The Magdalenian occupation of level IX of Las Caldas Cave (Asturias, Spain): A spatial approach

Abstract

Las Caldas Cave is located in the middle valley of the Nalón River, in a setting widely occupied from the end of the Pleistocene until the Late Glacial Maximum. Level IX, which has been preserved in Chamber II, constitutes the first occupation of the Middle Magdalenian, in a very cold and humid phase of the climate at the end of the Older Dryas, with dates from 14347 ± 436 cal BC. The random distribution of the material record over the surface of the excavated area (H2-G2, H3-G3, H4-G4, G5), as well as the wealth and relevance of the materials recovered, require analysis of the floor of occupation from a spatial perspective in order to reveal the interrelations among the different elements comprising the whole archaeological floor. In addition, a study was made of the lithic and osseous industries from a techno-functional perspective, with a view to making an approximation of the activities carried out by the hunter-gatherer groups of the Cantabrian Middle Magdalenian.