenees region. The new data from Aitzbitarte IV, together with data recently obtained from the surrounding caves, provide insights into symbolic networks at the end of the Upper Palaeolithic in Western Europe.

Resumen: La inserción o depósito de objetos en las grietas, repisas y orificios de las cuevas decoradas durante el Paleolítico Superior es un fenómeno que solo ha sido objeto de investigación en los últimos años, especialmente en yacimientos situados en la vertiente norte de los Pirineos. Una prospección exhaustiva en la cueva de La Pasiega b, Puente Viesgo, Cantabria, nos ha permitido documentar evidencias similares que suman un total de 31 objetos ?29 huesos y 2 sílex? en el sector más cercano a la antigua boca colmatada. El muestreo y datación de uno de los huesos nos ha permitido obtener una fecha de radiocarbono ultrafiltrada que se sitúa en el Magdaleniense Medio, en consonancia con una de las fases de decoración de la cavidad. La presencia de objetos hincados, preferentemente huesos, en áreas de hábitat de los yacimientos y compartiendo espacio con paredes decoradas es una constante que se repite en otros yacimientos como Isturitz o Gargas. No existe en la actualidad una explicación de carácter funcional para dichas evidencias, por lo que se propone una finalidad simbólica para las mismas. Abstract: The interest for documenting the insertion or deposit of objects in the crevices, shelves and orifices of the decorated caves throughout the Upper Palaeolithic is quite recent and this phenomenon has al¬most only been documented in the Northern Pyrenean sites. During an exhaustive survey, we have identified similar evidence in the cave of La Pasiega b, Puente Viesgo, Cantabria with 31 objects ?29 bones and 2 flints? in the closest sector to the old blocked entrance. The sampling and dating of one of the bones has allowed us to obtain an ultrafiltered radiocarbon date corresponding to the Middle Magdalenian, in accordance with one of the decoration phases in this sector. The presence of hinked objects, preferably bones, in areas of habitat, sharing space with decorated walls, is a constant that is repeated in other sites such as Isturitz or Gargas. There is currently no functional explanation for such evidence, so a symbolic purpose for them is proposed.

El Cuco level X has yielded the most striking evidence of shellfish consumption by Neandertals on the Atlantic seaboard. Dated to the end of the regional Middle Paleolithic, this level has also yielded a small lithic assemblage abandoned by Neandertals in a small number of occupations at the site. This assemblage is characterized by its microlithic nature. The microlithic blanks and tools were obtained from Levallois, Discoid and blade productions using a combination of local, distant and very distant flints. How the technology was managed at El Cuco indicates that it served to supply tools to a Neandertal group with high residential mobility that exploited a broad spectrum of resources, including shellfish. We interpret this as further evidence of Neandertal population decrease in the region after 50,000 BP, probably driven by a shortage of resources, that ultimately led to the untangling of social networks and to their temporary disappearance from the Cantabrian Region.