Neanderthal Fossils, Mobile Toolkit and a Hyena Den: The Archaeological Assemblage of Lateral Gallery 1 in Cova Del Gegant (NE Iberian Peninsula)
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Study Area and Site Description
3. Materials and Methods
3.1. Dating Methods
3.2. Faunal Remains
3.3. Lithic Assemblage
3.4. Human Remains
4. Results
4.1. GL1 Stratigraphy and Chronology
4.2. Neanderthal Remains
4.3. Large Mammals
4.4. Birds
4.5. Small Vertebrates
Cova del Gegant | Currently at Garraf Massif |
---|---|
Order Eulipotyphla | |
Erinaceus europaeus | |
Talpa europaea | |
Crocidura russula | Crocidura russula |
Sorex gr. coronatus -araneus | |
Order Rodentia | |
Hystrix (A.) cf. brachyura-vinogradovi | |
Sciurus vulgaris | |
Arvicola sapidus | |
Microtus arvalis | |
Microtus agrestis | |
Microtus (Iberomys) cabrerae | |
Microtus (Terricola) duodecimcostatus | Microtus (Terricola) duodecimcostatus |
Microtus (Terricola) pyrenaicus | |
Apodemus sylvaticus | Apodemus sylvaticus |
Rattus rattus | |
Rattus norvegicus | |
Mus spretus | |
Mus musculus | |
Eliomys quercinus | Eliomys quercinus |
4.6. Lithic Assemblage
5. Discussion
5.1. GL1 History and Correlation
5.2. GL1 Neanderthal Presence and Palaeoenvironmental Record
5.3. Cova Del Gegant in the Regional Context
6. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Year | Direction | Institution | Materials Stored | Acronyms |
---|---|---|---|---|
1954 | S. Casanova | AMUNT | Arxiu Històric Municipal de Sites, Museu Mar i Cel, Museu Arqueològic de Catalunya | AHSI MMC MAC |
1972, 1974–75 | R. Viñas-J. Villalta | Secció Ecologia Quaternari- Institut Jaume Almera | Museu Geològic de Barcelona Museu Arqueològic de Catalunya | MGB MAC |
‘70 | Collected by speleologists (A. Asensio) | Centre Espeleològic Cervelló | Universitat de Barcelona | UB-1 |
1985 | J. Martínez- R. Mora- I. Muro- J. Miret | Centre de Recerques Palaeoecosocials de Girona i de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona | Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona | UAB |
1989 | J. Martínez- R. Mora- J. Parcerisas- G. Roca | Centre de Recerques Palaeoecosocials de Girona i de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona | Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona | UAB |
‘90 | Collected by speleologists (M. Nebot) | Grup Espeleològic Pedraforca | Institut Català de Paleontologia | ICP |
2007–2022 | J. Daura-M. Sanz | Grup Recerca del Quaternari-SERP (Universitat Barcelona) | Universitat de Barcelona | UB-2 |
Luminescence (IRSL) | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
# | Sample Name | Layer | Mineral | Grain Size (μm) | Total Dose Rate (Gy/ka) | De (Gy) | Age ka (1σ) | |
1 | MAD-5642 | XVb | Polymineral | 2–10 | 1.59 ± 0.10 | 95.5 ± 2.2 | 60.1 ± 3.9 | |
U-series | ||||||||
Lab # | Layer | 238U | 232Th | 234U/238U | 230Th/238U | 230Th/232Th | Age ka (2 σ) | |
2 | 6006 | XVa | 0.22 | 0.03 | 1.16 ± 0.03 | - | 10.48 | 49.4 ± 1.8 |
3 | JD52a | XVa/b | n/a | n/a | 1.262 ± 0.017 | 0.495 ± 0.023 | >100 | 53.2 ± 3.3 |
4 | JD52b | XVa/b | n/a | n/a | 1.262 ± 0.017 | 0.495 ± 0.023 | >100 | 53.2 ± 3.3 |
5 | UEVA 1028 | XVa | 367.64 ± 3.58 | 37.63 ± 0.39 | 1.1615 ± 0.0024 | 0.4281 ± 0.0023 | 12.78 ± 0.06 | 47.11 ± 1.21 |
6 | UEVA 1029 | XVa | 37.63 ± 0.70 | 0.191 ± 0.004 | 1.1621 ± 0.0030 | 0.3933 ± 0.0028 | 237.01 ± 2.40 | 44.51 ± 0.42 |
NISP | MNI | |
---|---|---|
Carnivora | 329 | 55 |
Canis lupus | 28 | 5 |
Vulpes vulpes | 11 | 1 |
Ursus sp./U. arctos | 19 | 2 |
Meles meles | 3 | 1 |
Crocuta crocuta | 179 | 24 |
Felis silvestris | 40 | 8 |
Lynx pardinus | 30 | 7 |
Panthera pardus | 13 | 5 |
Cuon alpinus | 6 | 2 |
Artiodactyla | 662 | 47 |
Sus scrofa | 10 | 3 |
Cervus elaphus | 448 | 22 |
Bos/Bison | 103 | 19 |
Bison priscus | 18 | |
Bos primigenius | 65 | |
Capra pyrenaica | 18 | 3 |
Perissodactyla | 930 | 49 |
Equus ferus | 823 | 40 |
Equus hydruntinus | 71 | 7 |
Stephanorhinus hemitoechus | 36 | 2 |
Proboscidea | 7 | 1 |
Elephas sp. | 3 | |
Proboscidea indet. | 4 | 1 |
Undetermined | ||
Macrofauna indet. | 674 | |
Total | 2602 | 152 |
Layers | ||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
I | I–II | II | III | IV | Unknown | Total NISP | Total MNI | |||||||||
Taxa | NISP | MNI | NISP | MNI | NISP | MNI | NISP | MNI | NISP | MNI | NISP | MNI | NISP | %NISP | MNI | %MNI |
Puffinus puffinus | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.3 | 1 | 0.7 | ||||||||||
Falco tinnunculus | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1.4 | 3 | 2.1 | ||||||||
Accipiter nisus | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.3 | 1 | 0.7 | ||||||||||
Accipitriformes indet. | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.5 | 2 | 1.4 | ||||||||
Alectoris rufa | 5 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 4.1 | 9 | 6.2 | ||
Coturnix coturnix | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 3.0 | 6 | 4.1 | ||||
Columba livia s. oenas | 9 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 21 | 5.7 | 10 | 6.8 | ||||
Tyto alba | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.5 | 2 | 1.4 | ||||||||
Bubo bubo | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0.5 | 1 | 0.7 | ||||||||||
Athene noctua | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1.6 | 4 | 2.7 | ||||||
Strix aluco | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.3 | 1 | 0.7 | ||||||||||
Apus apus | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.3 | 1 | 0.7 | ||||||||||
Delichon urbica | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.3 | 1 | 0.7 | ||||||||||
Anthus spinoletta | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0.8 | 2 | 1.4 | ||||||||
Turdus viscivorus | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.3 | 1 | 0.7 | ||||||||||
Emberiza calandra | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0.8 | 3 | 2.1 | ||||||||
Fringilla coelebs | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.3 | 1 | 0.7 | ||||||||||
Carduelis chloris | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0.8 | 3 | 2.1 | ||||||
Loxia pytyopsittacus | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.3 | 1 | 0.7 | ||||||||||
Pinicola enucleator | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.3 | 1 | 0.7 | ||||||||||
Pyrrhula pyrrhula | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.3 | 1 | 0.7 | ||||||||||
Coccothraustes coccothraustes | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0.8 | 3 | 2.1 | ||||||
Sturnus sp. | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0.5 | 1 | 0.7 | ||||||||||
Pica pica | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1.4 | 3 | 2.1 | ||||||
Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax | 76 | 16 | 7 | 3 | 48 | 15 | 13 | 5 | 62 | 9 | 206 | 55.8 | 48 | 32.9 | ||
Pyrrhocorax graculus | 10 | 6 | 14 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 14 | 2 | 48 | 13.0 | 22 | 15.1 | ||||
Corvus monedula | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 20 | 5.4 | 12 | 8.2 | ||||
Corvus corone | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.5 | 2 | 1.4 | ||||||||
Total | 369 | 100 | 146 | 100 |
Taxon | NISP | MNI | |
---|---|---|---|
Amphibians | Pelobates cultripes | 4 | 1 |
Bufo gr. B. bufo | 4 | 2 | |
Epidalea calamita | 11 | 3 | |
Bufonidae indet. | 15 | 0 | |
Ranidae indet. | 2 | 1 | |
Anura indet. | 1 | 0 | |
Testudines | Testudo hermanni | 20 | 2 |
Squamates | Timon cf. lepidus | 2 | 1 |
Malpolon monspessulanus | 10 | 1 | |
Zamenis scalaris | 14 | 1 | |
Colubrinae indet. | 2 | 0 | |
Vipera sp. | 2 | 1 | |
Ophidia indet. | 7 | 0 | |
Insectivores | Erinaceus europaeus | 1 | 1 |
Sorex gr. coronatus-araneus | 6 | 4 | |
Crocidura russula | 10 | 9 | |
Talpa europaea | 2 | 1 | |
Bats | Rhinolophus ferrumequinum | 2 | 1 |
Myotis myotis | 3 | 3 | |
Myotis sp. | 1 | 1 | |
Miniopterus schreibersii | 3 | 2 | |
Rodents | Microtus arvalis | 5 | 4 |
Microtus agrestis | 5 | 4 | |
Microtus (Iberomys) cabrerae | 11 | 7 | |
Microtus (Terricola) duodecimcostatus | 12 | 9 | |
Microtus (Terricola) pyrenaicus | 2 | 2 | |
Apodemus sylvaticus | 69 | 29 | |
Eliomys quercinus | 15 | 6 | |
Hystrix (Acanthion) cf. brachyura-vinogradovi | 4 | 2 | |
Total | 245 | 98 |
Very Small | Small | Medium | Large | Very Large | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cores | 2 | 2 | ||||
Flakes | 6 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 18 | |
Flake fragments | 2 | 1 | 3 | |||
Retouched artifacts | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
Total | 8 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 29 |
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Daura, J.; Sanz, M.; Vaquero, M.; López-García, J.M.; Blain, H.-A.; Marco, A.S. Neanderthal Fossils, Mobile Toolkit and a Hyena Den: The Archaeological Assemblage of Lateral Gallery 1 in Cova Del Gegant (NE Iberian Peninsula). Quaternary 2022, 5, 12. https://doi.org/10.3390/quat5010012
Daura J, Sanz M, Vaquero M, López-García JM, Blain H-A, Marco AS. Neanderthal Fossils, Mobile Toolkit and a Hyena Den: The Archaeological Assemblage of Lateral Gallery 1 in Cova Del Gegant (NE Iberian Peninsula). Quaternary. 2022; 5(1):12. https://doi.org/10.3390/quat5010012
Chicago/Turabian StyleDaura, Joan, Montserrat Sanz, Manuel Vaquero, Juan Manuel López-García, Hugues-Alexandre Blain, and Antonio Sánchez Marco. 2022. "Neanderthal Fossils, Mobile Toolkit and a Hyena Den: The Archaeological Assemblage of Lateral Gallery 1 in Cova Del Gegant (NE Iberian Peninsula)" Quaternary 5, no. 1: 12. https://doi.org/10.3390/quat5010012