An archaeostratigraphic consideration of the Gran Dolina TD10.2 cultural sequence from a quantitative approach

Abstract

Understanding the temporal resolution of archaeological deposits is a critical issue for drawing behavioural inferences. In the case of TD10.2 (Gran Dolina, Sierra de Atapuerca), this factor becomes essential in defining the mass communal bison hunting level and the different butchering events that took place at the sub-unit, which is characterised as a kill-butchering site. Traditionally, the dissection of events within an assemblage is performed by visual archaeostratigraphic techniques. This method, however, can be challenging in high-density sites without marked sterile gaps between levels. In this study, we present a combination of archaeostratigraphic techniques, supervised machine learning, and lithic refits applied to TD10.2. This integration of techniques offers a more automated and time-efficient archaeostratigraphic analysis, supports a more quantitative strand of evidence, and enables final verification using refits, even though it still requires prior visual archaeostratigraphic processing to set up qualitative data. Results have allowed for the definition of three distinct levels within the sub-unit along the entire excavation surface, highlighting the potential of these methods. Moreover, this approach facilitates the accurate delineation of level boundaries in the bison bone bed level, assessing its high spatiotemporal resolution, and identifying a minimum of two seasonal communal hunting events. This result reinforces previous interpretations while also providing new insights into the subsistence and behavioural strategies of the hominins that occupied the cavity.