The Mesolithic with geometrics south of the ‘Picos de Europa’ (Northern Iberian Peninsula): The main characteristics of the lithic industry and raw material procurement

Abstract

This study presents the main features of the lithic industry we have termed ‘Mesolithic with geometrics’. It has been observed at two cave sites, El Espertín and La Uña (levels III and IV), both located on the southern versant of the Cantabrian Range, and with chronologies ranging from the second half of the 7th millennium cal. BC to the end of the 6th millennium cal. BC. This work will focus on the characterization of the raw materials and the evaluation of their sourcing patterns. Also, a techno-typological study of the lithics, focusing on the retouched tools, will be presented. The two caves show a number of similarities, such as their altitude (more than 1200 m.a.s.l. in both cases) and their small size. As for the lithics, the raw materials used and the scarcity of geometrics are much the same, and they also share a lithic industry with deeply-rooted archaic features linked to the Upper-Palaeolithc/Azilian regional tradition.