Magdalenian Occupation Research Articles

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

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.

The Initial Magdalenian mosaic: New evidence from Urtiaga cave, Guipúzcoa, Spain

Transitional moments in prehistory are of broad interest in archaeology. Immediately following the Last Glacial Maximum, two technological shifts occurred in SW Europe: in France, at ∼18,000 uncal. BP, an industry characterized by large Solutrean projectiles was replaced by the well-defined Badegoulian industry; a thousand years later in Vasco-Cantabrian Spain, Solutrean technologies were gradually replaced by Magdalenian antler point (sagaie) and lithic inset composite weapons. The Solutrean–Magdalenian transition remains ill-defined in Vasco-Cantabria, where very few “transitional” assemblages dating to the c. 17–16,000 uncal. BP interval have been identified, leaving questions as to how the changes occurred and what kinds of relationships existed between French and Spanish groups during this period. Urtiaga cave (Guipúzcoa) Level F (17,050±140 uncal. BP) contributes a new Initial Magdalenian archaeological sample to the discussion of Last Glacial behavioral change during a technological transition. This paper synthesizes the results of a detailed lithic analysis with findings from previous studies of fauna and osseous industry from Urtiaga Level F. Then, the analysis explores Initial Magdalenian organizational behaviors through a series of lithic procurement/mobility models that show dynamic land use in eastern Vasco-Cantabria. Finally, Urtiaga Level F was compared to four other Initial Magdalenian occupations in the region, demonstrating that lithic maintenance—in manufacture, use, and rejuvenation—was a significant factor in how Initial Magdalenian groups organized their landscape-level behavioral strategies. The archaeological assemblages from Urtiaga cave are important contributions to archaeological questions surrounding the Solutrean–Magdalenian transition, providing further evidence for in situ technological change in Vasco-Cantabria. Additionally, the economic analyses discussed in this paper provide new attributes that archaeologists can use to identify Initial Magdalenian sites on the landscape. This study develops a methodological procedure that is broadly applicable to archaeological studies related to prehistoric cultural transitions and to those studies that apply data from collections recovered during the early 20th century to modern interpretive frameworks.

The Magdalenian sequence at Coímbre cave (Asturias, Northern Iberian Peninsula): Adaptive strategies of hunter–gatherer groups in montane environments

The cave of Coímbre contains an important archaeological deposit divided into two different zones, of which most of the excavations carried out to date have taken place in Zone B. Coímbre B displays a full and very interesting Magdalenian sequence (with Lower, Middle and Upper Magdalenian levels), in addition to a Gravettian layer. The excavations were performed from 2008 to 2012. The hunter–gatherers who lived in Coímbre in the Upper Palaeolithic made use of several adaptation strategies allowing them to exploit all the abiotic and animal resources the environment afforded them. In this way, the faunal assemblage includes remains of ibex and chamois, associated with the mountains and crags in the immediate surroundings of the site, and also red deer, roe deer, aurochs and horses, indicating the exploitation of the animal resources living in the Besnes valley, at the foot of Sierra del Cuera.When the faunal remains in the Magdalenian levels, and those in the Gravettian layer, are analysed in greater detail, significant differences indicate a differential use of the terrain. Thus, in the Gravettian, the preferential hunting of aurochs and red deer suggests the valleys in the vicinity were exploited while steeper and more mountainous areas were visited less. In contrast, in the Magdalenian, the most common faunal remains belong to ibex, which was the most hunted species. Together with ibex, chamois is also very common, whereas bovids are found in very small numbers in the Magdalenian levels. These patterns reflect a change in the hunting behaviour of the occupants of the cave, in which the hunting of valley resources was transformed into a more intensive use of animals in more rugged areas, such as ibex and chamois. This paper presents the preliminary results of the study of Magdalenian occupations in Coímbre, following the excavations in Zone B, one of the most important places of Magdalenian human activities in Western Cantabria (northern Iberia).

Lithic and osseous artifacts from the Lower Magdalenian human burial deposit in El Mirón cave, Cantabria, Spain

This paper presents a preliminary summary of lithic and osseous artifacts recovered from El Mirón Level 504, whose ochre-stained sediments were associated with a Lower Magdalenian human burial. The lithic artifacts were concentrated to the south of the human remains. Debris indicate that manufacture was focused on late-stage bladelet reduction, which followed preparatory flake or blade removals. The lithic industry is rich in bladelet tools and other Lower Magdalenian diagnostic artifacts that were made on very high-quality flints. Osseous artifacts—principally antler sagaies—are highly fragmented, but their attributes are consistent with others known from El Mirón. Lithic and osseous artifacts are typical of the Lower Magdalenian of Cantabria. These artifacts were recovered from a level with significant microstratigraphic variation associated with cultural and natural formation processes, leaving unknown how extensively these materials were spatially and/or temporally displaced from their primary discard locations as part of Level 504 deposition. Interpreted as a single unit and compared with those from the underlying Level 505, these burial area materials testify to spatial continuity with the similarly rich Lower Magdalenian occupations identified in the El Mirón mid- and outer-vestibule into the vestibule rear. The artifacts found in Level 504 provide additional evidence that confirm the site's importance as a major Lower Magdalenian residential site in the montane zone of the Cantabrian region.

The human occupation of the northwestern Pyrenees in the Late Glacial: New data from the Arudy basin, lower Ossau valley

Excavated since the 1860s, the Arudy basin has yielded a number of rich Magdalenian sites that enable us to address the question of the human reoccupation of the lower Pyrenean valleys at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum. Until the 1990s, it was considered that at Arudy this reoccupation started ca. 16,000 cal BP in the Middle Magdalenian and continued into the Upper Magdalenian until ca. 14,000 cal BP. However, since the mid-2000 s, this picture has been modified through a series of new analyses, excavations (caves of Laa 2 and Tastet), 14C dates and reassessment of ancient collections. Evidence of human occupation ca. 20,000–19,000 cal BP, although limited, has been identified at Laa 2 and Tastet, consistent with numerous data obtained at Pyrenean scale showing a deglaciation of the north Pyrenean foothills as early as the end of the global LGM. The number of sites with evidence of Magdalenian has increased, showing that human presence in the basin was more intensive than previously thought. The Middle and Upper Magdalenian occupations have been redated to at least 18,000–17,500 cal BP to 15,000–14,500 cal BP, with the transition between the two phases probably occurring ca. 16,600–16,200 cal BP. The faunal records of these sites document an emphasis on horse hunting, which is not common in the northern Pyrenees, but also witness an evolution over time in the range of species hunted. Furthermore, the Pyrenean affinities of the Arudy groups and their relations with neighboring regions, such as Spain and the northern part of the Aquitaine basin, can be addressed through new evidence: in particular lithic and osseous raw materials and specific types of projectile tips. These results significantly change our view of the nature, rhythm and chronology of the Late Glacial settlement in this area.

The Magdalenian occupations of the Cantabrian Cordillera (No.Spain): the view from El Miron Cave, 18.5-12 cal BP

The Magdalenian occupations of the Cantabrian Cordillera (No.Spain): the view from El Miron Cave, 18.5-12 cal BP

The Magdalenian in Switzerland: Re-colonization of a newly accessible landscape

During the Last Glacial Maximum, Switzerland was almost entirely covered with ice. However, in the ice-free region situated less than 50 km north of the glaciers, human occupation is confirmed as early as 23,000 cal BP. Numerous sedimentary sequences in lakes and mires have produced a wealth of proxy data indicating that environmental conditions improved rapidly after the melting of the glaciers that liberated the Swiss Plateau at least at c. 17,500 cal BP, offering severe but possible life conditions to plant, animal and human communities. Contrary to what has long been the prevailing opinion, Magdalenian re-colonization of Switzerland did not start with the onset of the warming of Greenland Interstadial 1e, but well before. According to most of the recently obtained AMS dates, the Magdalenian occupation falls within the cold, treeless, environment of the Oldest Dryas period; it is even conceivable that it did not extend into Greenland Interstadial 1e. More than 50 sites, among which famous caves and rockshelters such as Kesslerloch and Schweizersbild, as well as large open-air campsites like Monruz and Moosbühl, have produced different techno-assemblages that find good comparisons in the rest of Europe. In contrast to the exploitation of mainly local and regional flint sources, the use of “exotic” ornamental/symbolic objects – fossil mollusks, amber and jet – shows widespread, multidirectional long-distance connections with the upper Danube basin, the Mainz basin, the Paris Basin, the Atlantic coast, the Mediterranean and even the Baltic regions.

Hunting camps and nucleiform endscrapers in the Cantabrian Lower Magdalenian: A lithic microwear analysis

This paper presents a study that includes the factor analysis of some classic deposits from the Cantabrian Middle and Lower Magdalenian and the functional analysis of Rascaño nucleiform endscrapers. Three categories of enclaves are distinguished, based on their main industrial features (two functional: aggregation sites and hunting camps; and one chronological: late Lower or Middle Magdalenian occupations). Finally, the functional analysis relates the abundance of nucleiform endscrapers in Rascaño cave, a hunting camp, to the maintenance or fabrication of bone points.

Magdalenian hunter–gatherers in the northern loess area between the Meuse and Rhine – New insights from the excavation at Eyserheide (SE Netherlands)

The paper reports on a Magdalenian open-air site at Eyserheide in the hilly landscape of the southern Netherlands. The site, located on the southern margin of an elevated and loess-covered plateau, comprises stone artefacts made from different types of local Cretaceous flint. Using data of refitting, a comparison has proofed meaningful between technological characteristics of the flint material of Eyserheide and those of ‘classic’ Magdalenian sites in the Paris Basin. Moreover, despite disturbances of the archaeological layer by bioturbation and ploughing, intra-spatial analysis has provided valuable information on the organization and use of the camp site. Judging from the results of the ring and sector method, the knapping of flint and the manufacturing and use of tools in the main activity area took place in the open air, presumably in the vicinity of a small hearth. In this find-rich area, several nodules were worked according to le débitage magdalénien classique, which indicates the presence of at least one experienced flint knapper in the camp site of Eyserheide. For Eyserheide and some other excavated open-air sites (Sweikhuizen-GP, Alsdorf) in the same loess area, an interpretation as temporary base camps of small social units is considered likely. Taking into account the occurrence of Dutch Cretaceous flints in Andernach and Gönnersdorf, the sites can be related to the Magdalenian occupation of the Central Rhineland. Radiocarbon dates of both German sites date in an indirect way these northern loess sites at the end of the Pleniglacial and prior to the prominent and sudden warming that marks the beginning of the Late Glacial interstadial. For Orp-le-Grand on the Hesbaye Plateau in Belgium a connection with cave sites south of Namur is indicated by the use of similar flint in these sites.

Nouvelles données sur l’évolution paléoclimatique de l’époque magdalénienne, d’après l’étude lithostratigraphique du Roc-aux-Sorciers (Angles-sur-l’Anglin, Vienne, France)

Situated a few kilometres from Angles-sur-Anglin (Vienne, France), the Roc-aux-Sorciers cave has yielded in 1927 and 1950 industry of the Middle and Upper Magdalenian periods. Our analyses of the sedimentary filling, dated from isotope stage 2, demonstrate the existence of two climatic sequences in the six ensembles defined during the excavations. A first sequence, at the base of the cave filling, corresponds to the occupation levels of the Middle Magdalenian and of the early Upper Magdalenian. At that time, the climate was globally cold and particularly humid, a conclusion that does not support Bastin's 1975 hypothesis on the oscillation of Angles-sur-Anglin, which postulates a mild and humid climate. In fact, the climate evolved progressively towards a slight warming from the base to the top of the stratigraphy. During the second sequence, corresponding to the occupation period of the Upper Magdalenian, the relatively stable climate was slightly warmer and quite humid. Stratigraphical and sedimentological data thus provide new information on the conditions under which the filling was deposited and on the palaeoclimatology of the Poitou-Charentes region during Magdalenian occupation.

The Radiocarbon Chronology of El Mirón Cave (Cantabria, Spain): New Dates for the Initial Magdalenian Occupations

Three additional radiocarbon assays were run on samples from 3 levels lying below the classic (±15,500 BP) Lower Cantabrian Magdalenian horizon in the outer vestibule excavation area of El Mirón Cave in the Cantabrian Cordillera of northern Spain. Although the central tendencies of the new dates are out of stratigraphic order, they are consonant with the post-Solutrean, Initial Magdalenian period both in El Mirón and in the Cantabrian region, indicating a technological transition in preferred weaponry from foliate and shouldered points to microliths and antler sagaies between about 17,000–16,000 BP (uncalibrated), during the early part of the Oldest Dryas pollen zone. Now with 65 14C dates, El Mirón is one of the most thoroughly dated prehistoric sites in western Europe. The until-now poorly dated, but very distinctive Initial Cantabrian Magdalenian lithic artifact assemblages are briefly summarized.

Le mobilier magdalénien en matières dures d’origine animale du site de Wilczyce 10 (district de Sandomierz, Pologne)

The Wilczyce site in southern Poland, on the Sandomierz plateau overlooking the Opatowka river valley, was discovered during a field survey conducted in 1994 as part of the Archaeological Map of Poland project. The archaeological material discovered justified a survey to determine the zone of the planned excavation. Systematic work carried out since 1998, first by Dr Fiedorczuk and after his death by Prof. Schild, has yielded a quantity of lithic and bone artefacts, art objects, and the bones of consumed animals, distributed within an ice wedge. The Magdalenian bone inventory consists of 54 artefacts : 3 bone figurines, 12 points, 2 intermediate tools, 2 smoothers, 1 chisel, 1 scoop-smoother, 2 awls, 1 baton, 2 handles, 24 needles, 1 plaque and 3 unidentified objects. They were all made of reindeer antler, mammoth tusk and bone. Among the most exceptional finds are points with a concave-convex section, obtained by scraping the antler (elimination of the spongy tissue) until compact bone was reached. They are fairly rare in the bone inventory of the Magdalenian culture. The typological analysis of the bone and flint artefacts from Wilczyce allows the site to be attributed to a Magdalenian occupation during the Upper Palaeolithic. According to the 14 C results the Wilczyce site fits within the upper horizon of the Magdalenian, which seems to confirm the theory that Magdalenian sites in central and eastern Europe belong for the most part to the upper and terminal phases of this culture.

Radiocarbon and stable isotope investigations at the Central Rhineland sites of Gönnersdorf and Andernach-Martinsberg, Germany

The late glacial open-air sites of Gönnersdorf and Andernach-Martinsberg in the German Central Rhineland are well known for their Magdalenian occupation and activities. The latter site also produced evidence for a younger, Final Palaeolithic occupation of the locality by people of the Federmessergruppen. Both sites are particularly well preserved, largely due to their burial beneath volcanic deposits of the late glacial Laacher See eruption. We conducted a program of AMS radiocarbon dating and stable isotope analyses with the aim of improving understanding of the chronological history and ecological setting of the two sites. Previously published radiocarbon dates appeared to indicate that the earliest Magdalenian occupation at Gönnersdorf fell around 12,900 uncalibrated 14C yr BP, while the earliest occupation at Andernach may have been more than 500 radiocarbon years earlier. The AMS determinations presented here revise this impression and suggest that the onset of occupation at the two sites was in fact simultaneous and prior to the warming of Greenland Interstadial GI 1e. At Gönnersdorf, a chronological hiatus exists between the main Magdalenian faunal assemblage and mega-faunal remains interpreted as collected sub-fossil material. At Andernach-Martinsberg, there is a clear chronological hiatus between the Magdalenian occupation and subsequent Federmessergruppen activities at the site. However, an intermediate radiocarbon date on an atypically preserved horse bone is suggestive of ephemeral human visits to the site between these well demonstrated phases. A date of similar age on an elk bone from Gönnersdorf may indicate broadly contemporaneous human presence at Gönnersdorf too. Stable isotope analysis of faunal remains from Gönnersdorf and Andernach-Martinsberg was conducted with the aim of both reconstructing and comparing local environmental conditions at the two sites, and also potentially identifying subtle variations in the chronological development of the two sites not detectable at the level of precision of current radiocarbon dating techniques. No spatial trends in the faunal isotope signatures were observed within each site. In the case of samples with both radiocarbon and isotope data, no chronological pattern was observed for the isotope results. The Magdalenian faunal isotope signatures at the two sites resembled each other, suggesting comparable climatic and environmental conditions. The faunal δ 13C signatures at Gönnersdorf and Andernach-Martinsberg were similar to those at contemporary European sites. While the faunal δ 15N values were similar to those at contemporary sites in Germany, the UK, and Belgium, they were lower than those from the South of France. This difference in δ 15N values is thought to relate to regional differences in the timing of changes in soil and plant nitrogen cycling in response to ameliorating climatic conditions.

Sols et structures d’habitat du Paléolithique supérieur, nouvelles données depuis les Cantabres : la Galerie Inférieure de La Garma (Cantabrie, Espagne)

A brief review is done of the history of the research on Upper Paleolithic floors and structures, with a general outline of the main substantive and theoretical–methodological aspects. On the resulting “state of the art” we present the preliminary results of the study of the occupation evidences from the Lower Gallery of La Garma. In essence, it constitutes an astonishing ensemble of extensive Middle Magdalenian occupation floors, exceptionally rich and quite well preserved, including several structures and associated with rock art paintings and carvings of that period. The potential of the site is superlative, and the research’s project already begins to offer some interesting results of which this article is a fairly small advance.

El Tossal de la Roca (Alicante). Nuevos datos sobre el Magdaleniense Mediterráneo de la Península Ibérica

The latest research at Tossal de la Roca gives us a chronological framework of incredible value for the Late Glacial of Mediterranean Iberia. 19 radiocarbon dates let us place different Magdalenian and early Epipaleolithic occupations between 13.690 ± 50 and 11.820 ± 40BR Through comparative analysis of several lines of evidence we discuss the wide Magdalenian variability in Mediterranean Iberia. Finally the first find of a harpoon in Tossal de la Roca and the relevance given to this specific type of projectile point as an undoubted chronological indicator, oblige us to review the commonly used conceptions for defining this period.

Introduction

Introduction

Moving into sectors. Recent Dutch studies on the European Upper Palaeolithic - E. Rensink, 1993: Moving to the north: Magdalenian occupation and exploitation of the loess landscapes of Northwestern Europe, Leiden (PhD thesis), 168 pp. - D. Stapert, 1992: Rings and sectors: intrasite spatial analysis of stone age sites, Groningen (PhD thesis), 232 pp.

Moving into sectors. Recent Dutch studies on the European Upper Palaeolithic - E. Rensink, 1993: Moving to the north: Magdalenian occupation and exploitation of the loess landscapes of Northwestern Europe, Leiden (PhD thesis), 168 pp. - D. Stapert, 1992: Rings and sectors: intrasite spatial analysis of stone age sites, Groningen (PhD thesis), 232 pp.

Tito Bustillo cave (Asturias, Spain) and the Magdalenian of Cantabria

Abstract Meticulous new horizontal excavations in the original entrance of the painted cave of Tito Bustillo (Ribadesella, Asturias) have revealed a genuine, intact Upper Magdalenian living floor. It is rich in food remains, hearths, manufacturing debris, stone and antler tools, and mobile art works. A series of six radiocarbon dates shows this occupation to be remarkably early for one with an industry including classic antler harpoons (c. 13–14, 500 B.P.). Since preliminary soundings led earlier investigators to conclude, on the basis of lithic industry and one C14 date, that this was a Lower Magdalenian occupation, the nature of the supposed distinctions among Magdalenian phases is clearly called into question.