Hunter-gatherer subsistence at the end of the Pleistocene: preliminary results from Picareiro Cave, Central Portugal

Excavation at the site of Picareiro Cave in Portugal provides an important and rare sample of animal remains. Preliminary study shows that late Pleistocene hunter-gatherers hunted rabbits, deer and a wide variety of fauna, perhaps during seasonal occupation of the cave. Key-words: Portugal, subsistence, Picareiro, Pleistocene fauna, fish, hunter-gatherer
Introduction Understanding culture change and continuity at the Pleistocene-Holocene boundary requires subsistence data (see Straus et al. 1996). The paucity of faunal remains, however, limits what is known about subsistence [...]