Magdalenian Occupation Research Articles

Down to the Rivers: A Geophysical Investigation at Étiolles (France) to Reconstruct the Magdalenian Occupation

Down to the Rivers: A Geophysical Investigation at Étiolles (France) to Reconstruct the Magdalenian Occupation

Geomorphology, Geoarchaeology, and Geochronology of the Upper Pleistocene Archaeological Site of El Olivo Cave (Llanera, Asturias, Northern Spain)

El Olivo Cave (Pruvia de Arriba, Llanera, Asturias, Spain) is a small karst cave located in the Aboño River basin and formed in the Cretaceous limestone of the Mesozoic cover of the Cantabrian Mountains (north of the Iberian Peninsula). It contains an important upper Pleistocene sedimentary, archaeological, and paleontological record, with abundant technological evidence and faunal remains. The archaeological record shows a first occupation that could correspond to the Middle Paleolithic and a second occupation in the Middle Magdalenian. The stratigraphic sequence inside and outside the cave was studied with geoarchaeological methodology. In this paper, the lithostratigraphic sequence is analyzed, and the data from the granulometric, mineralogical, edaphological, and radiometric analyses are presented. The results of these analyses enable an accurate interpretation of both the lithostratigraphy of the deposit and the processes responsible for its formation and subsequent evolution. The available numerical dates allow us to locate the first sedimentation episode in the cave in OIS 7a, in the Middle Pleistocene, the base of the outer fluvial sedimentation in the cold OIS 3a stage of the Upper Pleistocene and the Magdalenian occupation in the Last Glacial Maximum (OIS 2) at the end of the Late Pleistocene.

Late Paleolithic hunter-gatherers’ resilience in the face of the transformation of the vegetation landscape and climate change in the Pre-Pyrenees

Climate change since the Last Glacial Maximum has caused both plant communities and human behaviour to adapt. Humans relied heavily on wood as fuel to sustain their daily subsistence. Thanks to efficient fuel management, they were able to persist in a challenging environment. Cova del Parco (Iberian Pre-Pyrenees) was inhabited as a settlement in different periods of the Late Pleistocene (16.4–12.7 cal kyr BP). The site has one of the most comprehensive assemblages of Magdalenian hearths, allowing several specialized and daily activity areas to be reconstructed. This study aims to provide new anthracological data regarding the transformation of the forests in the Iberian Pre-Pyrenees, as well as showing how humans adapted their behaviour as regards fuel management and the use of space around the hearths. Furthermore, we present a spatial distribution analysis of the woody taxa from Magdalenian occupations that were identified during the anthracological study. A total of 1993 charcoal fragments from Cova del Parco were identified at a taxonomic level. The anthracological results revealed the presence of 11 woody taxa, with the pine-juniper phase as a characteristic transformation of pre-forest formations in the cold climates of certain locations in the southwestern Mediterranean region. The results of our spatial analysis found that pinewood was the preferred fuel in the cave chamber, whereas juniper was most abundant in the rock shelter. However, the latest occupations revealed a shift in fuel use, with juniper becoming the primary fuel in the cave chamber. This change in behaviour is indicative of the changing needs of humans and their ability to adapt to new surroundings. It implies that strategies are contingent on context and dynamic, responding to changes in the environment. Overall, this study suggests that humans adapted to the changing environment by changing their fuel management strategies.

Herpetological remains from the Lower Magdalenian site of El Juyo (Cantabria, Spain): the challenge of reconstructing climate and landscape from poorly diverse assemblages

ABSTRACT El Juyo is a Cantabrian Lower Magdalenian cave site located approximately 8 km west of the city of Santander. The excavations covered an area over 40 m2, and the stratified deposits reach 3.5 m thick, with an estimated duration of Magdalenian occupation of around 1,000 years. Here, we present the first study of the herpetofaunal assemblages from El Juyo and explore their significance in terms of quantitative palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental reconstructions using different quantitative methods. The palaeoherpetofaunal assemblages documented at El Juyo have a much lower diversity than present day. All methods applied to these assemblages characterised the climate as colder (between −8.5 and −3.7°C) and dryer (between −415 and −344 mm) than today, whereas landscape reconstructions suggest humid open area together with a potentially good representation of woodland areas in the vicinity of the site. This indicates that the climate during the Dryas I was much colder and dryer than today, even if the proximity of the sea may have mitigated in some way the harshness of the climate in this area. Rainfall seasonality pattern changed between the coldest periods of the Dryas I and today from more abundant precipitation during summer to late fall and winter maximum.

Post-LGM environments and foragers on the move: New data from the lower Altmühl Valley (Franconian Jura, SE Germany)

After the Last Glacial Maximum, the Swabian and Franconian Jura (in SW and SE Germany, respectively) were repopulated by Magdalenian hunter-gatherers within the same communication network. However, while the Magdalenian settlement of the Swabian Jura dates to 17–14 ka cal BP, permanent Magdalenian occupations in the Franconian Jura date to 15–14 ka cal BP. In comparison with its western counterpart, the Franconian Jura was mostly excavated in the early days of archaeological research. Does this different chronology reflect the different history of research? Why did Magdalenian foragers establish permanent occupation in the Franconian Jura nearly 2 millennia after settling in Swabia, despite the fact these regions are only 150 km apart? To address these questions, we reinvestigated two sites in the Altmühl Valley with micromorphology and luminescence dating, namely Felsenhäusl-Kellerhöhle and Klausennische. Our data show that both sites have intact Pleistocene deposits. Among these, we identified sediments dating between 17 and 15 ka that show only rare lithic artifacts and microfeatures indicative of cold and arid conditions. Our work and published data suggest that the steady settlement of Magdalenian foragers in the Altmühl Valley starting 15 ka cal BP coincides with the end of this harsh period and the onset of cool and wetter environments. Data from the Swabian Jura demonstrated that in the Lone Valley, similar environments and Magdalenian occupations commenced earlier, starting 17 ka cal BP. Therefore, we propose that regional environments acted as a barrier against the dispersal of foragers in the Franconian Jura and determined its later Magdalenian occupation. Our research highlighted that different environments, taphonomic processes, and site uses probably coexisted across the German Jura. Therefore, it remains fundamental to expand the multisite data set proposed in this article to further test hypotheses about human/environment interaction in this region.

The secret entrance of the “Galerie Breuil” in the Mas d’Azil cave (Ariège, France)

The Mas d'Azil cave is a major site for the study of European prehistory, and the evolution of the discipline itself, especially regarding our understanding of the late Upper Paleolithic. In particular, its mobiliary art is one of the richest and the most beautiful known in a Magdalenian context. Lesser known however, is its rock art. Few publications are devoted to these works of prehistoric art, and despite several field work campaigns we still lack a general synthesized study of them at the scale of the entire cave system.A survey of the Mas d’Azil cave system is currently underway, and the aim of this project is to map the archaeological and geoarchaeological organization of the site. Obtaining a reliable topography of the cave, an endeavor begun in the 1980s but never finished, is essential to resituating the archaeological deposits relative to the various natural processes and formations having affected and conditioned their deposition and conservation, as well as the different historical phases of exploitation of the cave.Using this survey approach, we already have a clearer picture of the repartition of Magdalenian areas and circulation spaces of the right bank. Thus, if the residential areas are located on the upper parts of the cave (La Rotonde, Galerie Des Silex), that benefit from more stable and mild temperatures, the lower parts (Salle Piette, Galerie Rouzaud) do not appear to have been residential areas. Our approach also shows that the current entrance of the “Galerie Breuil”, which is located at the end of one of the lower rooms and is the main decorated part of the cave, was likely unknown to the Magdalenians. They could only have entered the Galerie Breuil via a smaller hidden corridor that was blocked after the Magdalenian occupation, as the growth of the speleothem obstructing this passage dates to 13 000 y BP. The clear difficulty encountered by Magdalenian occupants as they attempted to access this gallery may have contributed to a symbolic separation between residential and symbolic, and therefore decorated, spaces, where access to the latter may have been actively limited and/or controlled.In this paper, we propose to describe the palaeotopography of the cave during the Magdalenian period, supported by the analysis of the stratigraphy, new dates, as well as the historical archives from early excavations. By crossing these different lines of evidence we will investigate the question of accessibility and visibility of prehistoric rock art in a cave that have sometimes been considered a Magdalenian “aggregation site”.

“Poor” archeological levels not to be forgotten: units of Middle and early Upper Magdalenian age in El Mirón Cave (Ramales de la Victoria, Cantabria, Spain)

This succinct contribution focuses on description and preliminary interpretation of “minor” occupations of the large, strategically located El Mirón Cave on the edge of the Cantabrian Cordillera in eastern Cantabria (Spain) during the Middle and early Upper Magalenian that followed upon the massive, culturally rich, faunally dense, functionally complex deposits of the Initial and Lower Magdalenian. The ten levels analyzed here date to the Late Glacial, c. 15.5-12.5 uncal kya BP. At a time when the classic Middle Magdalenian of the nearby French Pyrenees developed and major residential sites with clear social links to it (via the key site of Isturitz) were occupied in the lowland coastal zone of Cantabria and Asturias (e.g. La Garma, Llonín, La Viña), El Mirón had reverted for the most part to the role of a short-term, special-purpose, perhaps logistical campsite, rather than as a long-term, large-scale hub residential base. It is tempting (and indeed traditional) to focus on levels with large numbers of lithic and osseous artifacts, as well as works of portable art and personal ornaments, which are so characteristic of the most famous Magdalenian occupations. However, in hunter-gatherer subsistence systems, the “minor” locations played a significant role in the human exploitation of territories (especially ones with such complex, high relief as Cantabrian Spain). The levels in question here include some that can be interpreted as hunting camps (suggested by high percentages of worked and unworked bladelets and some antler points within the small assemblages), partially reminiscent of the use to which the cave may have been put during pre-Initial Magdalenian times, notably during the Solutrean, which was relatively rich in stone points.

Magdalenian and Epimagdalenian chronology and palaeoenvironments at K\u016flna Cave, Moravia, Czech Republic

Kůlna Cave is the only site in Moravia, Czech Republic, from which large assemblages of both Magdalenian and Epimagdalenian archaeological materials have been excavated from relatively secure stratified deposits. The site therefore offers the unrivalled opportunity to explore the relationship between these two archaeological phases. In this study, we undertake radiocarbon, stable isotope (carbon, nitrogen and sulphur), and ZooMS analysis of the archaeological faunal assemblage to explore the chronological and environmental context of the Magdalenian and Epimagdalenian deposits. Our results show that the Magdalenian and Epimagdalenian deposits can be understood as discrete units from one another, dating to the Late Glacial between c. 15,630 cal. BP and 14,610 cal. BP, and c. 14,140 cal. BP and 12,680 cal. BP, respectively. Stable isotope results (δ13C, δ15N, δ34S) indicate that Magdalenian and Epimagdalenian activity at Kůlna Cave occurred in very different environmental settings. Magdalenian occupation took place within a nutrient-poor landscape that was experiencing rapid changes to environmental moisture, potentially linked to permafrost thaw. In contrast, Epimagdalenian occupation occurred in a relatively stable, temperate environment composed of a mosaic of woodland and grassland habitats. The potential chronological gap between the two phases, and their associations with very different environmental conditions, calls into question whether the Epimagdalenian should be seen as a local, gradual development of the Magdalenian. It also raises the question of whether the gap in occupation at Kůlna Cave could represent a change in settlement dynamics and/or behavioural adaptations to changing environmental conditions.

Un bastón multiperforado de la ocupación del Magdaleniense Final de la cueva Aizkoltxo (Mendaro, Gipuzkoa)

La cavidad de Aizkoltxo se encuentra junto a la orilla del río Deba, próxima a otras cavidades con ocupaciones del Magdaleniense Superior-Final (Agarre, Ermittia, Praileaitz I y Urtiaga). A consecuencia de la actividad de furtivos se decidió realizar un sondeo para evaluar la estratigrafía del yacimiento y contextualizar los restos recuperados. En el curso de dichos trabajos se identificó un nivel atribuible al Magdaleniense Superior-Final, cuyo proceso de formación es poco habitual. En él, además de una abundante industria lítica y ósea datada en 14864-14160 cal BP se localizó el bastón que describimos, que conserva al menos cuatro perforaciones y que está profusamente decorado con motivos figurativos (un ciervo en visión frontal, y dos astas de ciervo además de dos équidos o, quizás, lepóridos) y signos (trazos simples, ahusados, Vs embutidas, Vs paralelas, etc.). Este excepcional objeto, junto a otros frecuentemente señalados, corrobora la estrecha relación de los yacimientos de la Cornisa Cantábrica con los del Golfo de Bizkaia, Pirineo Occidental y Central.

Revisiting Hornos de la Peña 100 years after

The cave of Hornos de la Peña contained one of the most relevant stratigraphic sequences for the study of the Middle and Upper Paleolithic in the Cantabrian Region, northern Iberia, as well as an important group of Paleolithic rock art. The site was discovered in 1903 and excavated during 1909–1910. Those excavations did not take place in the main hall of the cave because it was already emptied for modern phosphate extraction. At that time, in the preserved deposits, the archeological excavations revealed an interesting sequence with Mousterian, Early Upper Paleolithic, Solutrean and Magdalenian cultural remains. Since then, the site has received little attention owing to the difficulties of interpreting the sequence and the biased nature of the preserved collections. In 2016 and 2017 a limited area of the preserved section was excavated to document its archeological sequence, obtain samples for dating and achieve some insights about the cultural attribution of the identified units and their correlation with Obermaier’s sequence. The results show that there is a coarse correlation between both sequences. More interestingly, this work has revealed the good preservation and interest of the Mousterian occupation, the presence of Early Upper Paleolithic, the indefinite nature of the Solutrean and the existence of a Middle Magdalenian occupation. These results provide new insights about the human presence at the site and allow to incorporate it into the new debates about the Middle and Upper Paleolithic in the Cantabrian Region.

The Magdalenian occupation of lower Bavaria.

The Magdalenian occupation of lower Bavaria.

La cueva de Chaves (Bastarás, Huesca): 15 000 años de ocupación prehistórica

La cueva de Chaves se sitúa en el Prepirineo central, en la provincia de Huesca. Es uno de los yacimientos neolíticos más importantes del noreste de la Península Ibérica, presentando también potentes ocupaciones durante el Solutrense Superior y el Magdaleniense Superior/Final (MSF). Los trabajos arqueológicos en la cavidad comenzaron en 1975 y continuaron hasta la destrucción del yacimiento, en 2007. Mostramos aquí una síntesis de todos los trabajos relativos a cada una de las fases de este yacimiento. Gracias al amplio espacio excavado sugerimos diferentes áreas de actividad dentro de la cavidad. Por último, estudiamos los posibles contactos y movilidad de los diferentes pobladores a lo largo del tiempo tanto en el ámbito pirenaico como en todo el Mediterráneo occidental.

Newly Recognized Human Dental Remains at Les Fadets (Lussac-les-Châteaux, Vienne, France)

Archeological research at the site of Les Fadets in the town of Lussac-les-Châteaux (Department of Vienne, France) has a 150-year history; however, comprehensive descriptions of the results of its various excavations are mostly unknown. Here we present previously unrecognized human dental remains discovered among the curated faunal remains in the context of the history of research at Les Fadets, with a focus on the Upper Paleolithic occupations of the site. Occupation at Les Fadets spans the Middle Paleolithic to the recent historic period. Curatorial details suggest that these children’s teeth (Les Fadets 3–6) come from the extensive Magdalenian occupation. In support of this, metric and morphological analyses suggest the teeth cluster with other modern humans rather than Neandertals. This region is rich with Paleolithic cultural sites, and the discovery of these teeth from Les Fadets adds to the small data set available of Upper Paleolithic human remains, especially those of young individuals.

Recurrent Magdalenian occupation in the interior of the Iberian Peninsula: new insights from the archaeological site of La Peña de Estebanvela (Segovia, Spain)

The occupation of the Iberian Peninsula during the Upper Palaeolithic is mainly known from archaeological sites located in the Cantabrian and Mediterranean regions. Numerous sites have been excavated in these two regions when few sites are found in the interior of the peninsula. Several authors explain this scarcity of sites, in the inner region during the Upper Palaeolithic, by a decrease of human population resulting from a low capacity of human groups to adapt to the cold conditions of the Marine Isotopic Stage 2 (MIS 2), i.e. the effect of cold climate on human populations might have been stronger in the interior of the peninsula than in coastal areas. Recent studies underline the evidence of prehistoric occupation during this period in that region. It has been suggested that these occupations are isolated events limited to the warmest phases of the end of the MIS 2. The present study focuses on zooarchaeological and taphonomic aspects of the Magdalenian site of La Pena de Estebanvela (Segovia, Spain). Our results show that this site was recurrently occupied during the Magdalenian period, including warm and cold phases, which provide a new evidence of sustainable presence of human populations in the interior of the Iberian Peninsula at the end of the Upper Palaeolithic. We further propose hypotheses on the subsistence strategies (e.g. availability of hunting resources) developed at La Pena de Estebanvela and in a larger context including other Magdalenian sites of the inner region of the Peninsula.

Magdalenian occupations between 20000 and 15000 cal BP in the Pyrenean foothills: test-pitting the Paleolithic sequence of Laa 2 cave (Arudy, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France)

Because of its rich record of Magdalenian sites, the Arudy Basin is a key case for the study of resettlement dynamics in the Pyrenean valleys after the Last Glacial Maximum. Interpretations are, however, hampered by the ancient age of many excavations. The recently acquired data from Laa 2 cave contribute to filling this gap, although the excavation of the Paleolithic layers was restricted to a very small surface. Layer C5 documents a very early –but still poorly defined– reoccupation of the cave (20000-19500 cal BP) that probably took place shortly after the deglaciation of the lower valley. Layers C4 to C2 (18500-15000 cal BP) document the evolution of the Middle and Upper Magdalenian in a cool, humid and open landscape, although evidence of reforestation appears in layer C2. The species hunted include a large proportion of mountain ungulates in the earlier layers, but horse and reindeer increase in proportion in the later layers. Birds and foxes are also exploited, and the question of the presence of dogs is raised, although not conclusively. Lithic sources seem to diversify in the Upper Magdalenian, along with an evolution in the dimensions of lithic armatures. The osseous industry also shows evidence of changes in the design of armatures (presence of forked implements) and includes a single evidence of portable art (an engraved scapula).

The Magdalenian open site of the Hauts de Buffon in Montluçon (Allier, France)

The excavation of the open-air site of “Hauts de Buffon” led to the study of a Magdalenian occupation made up of two concentrations several metres apart. In the absence of faunal and organic remains, the study is only based on the abundant lithic industry discovered at the site. This latter is similar in each locus and post-depositional phenomena did not modify the general organization of the remains preserved in the only archaeological level identified. This good general conservation brought to light the complexity of the activities carried out on site, as well as the different behaviours linked to the acquisition of raw materials and techno-economic activities. The raw materials brought to the site show that procurement was mainly centred on distant materials from the south of the Paris Basin, but also from Limagne in Auvergne. This behaviour indicates the anticipation of raw material needs, but also the high mobility of the site ocupants, as shown by the exportation of finished (non-retouched and retouched) products from the site. The different characteristics of the raw materials brought to the site are used for different debitage aims. The lithic industry combines good quality distant raw materials with the production of well-made laminar blanks, knapped with an organic hammer, following an elaborate schema. Local and very accessible raw materials are reserved for simplified laminar production obtained with a soft mineral hammer. The bladelets result mostly from separate production on small modules. These technological aims are also visible for blank management, with blades used as blanks for domestic tools and bladelets for armatures. The panoply of retouched tools links the occupation to the Recent Magalenian, but also offers the possibility of identifying hunting and domestic activities. These activities are well represented from a spatial perspective. Each locus shows a relatively complex organization with specific activity areas and other more versatile areas, used for production and consumption. The presence of structures of blocks in locus 2 implies that the site was used over a relatively long period of time, with recurrent installations.

The four seasons of reindeer: Non-migrating reindeer in the Dordogne region (France) between 30 and 18 k? Data from the Middle and Upper Magdalenian at La Madeleine and methods of seasonality determination

This paper presents a study of the reindeer hunting seasons represented in Magdalenian occupations (levels 25 & 27) at the site of La Madeleine where this game comprises between 87 and 95% of the identified remains. The method of reindeer hunting season estimations based on the analysis of archaeological antlers, cheek teeth and fetal long-bone diaphyses underlines that the combined use of antlers, teeth, and fetal bones is indispensable for determining all four seasons. It also shows that summer and winter hunts are the most difficult to identify and may go unnoticed in small or poorly preserved samples, and those without fetal long-bone diaphyses (for winter). The hunting seasons identified, deducted from the minimum number of identified moments, are similar for levels 25 (Upper Magdalenian) and 27 (Middle Magdalenian), providing evidence of reindeer hunting throughout the year, during all four seasons. These results confirm those of four other sites, all of which are located in the same area at distances between 2 and 60km from La Madeleine, while they strongly contrast those of every other currently well documented region (Paris Basin, Massif Central, Aude Basin). This suggests that if these data reflect the reality of non-migrating reindeer, rather than a high instability of seasonal ranges, at least between 30,000 and 15,000cal BP, this phenomenon is related to a specific area, temporarily bordered by the Dronne and the Vézère valleys. The author discusses the assumption that this zone (still to be delineated), with an Atlantic climate in the Mammoth Steppe biome, at least during the Upper Pleniglacial and Oldest Dryas, was a zone of varied landscapes where the living conditions of reindeer would have limited their mobility, perhaps up to the close foothills of the Massif Central.

Methodological contribution to the integrated study of European Palaeolithic rock art: The issue of the audience and the perceptibility of Roc-aux-Sorciers rock art (Angles-sur-l'Anglin, France)

Abstract This paper focuses on the issue of the audience of European Palaeolithic rock art, with a special interest given to the question of perceptibility. The carved, engraved and painted rock art from the Middle Magdalenian occupations of Roc-aux-Sorciers rock shelter (Angles-sur-l'Anglin, France) constitutes our case-study. Our methodology is based on an integrated approach of the rock art that combines an internal analysis of some intrinsic characteristics (techniques, dimensions, shapes, composition) and a study of the physical context it sets in. We particularly consider the characteristics of the environment of the site, its location in the landscape and its accommodation capacity. Thus are examined the visibility of the site and the decorated surfaces as well as the visibility and lisibility of the parietal carvings and engravings. We use GIS analysis processes to determine the view sheds and test several quantitative approaches taken from optics and visual ergonomics to calculate visibility and lisibility distances. If some analytical tools prove to be appropriate and relevant, the application of the formulas from the optical field needs to be qualified for some results are clearly overestimated. This preliminary research brings interesting results although supplementary analytical criteria will be necessary to consolidate them (lightning, painted register, perception of relief forms). Roc-aux-Sorciers was a site with a natural collective vocation given its high accommodation capacity from 75 to 100 people, easily accessible and highly visible in the landscape on a wide area. This study shows two strategies of visibility of the rock art, towards the outside or the inside of the site depending on whether the observer looks at the decorated back wall or ceiling. Moreover, two levels of visibility and legibility separate on the one hand the monumental carved frieze dedicated to a large and public audience, on the other hand the register of small fine engravings which discovery is more individual. Thus this study yields evidence of four levels of perceptibility of Roc-aux-Sorciers rock art: from an area of 1 km around the site until a close observation of the walls which can meet different audiences and hence recover diverse uses of the parietal iconography for these populations. Beyond, it is part of the territorial structuring and mobility of these people that could to be organized around these elements of distant visibility and perception of this decorated site which the Magdalenians were aware of.

A Spatial Distribution Study of Faunal Remains from Two Lower Magdalenian Occupation Levels in El Mirón Cave, Cantabria, Spain

Human behaviour can be reconstructed by analysing specific activities and ­campsite organization using spatial analysis. The dense occupation layers of the Lower ­Cantabrian Magdalenian in the Northern Spain reveal varied aspects of Upper Palaeolithic lifeways, including evidence of specific localized activities. The outer vestibule of El Miron cave has a particularly rich and intact Lower Magdalenian occupation horizon, Levels 15–17. The excavations in the outer vestibule “Cabin” area of the site revealed excellent bone preservation. Artefacts and faunal remains were individually recorded and sediments water-screened to yield a large sample of archaeological finds and spatial data. Zooarchaeological analysis provided the taxonomic, anatomic and taphonomic determination of the faunal individual finds. Smaller animal remains were categorized and counted; special attention was given to the identification of anthropogenic modifications such as burnt bones or bone flakes. These small refuse items are considered to be useful, in situ indicators of localized activities. The spatial distribution analysis of this dense and complex palimpsest of El Miron Lower Cantabrian Magdalenian layers required GIS based methods including density analysis, heatmaps and cluster analysis. Based on the spatial distribution of Level 15 and 16 faunal remains, different activity areas were identified comprising hearth, working and dropping zones. These results imply the deliberately segregated use of space within the Lower Cantabrian Magdalenian site area, in which bone-processing activities played a central role.

Cores, Core-scrapers, and Bladelet Production during the Lower Magdalenian Occupations of El Mirón Cave, Cantabrian Spain

Among the defining characteristics of the Cantabrian (Spain) Lower Magdalenian (19.2–17.5 cal kya), along with portable art works, are so-called “nucleiform endscrapers.” These small cores often display one or more regularized edges that could indicate a secondary function as scrapers. Although this has been demonstrated microscopically to be the case at some sites, it is generally not true in a large sample from Level 17, a massive Lower Magdalenian horizon in El Mirón Cave on the edge of the Cantabrian Cordillera. This study synthesizes lithic typology, technology, and microwear analysis of the Level 17 lithic sample. The results indicate that understanding the absolute versus relative abundance of core endscrapers is important to classifications of Lower Magdalenian lithic assemblages, particularly in terms of inter-site tool comparisons, understanding the relative abundance of tools in relation to debitage products, and the key role of bladelet production.