Neanderthal Fossils, Mobile Toolkit and a Hyena Den: The Archaeological Assemblage of Lateral Gallery 1 in Cova Del Gegant (NE Iberian Peninsula)
Lateral Gallery 1 (GL1) in Cova del Gegant is a Middle Palaeolithic assemblage yielding diagnostic Neanderthal remains, together with Mousterian tools and faunal remains. It is a good archive for evaluating the environmental conditions of the coastal areas during MIS 4 and MIS 3 in the NE of the Ibe...
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MDPI AG
2022-02-01
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| Series: | Quaternary |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-550X/5/1/12 |
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| author | Joan Daura Montserrat Sanz Manuel Vaquero Juan Manuel López-García Hugues-Alexandre Blain Antonio Sánchez Marco |
| author_facet | Joan Daura Montserrat Sanz Manuel Vaquero Juan Manuel López-García Hugues-Alexandre Blain Antonio Sánchez Marco |
| author_sort | Joan Daura |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Lateral Gallery 1 (GL1) in Cova del Gegant is a Middle Palaeolithic assemblage yielding diagnostic Neanderthal remains, together with Mousterian tools and faunal remains. It is a good archive for evaluating the environmental conditions of the coastal areas during MIS 4 and MIS 3 in the NE of the Iberian Peninsula, and also the Neanderthals’ behaviour and mobility. Here we provide a comprehensive assessment of all of the data available from GL1, such as lithics, human remains, fauna and chronostratigraphic details. The biotic ecofacts studied point to the development of a coastal plain in front of the cave and indicate that local conditions likely favoured a large variety of ecosystems characterised by open environments and woodland-edge taxa, and favoured repeated visits by humans during the Middle Palaeolithic. The evidence suggests that the gallery was mainly used by carnivores, such as hyenas, and also by Neanderthals as a brief stopping place, in view of the presence of transported and abandoned ergonomic lithic artifacts and/or the placement of bodies (or parts of bodies). The regional context suggests high human mobility and emphasises the variability of Neanderthal behaviour. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T12:48:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4b4cfde8dcf646b9885c0ecc967b3e25 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2571-550X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T12:48:54Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Quaternary |
| spelling | doaj.art-4b4cfde8dcf646b9885c0ecc967b3e252023-11-30T22:08:50ZengMDPI AGQuaternary2571-550X2022-02-01511210.3390/quat5010012Neanderthal Fossils, Mobile Toolkit and a Hyena Den: The Archaeological Assemblage of Lateral Gallery 1 in Cova Del Gegant (NE Iberian Peninsula)Joan Daura0Montserrat Sanz1Manuel Vaquero2Juan Manuel López-García3Hugues-Alexandre Blain4Antonio Sánchez Marco5Grup de Recerca del Quaternari (GRQ-SERP), Departament d’Història i Arqueologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Carrer Montalegre 6, 08001 Barcelona, SpainGrup de Recerca del Quaternari (GRQ-SERP), Departament d’Història i Arqueologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Carrer Montalegre 6, 08001 Barcelona, SpainDepartament d’Història i Història de l’Art, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Avinguda de Catalunya 35, 43002 Tarragona, SpainDepartament d’Història i Història de l’Art, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Avinguda de Catalunya 35, 43002 Tarragona, SpainDepartament d’Història i Història de l’Art, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Avinguda de Catalunya 35, 43002 Tarragona, SpainInstitut Català de Palaeontologia Miquel Crusafont, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, SpainLateral Gallery 1 (GL1) in Cova del Gegant is a Middle Palaeolithic assemblage yielding diagnostic Neanderthal remains, together with Mousterian tools and faunal remains. It is a good archive for evaluating the environmental conditions of the coastal areas during MIS 4 and MIS 3 in the NE of the Iberian Peninsula, and also the Neanderthals’ behaviour and mobility. Here we provide a comprehensive assessment of all of the data available from GL1, such as lithics, human remains, fauna and chronostratigraphic details. The biotic ecofacts studied point to the development of a coastal plain in front of the cave and indicate that local conditions likely favoured a large variety of ecosystems characterised by open environments and woodland-edge taxa, and favoured repeated visits by humans during the Middle Palaeolithic. The evidence suggests that the gallery was mainly used by carnivores, such as hyenas, and also by Neanderthals as a brief stopping place, in view of the presence of transported and abandoned ergonomic lithic artifacts and/or the placement of bodies (or parts of bodies). The regional context suggests high human mobility and emphasises the variability of Neanderthal behaviour.https://www.mdpi.com/2571-550X/5/1/12late PleistoceneNeanderthalspalaeoenvironmentNE Iberian Peninsulahyena |
| spellingShingle | Joan Daura Montserrat Sanz Manuel Vaquero Juan Manuel López-García Hugues-Alexandre Blain Antonio Sánchez Marco Neanderthal Fossils, Mobile Toolkit and a Hyena Den: The Archaeological Assemblage of Lateral Gallery 1 in Cova Del Gegant (NE Iberian Peninsula) Quaternary late Pleistocene Neanderthals palaeoenvironment NE Iberian Peninsula hyena |
| title | Neanderthal Fossils, Mobile Toolkit and a Hyena Den: The Archaeological Assemblage of Lateral Gallery 1 in Cova Del Gegant (NE Iberian Peninsula) |
| title_full | Neanderthal Fossils, Mobile Toolkit and a Hyena Den: The Archaeological Assemblage of Lateral Gallery 1 in Cova Del Gegant (NE Iberian Peninsula) |
| title_fullStr | Neanderthal Fossils, Mobile Toolkit and a Hyena Den: The Archaeological Assemblage of Lateral Gallery 1 in Cova Del Gegant (NE Iberian Peninsula) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Neanderthal Fossils, Mobile Toolkit and a Hyena Den: The Archaeological Assemblage of Lateral Gallery 1 in Cova Del Gegant (NE Iberian Peninsula) |
| title_short | Neanderthal Fossils, Mobile Toolkit and a Hyena Den: The Archaeological Assemblage of Lateral Gallery 1 in Cova Del Gegant (NE Iberian Peninsula) |
| title_sort | neanderthal fossils mobile toolkit and a hyena den the archaeological assemblage of lateral gallery 1 in cova del gegant ne iberian peninsula |
| topic | late Pleistocene Neanderthals palaeoenvironment NE Iberian Peninsula hyena |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-550X/5/1/12 |
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