The Middle Pleistocene site of Torralba (Soria, Spain): a taphonomic view of the Marquis of Cerralbo and Howell faunal collections

Abstract

Since the first excavation work carried out by Cerralbo (1909–1913) at Torralba, the site has become a reference point for the study of the earliest settlers of the Iberian Peninsula, as well as for the evaluation of the hunting and cognitive abilities of Lower Paleolithic hominins. At Torralba, the abundance of elephant has directed the debate toward the link between these carcasses and human groups. However, the faunal record of Torralba is broader and includes greater species diversity. This work describes a taphonomic review of the macrofaunal materials from the classic excavations (Cerralbo, 1909–1913; Howell, 1961–1963) housed in the Museo Numantino de Soria, the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales of Madrid, and the Museo Arqueologico Nacional of Madrid. Our results show that other taxa, such as horse and bovid, are also represented. Evidence of anthropic activity on the bones is scarce. Carnivore activity is documented mainly in the form of tooth marks. There is no evidence of the co-occurrence of both agents on the same carcasses. The deposits are identified as spatial palimpsest, in which various independent events of different natures and characteristics in terms of ecological composition are recorded in the same place, one on top of the other. Middle Pleistocene hominins were clearly adapted to environments with an abundance of resources throughout the Lower Paleolithic on the Iberian Peninsula.