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Taphonomic studies aim to identify the modifying agents that intervene in bone assemblages found at archaeopaleontological sites. Carnivores may modify, accumulate, or scavenge skeletal parts inflicting tooth marks, including scores, on the cortical surface. Several works have studied tooth score morphology to discern which carnivore group modified the bone assemblages, achieving different results. In the present study, different methods based on the use of landmarks and semilandmarks have been tested to describe and analyze the score profile cross-sections of spotted and brown hyenas, leopards, and lions. According to our results, the already published seven-landmark method is useful in order to differentiate between carnivore species from different families (e.g., felids and hyenids). Meanwhile, felid species (e.g., leopards and lions) cannot be consistently distinguished using any of the methods tested here. In contrast, hyenid species can be morphologically differentiated. On the other hand, the use of semilandmarks does not generally improve morphological characterization and distinction, but low numbers of landmarks and the inclusion of the score’s deepest point might provide the best results when semi-automatic semilandmark models are preferred to avoid sampling biases., Los estudios tafonómicos tienen como objetivo identificar los agentes modificadores que intervienen en los conjuntos óseos encontrados en sitios arqueopaleontológicos. Los carnívoros pueden modificar, acumular o hurgar en partes del esqueleto, provocando marcas de dientes, incluidas rayas, en la superficie cortical. Varios trabajos han estudiado la morfología de las incisiones dentales para discernir qué grupo de carnívoros modificaban los conjuntos óseos, logrando resultados diferentes. En el presente estudio, se han probado diferentes métodos basados ​​en el uso de puntos de referencia y semipuntos de referencia para describir y analizar las secciones transversales del perfil de puntuación de hienas, leopardos y leones pardos y manchados. Según nuestros resultados, el método de los siete hitos ya publicado es útil para diferenciar entre especies de carnívoros de diferentes familias (p. ej., félidos e hienidas). Mientras tanto, las especies de felinos (por ejemplo, leopardos y leones) no se pueden distinguir de manera consistente utilizando ninguno de los métodos probados aquí. Por el contrario, las especies de hiénidas pueden diferenciarse morfológicamente. Por otro lado, el uso de semipuntos de referencia generalmente no mejora la caracterización y distinción morfológica, pero un número bajo de puntos de referencia y la inclusión del punto más profundo de la puntuación podrían proporcionar los mejores resultados cuando se prefieren los modelos semiautomáticos de semipuntos de referencia para evitar sesgos de muestreo., Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (España), European Commission, Depto. de Prehistoria, Historia Antigua y Arqueología, Fac. de Geografía e Historia, TRUE, pub

Recently the incorporation of artificial intelligence has allowed the development of valuable methodological advances in taphonomy. Some studies have achieved great precision in identifying the carnivore that produced tooth marks. Additionally, other works focused on human activity have managed to specify what type of tool or raw material was used in the filleting processes identified at the sites. Through the use of geometric morphometrics and machine learning techniques, the present study intends to analyze the cut marks of the Ulaca oppidum (Solosancho, Ávila, Spain) in order to identify the type of tools used during carcass modification. Although the Ulaca oppidum is an Iron Age site, the results suggest that most of the cut marks were produced with flint tools., Recientemente la incorporación de la inteligencia artificial ha permitido el desarrollo de valiosos avances metodológicos en tafonomía. Algunos estudios han logrado una gran precisión a la hora de identificar al carnívoro que producía las marcas de los dientes. Además, otros trabajos centrados en la actividad humana han logrado precisar qué tipo de herramienta o materia prima se utilizó en los procesos de fileteado identificados en los yacimientos. Mediante el uso de morfometría geométrica y técnicas de aprendizaje automático, el presente estudio pretende analizar las marcas de corte de Ulaca oppidum (Solosancho, Ávila, España) con el fin de identificar el tipo de herramientas utilizadas durante la modificación de la carcasa. Aunque el oppidum de Ulaca es un sitio de la Edad del Hierro, los resultados sugieren que la mayoría de las marcas de corte fueron producidas con herramientas de sílex., Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea, European Commission, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (España), Depto. de Prehistoria, Historia Antigua y Arqueología, Fac. de Geografía e Historia, TRUE, pub

The zooarchaeological study of the samples from the Chalcolithic units of the Aldovea area, which is one of the three areas of the Aldovea prehistoric site, located in Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid). This site is a Chalcolithic settlement in the Valle Medio del Tajo formed by a concentration of negative structures in the form of pits and silos. The study of the fauna shows two different types of bone accumulations with different meanings. On the one hand, there is a set of fauna linked to economic-food uses characterized by the predominance of domestic fauna where sheep and cattle are the main species. On the other, there is a set of fauna deposited in what we have called "Deposits", with a less functional and more symbolic-ritual character, which presents complete individuals buried in anatomical connection or semi-connection in which domestic species such as the dog, the suidae and bovids. In this paper we analyze the differences between both types of contexts, and based on them we will try to discuss the economic implications of the bone assemblages of the first type, and the meaning that the more symbolic accumulations could have., Se presenta el estudio zooarqueológico de las muestras procedentes de las unidades calcolíticas de Aldovea, que es una de las tres áreas del yacimiento prehistórico de Aldovea, localizado en Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid). Este yacimiento es un asentamiento del Calcolítico del Valle medio del Tajo formado por una concentración de estructuras negativas en forma de fosas y silos. El estudio de la fauna ha ofrecido dos tipos de acumulaciones óseas diferentes con significados distintos. Por un lado, hay un conjunto de fauna vinculada a los usos económico-alimenticios caracterizada por el predominio de fauna doméstica donde los ovicápridos y los bóvidos son las especies principales. Por otro, hay un conjunto de fauna depositada en lo que hemos llamado Depósitos, con un carácter menos funcional y más simbólico-ritual, que presenta individuos enterrados en conexión o semiconexión anatómica en la que predominan especies domésticas como el perro, los suidos y los bóvidos. En este trabajo analizamos las diferencias de ambos tipos de contextos, y a partir de ellas trataremos de discutir las implicaciones económicas de las acumulaciones del primer tipo, y el significado que pudieron tener las acumulaciones de carácter más simbólico.

Recently the incorporation of artificial intelligence has allowed the development of valuable methodological advances in taphonomy. Some studies have achieved great precision in identifying the carnivore that produced tooth marks. Additionally, other works focused on human activity have managed to specify what type of tool or raw material was used in the filleting processes identified at the sites. Through the use of geometric morphometrics and machine learning techniques, the present study intends to analyze the cut marks of the Ulaca oppidum (Solosancho, Ávila, Spain) in order to identify the type of tools used during carcass modification. Although the Ulaca oppidum is an Iron Age site, the results suggest that most of the cut marks were produced with flint tools.

Taphonomic studies aim to identify the modifying agents that intervene in bone assemblages found at archaeopaleontological sites. Carnivores may modify, accumulate, or scavenge skeletal parts inflicting tooth marks, including scores, on the cortical surface. Several works have studied tooth score morphology to discern which carnivore group modified the bone assemblages, achieving different results. In the present study, different methods based on the use of landmarks and semilandmarks have been tested to describe and analyze the score profile cross-sections of spotted and brown hyenas, leopards, and lions. According to our results, the already published seven-landmark method is useful in order to differentiate between carnivore species from different families (e.g., felids and hyenids). Meanwhile, felid species (e.g., leopards and lions) cannot be consistently distinguished using any of the methods tested here. In contrast, hyenid species can be morphologically differentiated. On the other hand, the use of semilandmarks does not generally improve morphological characterization and distinction, but low numbers of landmarks and the inclusion of the score’s deepest point might provide the best results when semi-automatic semilandmark models are preferred to avoid sampling biases.

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.

Ambrona y Torralba son yacimientos fundamentales para el estudio del poblamiento europeo de la segunda mitad del Pleistoceno medio. El inicio de su investigación, a principios del siglo XX, fue pionero y tuvo gran repercusión internacional, ya que fueron de los primeros yacimientos en los que se demostró la contemporaneidad del hombre con faunas extintas en un momento en el que se discutía sobre la naturaleza y la antigüedad de las primeras etapas de la humanidad. Por otra parte, estos yacimientos han preservado las mayores concentraciones de Europa de huesos de elefante antiguo, de los que parte se pueden contemplar en Ambrona desde 1963 en su posición original, constituyendo uno de los pocos ejemplos de museos de estas características en Europa y el único en España. Los Miembro Inferior de Ambrona se depositaron hace unos 500.000-400.000 años, y han preservado lítica achelense y numerosos restos de elefantes y uros, entre otros mamíferos, y herramientas líticas elaboradas con tecnología achelense, con la que actuaron de forma marginal sobre la fauna (Santonja et al., 2014). El sílex empleado en la realización de parte de estos útiles líticos demuestran que los homíninos se desplazaron a lo largo de decenas de kilómetros en busca de recursos. En el Miembro Medio de Ambrona, depositados hace entre 374.000 y 300.000 años, los restos óseos son mayoritariamente de caballo, apenas se han hallado restos de elefante o uro, la tecnología empleada en la elaboración de útiles líticos es la desarrollada por los neandertales, siendo uno de los yacimientos más antiguos de Europa donde se comienza a definir esta tecnología. Torralba, formado hace unos 200.000 años es uno de los yacimientos achelenses de fecha más reciente del sur de Europa, que además podría haber preservado industria del Paleolítico Medio. De este modo, Ambrona y Torralba, han protagonizado los debates más relevantes respecto a la naturaleza de los grupos humanos del Pleistoceno Medio a lo largo del siglo en el

Los estudios de estacionalidad tratan de establecer el momento del año y la duración en el tiempo en el que se produjo la ocupación de un yacimiento por parte de los grupos de humanos. Este ámbito de la zooarqueología se lleva implementando en la Península Ibérica desde mediados del siglo XX. Sin embargo, actualmente los estudios de estacionalidad adolecen aún de ciertos sesgos que no se han resuelto adecuadamente y que obstaculizan la interpretación de los resultados que se obtienen en estos estudios. En su mayoría, dichos sesgos son consecuencia de las limitaciones inherentes a cada una de las técnicas. De la amplia variedad que existen, las cuatro técnicas consideradas más robustas en esta tesis son las de la Erupción y Desgaste Dental (EDD), el microdesgaste, el Análisis de Isótopos Estables y la Cementocronología. Precisamente, estos sesgos también están presentes en la mayoría de estudios estacionales que anteceden a esta tesis. Además de otras limitaciones relacionadas con el conjunto arqueológico, como la falta de estudios tafonómicos, estas publicaciones presentan una baja representatividad de la muestra y una baja representatividad de infantiles con respecto a los adultos que otorgan poca robustez a sus resultados..., Seasonality studies try to establish the time of year and the duration in time in which the occupation of a site by hunter-gatherer groups took place. This field of zooarchaeology has been implemented in the Iberian Peninsula since the mid-20th century. However, at present, seasonality studies still suffer from certain biases that have not been adequately resolved and hinder the interpretation of the results obtained in these studies. Most of these biases are a consequence of the inherent limitations of each one of the techniques. From the wide variety that exist, the four techniques considered most robust in this thesis are Dental Eruption and Wear (EDD), Microwear, Stable Isotope Analysis and Cementochronology. Precisely, these biases are also present in most of the seasonal studies that precede this thesis. In addition to other biases related to the sample, such as the lack of taphonomic studies, these publications present a low representativeness of the sample and a low representativeness of infants with respect to adults that give little robustness to their results...

CRUE-CSIC (Acuerdos Transformativos 2022), The fuvial deposits of the Manzanares and Jarama rivers present one of the largest concentrations of lithic and faunal remains of Pleistocene sites in Europe. In the Manzanares River close to the confuence of the Jarama River, the stepped terrace system disappears and gives way to the Complex Terrace of Butarque (CTB), where the sites of Santa Elena and Oxígeno are located. Diferent numerical dates obtained from the visible CTB’s bottom suggest that it was deposited during the MIS 6 or even MIS 7. This paper provides the frst taphonomic and palaeoecological interpretation of both collections. A total of 445 fossil elements have been recorded in Oxígeno. The most represented are cranial fragments of Elephas sp. About Santa Elena, 130 fossil elements have been recorded. The best represented are fragments of Bos/Bison sp. horns and Elephas sp. tusks. The taphonomic processes identifed at both sites bring to light a complex taphonomic history. The incidence of processes related to fuvial transport is higher in Oxígeno than in Santa Elena. Besides, dismemberment cut marks have been identifed exclusively on the humerus of Bos primigenius in Santa Elena. Several tooth marks from carnivores have been recorded: small pits and scores at Oxígeno as well as pits and furrowing on Bos primigenius and Megaloceros sp. bones from Santa Elena. The faunal association depict an open landscape of wet meadows with herbaceous vegetation adjacent to riparian wood habitats associated with the Manzanares alluvial plain, where hominids and predators competed to some unknown extent, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN)//AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033 /FEDER, Junta de Castilla y León/FEDER, Depto. de Prehistoria, Historia Antigua y Arqueología, Fac. de Geografía e Historia, TRUE, pub

CRUE-CSIC (Acuerdos Transformativos 2022), En este trabajo se hace una aproximación al estudio tafonómico de las marcas de diente de Pachycrocuta brevirostris, un carnívoro típico del Pleistoceno inferior que se extinguió en el Pleistoceno medio. Tafonomómicamente su actividad ha sido descrita en algunos trabajos de la literatura científica, pero nunca se habáin analizado desde una perspectiva morfométrica las marcas de diente que dejan sobre sus presas. A través del análisis morfométrico de sus marcas de diente caracterizamos sus marcas de diente, de manera que podamos diferenciarlas de las marcas que hacen otros carnívoros. Este estudio permite confirmar que este hiénido fuel el principal responsable de las marcas de diente identificadas en el yacimiento de Venta Micena., Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN), Junta de Andalucía, Junta de Andalucía/FEDER, Fundacion Palarq 2019 Analíticas, Depto. de Prehistoria, Historia Antigua y Arqueología, Fac. de Geografía e Historia, TRUE, inpress

CRUE-CSIC (Acuerdos Transformativos 2022), Little is known about the subsistence practices of the frst European settlers, mainly due to the shortage of archaeological sites in Europe older than a million years. This article contributes to the knowledge of the subsistence of the frst Europeans with new zooarchaeology and taphonomic data from the Palaeolithic site of Barranco León (Orce, Granada, Spain). We present the results of the analysis of the faunal assemblages retrieved in the context of new excavations undertaken between 2016 and 2020. We have followed a standard methodology for the identifcation and quantifcation of species, mortality profles, skeletal representation and taphonomic analysis. With regard to the taphonomic evidence, we have documented the extent of rounding, abrasion and other alterations. Finally, we examined traces from the activities of carnivores and hominins that led to the accumulation and alteration of the bone assemblages. Results indicate that the archaeo-paleontological deposits from Barranco León present a dual-patterned mixed taphonomic origin. The frst phase primarily involved waterborne processes (BL-D1), which led to the accumulation of lithic raw materials, a few archaeological stone tools, and some faunal remains with percussion and cutmarks. The second phase (BL-D2) contains several stone tools associated with faunal remains with more anthropogenic alterations, such as cutmarks and percussion marks. After analysing the Barranco León zooarchaeological assemblage, the present study concludes that hominins had access to the meat and within-bone nutrients of animals of diverse sizes. However, the specifc carcass acquisition mechanisms that hominins followed are less certain because the presence of tooth marks suggests that carnivores also played a role in the accumulation and modifcation of the Barranco León faunal assemblage., Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN), Unidad de Excelencia María de Maeztu, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Generalitat de Catalunya, Depto. de Prehistoria, Historia Antigua y Arqueología, Fac. de Geografía e Historia, TRUE, pub

Los estudios de estacionalidad tratan de establecer el momento del año y la duración en el tiempo en el que se produjo la ocupación de un yacimiento por parte de los grupos de humanos. Este ámbito de la zooarqueología se lleva implementando en la Península Ibérica desde mediados del siglo XX. Sin embargo, actualmente los estudios de estacionalidad adolecen aún de ciertos sesgos que no se han resuelto adecuadamente y que obstaculizan la interpretación de los resultados que se obtienen en estos estudios. En su mayoría, dichos sesgos son consecuencia de las limitaciones inherentes a cada una de las técnicas. De la amplia variedad que existen, las cuatro técnicas consideradas más robustas en esta tesis son las de la Erupción y Desgaste Dental (EDD), el microdesgaste, el Análisis de Isótopos Estables y la Cementocronología. Precisamente, estos sesgos también están presentes en la mayoría de estudios estacionales que anteceden a esta tesis. Además de otras limitaciones relacionadas con el conjunto arqueológico, como la falta de estudios tafonómicos, estas publicaciones presentan una baja representatividad de la muestra y una baja representatividad de infantiles con respecto a los adultos que otorgan poca robustez a sus resultados...

Images to accompany the American Journal of Archaeology publication: Nomads Trading with Empires: Intercultural Trade in Ancient Somaliland in the First to Seventh Centuries CE.

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.

This article presents new data from fieldwork in the de facto state of Somaliland, a region in the Horn of Africa historically inhabited by nomadic pastoralists who played a key role in commercial exchange from the first century BCE onward. Relations between ancient empires and nomadic populations have received comparatively little attention in relation to other groups living within or outside imperial boundaries. Our understanding of these interactions has been colored by stereotypes from classical authors and the elusive nature of their archaeological record. It is thus not surprising that the role of nomadic groups in long-distance trade networks in antiquity has been often downplayed. This is the case in the Western Indian Ocean region. Archaeological evidence from survey and excavation work conducted between 2018 and 2020 in Xiis and the Berbera area reveals the strong integration of the region in the Indian Ocean network, the high purchasing power of the nomads, and their heterogeneity. Participation in long-distance trade seems to have provoked important social changes in local communities that did not, however, put them on the path to sedentism and political centralization.1

La pandemia provocada por el virus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID19) ha demostrado la necesidad de acelerar la digitalización de la docencia universitaria. Las herramientas digitales para la transferencia ciencia-educación, que ya eran esenciales para asegurar la calidad de la docencia presencial, se han transformado en imprescindibles cuando las circunstancias han impuesto la docencia virtual. El proyecto REARGOL ha desarrollado y ensayado en ArcGIS online instrumentos para la virtualización de contenidos en asignaturas de grado y máster, sobre geomorfología, gestión de desastres, patrimonio natural y patrimonio cultural. Ha sido un ensayo piloto, replicable en todas las titulaciones y temáticas susceptibles de generar información geoespacial (prácticamente todos los títulos y áreas de conocimiento). El único límite es la imaginación. El proyecto ha priorizado la participación de estudiantes de grado, máster y doctorado, que han desarrollado 4 tipos de aplicaciones: Mapas Web y Web AppBuilder (visores cartográficos interactivos), encuestas Survey 123 (formularios recogida de datos), Cuadros de Mandos (plataformas online que permiten combinar varias aplicaciones) y Story Maps (presentaciones para mostrar conjuntamente información y aplicaciones ArcGIS online). Las aplicaciones que se ensayaron con éxito durante el curso 2020-2021, en asignaturas de grado y máster, así como en TFMs y TFGs, continúan utilizándose en el curso 2021-2022., The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID19) pandemic has shown the urgent need to improve university teaching. Digital resources for Science-Education transfer, which already were crucial for ensuring the quality of face-to-face teaching, turned to be indispensable when the health crisis forced virtual teaching. The REARGOL project has developed and tested ArcGIS Online tools for the virtualization of Bachelor’s and Master’s courses focused on geomorphology, natural disaster management, and natural and cultural heritage. This has been a preliminary test that could be applied to all undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, that can produce geospatial information in all knowledge areas. Imagination is the only constraint. The project has prioritized the participation of undergraduate and postgraduate students (Master and PhD). The project has priorized the participation of undergraduate and postgraduate (Master’s and PhD) students. They have developed four types of applications: Web Maps and Web AppBuilder (interactive cartographical viewers), Survey 123 (data collection forms), Dashboards (online platforms allowing to combine several applications) and Story Maps (presentations for displaying information and ArcGIS online applications). The tools successfully tested during the 2020-2021 academic year are still being used in the current one, in Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, as well as in Bachelor’s and Master’s final dissertations.

This research focuses on the study of the ruins of a large building known as “El Torreón” (the Tower), belonging to the Ulaca oppidum (Solosancho, Province of Ávila, Spain). Different remote sensing and geophysical approaches have been used to fulfil this objective, providing a better understanding of the building’s functionality in this town, which belongs to the Late Iron Age (ca. 300–50 BCE). In this sense, the outer limits of the ruins have been identified using photogrammetry and convergent drone flights. An additional drone flight was conducted in the surrounding area to find additional data that could be used for more global interpretations. Magnetometry was used to analyze the underground bedrock structure and ground penetrating radar (GPR) was employed to evaluate the internal layout of the ruins. The combination of these digital methodologies (surface and underground) has provided a new perspective for the improved interpretation of “El Torreón” and its characteristics. Research of this type presents additional guidelines for better understanding of the role of this structure with regards to other buildings in the Ulaca oppidum. The results of these studies will additionally allow archaeologists to better plan future interventions while presenting new data that can be used for the interpretation of this archaeological complex on a larger scale., Depto. de Prehistoria, Historia Antigua y Arqueología, Depto. de Geografía, Fac. de Geografía e Historia, TRUE, pub

CRUE-CSIC (Acuerdos Transformativos 2021), The domestication of wolves is a topic of great interest. To date, the most accepted hypotheses associate this phenomenon to the end of the Upper Palaeolithic, while many propose an earlier date closer towards the Aurignacian. The latter proposal hinges on extensive research using palaeontological, morphometric, biomolecular-isotopic, genetic data and microwear contributing valuable information to the current debates. Nevertheless, few confront the theoretical reasoning behind this process, analysing the sociocultural implications that link humans with canids. Under this premise the current overview considers the motivation behind this process while proposing new lines of investigation that may help confront these questions across the indirect methods using new technologies applied study of tooth marks of the sites., Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN), Depto. de Prehistoria, Historia Antigua y Arqueología, Fac. de Geografía e Historia, TRUE, pub

CRUE-CSIC (Acuerdos Transformativos 2021), Over the last few decades, several types of evidence such as presence of hominin remains, lithic assemblages, and bones with anthropogenic surface modifcations have demonstrated that early human communities inhabited the European subcontinent prior to the Jaramillo Subchron (1.07–0.98 Ma). While most studies have focused primarily on early European lithic technologies and raw material management, relatively little is known about food procurement strategies. While there is some evidence showing access to meat and other animal-based food resources, their mode of acquisition and associated butchery processes are still poorly understood. This paper presents a taphonomic and zooarchaeological analysis of the Fuente Nueva-3 (FN3) (Guadix-Baza, Spain) faunal assemblage, providing a more in-depth understanding of early hominin subsistence strategies in Europe. The present results show that hominins had access to the meat and marrow of a wide range of animal taxa, including elephants, hippopotami, and small- and medium-sized animals. At the same time, evidence of carnivore activity at the site suggests that these communities likely faced some degree of competition from large predators when acquiring and processing carcasses., Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN), Junta de Andalucía, Centro de Excelencia María de Maeztu, Depto. de Prehistoria, Historia Antigua y Arqueología, Fac. de Geografía e Historia, TRUE, pub

Venta Micena is an area containing several palaeontological sites marking the beginning of the Calabrian stage (Early Pleistocene). The richness of the fossil accumulation including species of Asian, African and European origin, makes Venta Micena a key site for the the palaeoecological and palaeoenvironmental study of southern Europe during the Early Pleistocene. Thus, research has been focused on Venta Micena 3, which was originally interpreted as a single palaeosurface associated with a marshy context, in which most of the fauna was accumulated by Pachycrocuta brevirostris. Recent excavations have unearthed a new site, Venta Micena 4, located in the same stratigraphic unit (Unit C) and in close proximity to Venta Micena 3. Here we show the first analyses regarding the taphonomic and spatial nature of this new site, defining two stratigraphic boundaries corresponding to two different depositional events. Furthermore, the taphonomic analyses of fossil remains seem to indicate a different accumulative agent than Pachycrocuta, thus adding more complexity to the palaeobiological interpretation of the Venta Micena area. These results contribute to the discussion of traditional interpretations made from Venta Micena 3

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

This work summarizes the research carried out at the Orce archaeopalaeontological sites over the last few decades with particular emphasis on the results obtained from the latest field seasons (2017-2020), which were carried out under the auspices of the General Research Project «First Human Occupations and Palaeoecological Context from the Pliopleistocene Deposits in the Guadix-Baza Basin. Archaeological Zone of the Orce Basin». The work carried out in recent years is a good example of the inter- and intradisciplinary approach in Prehistoric research and also shows that, although much work has been carried out at the Orce sites for almost 50 years, they continue to provide very interesting data for understanding the human European population in the oldest periods of the Pleistocene., En este trabajo se resumen los estudios llevados a cabo en los distintos yacimientos arqueopaleontológicos de Orce durante las últimas décadas, haciendo especial hincapié en los resultados obtenidos a raíz de las últimas campañas de excavación (2017-2020), enmarcadas en el Proyecto General de Investigación «Primeras ocupaciones humanas y contexto paleoecológico a partir de los depósitos Pliopleistocenos de la cuenca Guadix-Baza. Zona Arqueológica de la cuenca de Orce». Los trabajos realizados en estos últimos años son una buena muestra del enfoque inter e intradisciplinar de la Prehistoria, y evidencian además que, aunque se lleve trabajando en los yacimientos de Orce casi 50 años, estos siguen proporcionando datos muy interesantes acerca del contexto del poblamiento humano de Europa en las etapas más antiguas del Pleistoceno.

En este trabajo se resumen los estudios llevados a cabo en los distintos yacimientos arqueopaleontológicos de Orce durante las últimas décadas, haciendo especial hincapié en los resultados obtenidos a raíz de las últimas campañas de excavación (2017-2020), enmarcadas en el Proyecto General de Investigación «Primeras ocupaciones humanas y contexto paleoecológico a partir de los depósitos Pliopleistocenos de la cuenca Guadix-Baza. Zona Arqueológica de la cuenca de Orce». Los trabajos realizados en estos últimos años son una buena muestra del enfoque inter e intradisciplinar de la Prehistoria, y evidencian además que, aunque se lleve trabajando en los yacimientos de Orce casi 50 años, estos siguen proporcionando datos muy interesantes acerca del contexto del poblamiento humano de Europa en las etapas más antiguas del Pleistoceno.

To understand the identity of the early Acheulean, it is necessary to discriminate between the variables that influenced the selection of technological strategies. Functionality of the archaeological sites is crucial in assessing the manufacturing strategies of lithic tools. To achieve this goal, analysis of the post-depositional processes must be evaluated. When bone remains have been preserved, anthropic animal processing can be identified through zooarchaeological and taphonomic analyses, and the spatial relationships among all the components can also be assessed, especially when bone surface is not sufficiently preserved. There are two levels present at Thiongo Korongo, ~1.3 Ma, TKLF and TKSF. These are in autochthonous position with no significant temporal diachrony but with substantial technological differences in the manufacturing of the lithic tools, which enables the analysis of the influence of human activities on technological behaviour. In order to evaluate this issue at TKSF, we present lithic, faunal, taphonomic, fabric, and spatial analyses. An assemblage of megaherbivores, among which Sivatherium is outstanding, dominate the TKSF faunal remains. Cortical preservation is poor; there is no intervention of carnivores, the rate of green fractures is low, and a few cut marks on size 5 and 3b animals were identified. Hence, apparently human intervention on the fauna was not intensive. Spatial and geostatistical analyses hints of a specific area where megaherbivores were processed by humans. Through wear use and biomarker analyses on stone tools, we are currently trying to understand the activities that were carried out in the remaining paleosurface. At paleosurface TKLF, the main anthropogenic input could be related to activities other than animal resource exploitation, in which large handaxes were necessary. Without the assessment of site functionality and chronological context, this data could have lead to the differences observed at TKLF and TKSF being, Depto. de Prehistoria, Historia Antigua y Arqueología, Fac. de Geografía e Historia, TRUE, pub

Evidence suggesting human occupation in the interior of the Iberian Peninsula during cold periods of the Middle Pleistocene is scarce. The Estanque de Tormentas (ETB-H02) site (Manzanares Valley, Madrid) matches with a MIS 6 or MIS 7 cold event, which allows us to tackle the study of the human occupation of the highlands of the Spanish Meseta during a cold climate event. ETB-H02 is one of the few Middle Pleistocene open air sites of the Iberian Peninsula where lithic industry associated with faunal remains has been preserved. The bone remains have been recovered from several different stratigraphic levels excavated in an area 1029m2. It can be inferred from the taphonomic and zooarcheological analyses of those remains that occasional human occupations occurred at this site, during which lithic tools were used for processing individuals of aurochs, horses, wild donkeys and deer. In addition, carcasses of animals that probably died due to natural causes have been preserved. Some were modified by carnivores although not intensively, judging by the scarce number of tooth marks. In conclusion, ETB-H02 supports the hypothesis that the continental climate and the height of the highlands of the Iberian Peninsula were not an obstacle to occupation in the Middle Pleistocene cold times. Besides, unlike other sites of the interior of the Iberian Peninsula that show occasional occupations, in ETB-H02 the human occupation happened recurrently, as human-processed faunal remains have been recovered from different levels and sub-levels, implying repeated visits to this environment, which would offer specific advantages regarding the exploitation of animal resources., Depto. de Prehistoria, Historia Antigua y Arqueología, Fac. de Geografía e Historia, TRUE, pub

Since the middle of the 19th Century, when the first elephant remains were excavated near Madrid (Spain), continuous discoveries of proboscideans have taken place on the riverbanks of the middle and lower courses of the Manzanares and Jarama rivers. The pioneering research carried out by Aguilera y Gamboa in Torralba and Ambrona (Soria, Spain) in the early 20th Century was followed decades later by Howell and others. These various studies have ensured that the Iberian Peninsula is central to the debate over the human exploitation of proboscideans during the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic in Europe. An updated revision of the relationship between hominins and proboscideans in the interior of the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in the area located along the valleys of the Manzanares and Jarama rivers, has been carried out by the authors and is presented in this paper. European sites which show evidence of proboscidean exploitation are substantially greater in number during the Lower Palaeolithic than during the Middle Palaeolithic. In the Manzanares and Jarama valleys, a substantial number of sites with Acheulean lithic industry associated with elephant remains have been recorded, although plenty of evidence dating to the Middle Palaeolithic has also been found. This implies that Mousterian groups made use of these animal resources in a similar way to the Acheulean groups, and that there were no substantial changes to their subsistence strategies in relation to these mammals. Therefore, the exploitation of mega-mammals for food was a recurrent phenomenon during the Acheulean and Middle Palaeolithic in the interior of the Iberian Peninsula., Depto. de Prehistoria, Historia Antigua y Arqueología, Fac. de Geografía e Historia, TRUE, pub

The successive fossil amphibian and reptile assemblages from the Middle to Late Pleistocene sites from the Manzanares and Jarama River Valleys (Madrid, central Spain) permitted the reconstruction of part of the climate instability with high-amplitude and rapid shifts of the last 450 ka and their associated landscapes: Áridos-1 (MIS11b), Valdocarros II (MIS8a/7e), Estanque de Tormentas de Butarque ETB-H02 (MIS7d or MIS6), PRERESA (MIS7/6 or MIS5a) and HAT (MIS5a). This work aims to present a regional synthesis of the palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental data obtained from the herpetofaunal assemblages for these two valleys and their influence on the biodiversity during the Pleistocene. As a whole, these archaeo-paleontological localities document a total of 20 taxa (8 anurans and 12 reptiles) thus representing 76.9% of the modern authochtonous herpetofauna of the southeast of the Region of Madrid. Taking as a reference the modern situation in the area, the successive herpetofaunal assemblages permits a hypothetical landscape reconstruction where three different periods are represented with a glacial landscape (ETB-H02), a landscape of transition from cool to temperate climatic conditions (Valdocarros II), and an interglacial landscape (Áridos-1, HAT, PRERESA, and today). Environment is particularly open during dry periods, independently of if it is cold or warm. The main difference between an interglacial and a glacial period is the opposite representation of woodlands vs. moist environments: the last ones being more represented during cold periods than during warm periods. Finally, as documented by the succession from Valdocarros II, periods of transition between cold and warm climate are more forested but at the expense of humid meadows progressively. According to the relation between richness, biodiversity and climatic and environmental factors, a clear correlation appears between reptile richness and woodlands. In a similar way, mean annual precipitation (MAP), Depto. de Prehistoria, Historia Antigua y Arqueología, Fac. de Geografía e Historia, TRUE, pub

Most Middle Palaeolithic sites with faunal remains processed by humans in the Iberian Peninsula are located in rock shelters or caves. PRERESA is one of the few open-air sites, dating to the end of the Middle or early Late Pleistocene, in which faunal remains associated with lithic industry has been recorded. At least one individual of Mammuthus/Elephas has been identified, as well as two individuals of Bos primigenius, a further two of Haploidoceros mediterraneus, and other mammals of different sizes. The simple is well preserved; carnivore activity is scant and the remains were buried shortly after death. The site is located in the floodplain of the Manzanares river, in an environment of forest and open areas, characterized by herbaceous plants and river woodlands which developed in a mild climate with some humidity. One Haploidoceros and one auerochs were almost complete and semi anatomically connected. A proboscidean, one of the auerochs and an unidentified mammal show conspicuous evidence of having been exploited by human beings. Lithic knapping was aimed at flake production. All phases of the operational chain are represented, which suggests that the lithic assemblage was manufactured with the purpose of processing meat. The scantly elaborated technical schemes of the lithic industry, together with the limited evidence of human processing of faunal remains as well as the presence of animals deposited in a natural way could suggest that this site was used by Neanderthals only sporadically. However, the presence of certain taxa such as proboscidea, auerochs and four other mammal species of different sizes, which were a anthropically processed, could indicate that the site was visited recurrently by human groups with the purpose of processing such mammals. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the taphonomic history of the site, as well as to add to the knowledge of the Neanderthal group behaviour patterns., Depto. de Prehistoria, Historia Antigua y Arqueología, Fac. de Geografía e Historia, TRUE, pub

The Lower Pleistocene site of Bell's Korongo (BK) in Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania) has been a key site for the study of the origin of human behaviour. The lower archaeological levels of BK are characterized by anthropogenic activity related to the exploitation of megafauna (elephant, hippopotamus, Sivatherium) and smaller game (zebra, wildebeest and antelopes). These remains display a high frequency of cut marks. The exceptional state of preservation of the BK fossil assemblage has allowed a wide range of different analyses that, among other things, detected the use of quartzite in butchering activities through the study of cut marks. Following up previous analyses, this paper presents the study of a series of cut marks from the BK faunal assemblage using a 3D geometric morphometric methodological approach in order to determine the mineralogical properties of the quartzite used at the site. BK cut marks are compared with experimentally produced cut marks using 9 mineralogically different quartzite types from Olduvai Gorge. This comparative analysis provides valuable hints about the exact nature of the raw materials used in butchering activities. The results presented here identify a preferential use of quartzite with a finer granular composition, suggesting that hominin populations were already selecting the best raw materials for their use in specific activities 1.3 Mya., Fundación Palarq, Depto. de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y Paleontología, Fac. de Ciencias Geológicas, TRUE, pub

Este proyecto desarrolla herramientas de contenido didáctico relacionadas con el Departamento de Prehistoria. El Grado de Arqueología que imparte su profesorado facilita métodos pedagógicos de calidad y otras metodologías multimedia.

La idea ha sido crear un instrumento capaz de albergar información y documentación docente que irá aumentando progresivamente, en función de las necesidades didácticas que puedan ir surgiendo en las asignaturas citadas, y que periódicamente debe ser revisado, por las constantes actualizaciones que sufran los enlaces seleccionados.