Pablo Arias

Se exponen los resultados de la datacion por C14 AMS de muestras de fauna domestica del nivel IC2 de Arenaza. Los resultados, situados en la primera mitad del V milenio cal BC, confirman la introduccion de especies domesticas en la region Cantabrica en fechas no muy alejadas de las regiones proximas, como el Alto Ebro. Asi mismo, sugieren una atribucion del nivel IC2 a un Neolitico antiguo analogo al horizonte Epicardial de la Espana mediterranea

The archaeological site of the Garma (Cantabria) is part of an active karst system with several levels of galleries interconnected by vertical shafts. La Garma houses an exceptional archaeological heritage that includes magnificent examS. Cuezva, et al. 2016. Investigación aplicada a la conservación preventiva del sistema kárstico de La Garma (Omoño, Ribamontán al Monte... 308 ples of Palaeolithic cave art and settlement floors in an amazing state of preservation, as well as valuable evidence of symbolic behavior of Pleistocene hunter-gatherers. Its heritage values have made it worthy of their inclusion on the World Heritage List of UNESCO in 2008. The conservation of this site is a priority and it has been recently launched a program of preventive conservation. The main objective of this project is to achieve a better knowledge of the underground ecosystem and the impact of human presence in the underground microenvironment, both for purposes of sound management and research of the cavity as well as for a hypothetical opening to the public in the future. The underground karst system of La Garma, with various levels of galleries and directly connected with active water table, involves a complex movement of matter (water, air masses and aerosols) and energy. To achieve an adequate knowledge of environmental dynamics, our research group is conducting a multidisciplinary study since February 2015 by employing specific methodologies for each interface involved: microclimate (cavity in three internal levels of karst and external atmosphere), hydrochemical (water infiltration and condensation), isotope geochemistry (air, soil) and microbiological contamination (air, soil, rock). Early data show very marked seasonal changes in the general ventilation pattern of the cavity (air renewal in winter) and areas with different microenvironmental stability, including sectors with a greater degree of isolation from the regime of general circulation of air in the cavity.

Mineral pigments, such as red and yellow iron oxide and oxi-hydroxide ores, are one of the natural resources exploited by Homo sapiens. Many hypotheses have been suggested for the use of colouring compounds, ranging from the symbolic and exclusive use of red ochre in Upper Palaeolithic burials, to daily activities. The discovery of cave art notably paved the way to new research. In the early 20th century, the chemist H. Moissan analysed some paintings from Font de Gaume and La Mouthe, finding ferrouginous ores classified as ochre (Clottes et al. 1990). The progress of studies and new discoveries gave rise to theories interpreting the use of pigments as a tangible evidence of the emergence of Modern Human Behaviour and of symbolism, as well as a proxy for the origin of language (Rifkin 2012). Further developments pointed to the fact that, over the Upper Pleistocene, as well as in later times, mineral pigments were used not only for their colouring properties but also to abrade and dry materials (Allard et al. 1997; Salomon 2009), to protect the human skin from the sun (Rifkin et al. 2015), to make adhesive agents (Becker & Wendorf 1993; Bocquentin & Bar-Yosef 2004; Gibson et al 2004; Lombard 2006) as well as medicines (Vélo 1984; Salomon 2009). The large number of ochre remains in some European prehistoric sites confirms the use of pigments in everyday activities of paleolithic and mesolithic human groups. From an archaeological perspective, to better understand the chaine operatoire behind the use of ochre, a redefinition of research methods is needed. Starting with the work done for the Franco-Cantabrian rock-art (Philibert 1994; Beyries et al. 1996; Clottes 1997, Ospitali et al. 2006; Hernanz et al. 2006; Arias et al. 2011; Jezequel et al. 2011; Olivares et al. 2013; Straus et al. 2015), the methods used in the systematic study of ochres from prehistoric Europe have not yet solved all problems connected to the exploitation of colouring compounds during Prehistory. The main objective of this work is the systematic study of archaeological ochres to better define the role of natural colouring materials within the symbolic, rituals and daily activities of hunter-gatherers that occupied the south-western Europe during Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic, sampling the remains from the archaeological sites of Grotta del Romito, Grotta di Pozzo, Grotta Polesini, Grotta delle Settecannelle, Grotta delle Arene Candide, Barma Grande, Grotta dei Fanciulli, Grotta di San Teodoro, S’Omu e S’Orku (Italy), Riparo di Araguina Sennola (Corsica), El Juyo, Los Canes, La Garma A, Los Azules, Arangas (Spain), Lagar Velho and Moita do Sebastião (Portugal), Téviec, Höedic and La Vergne (France). To better understand the raw materials, the transformation, the functions and the symbolic value of pigments, this study will be conducted according to an "integrated approach" supporting archaeological contents and data with analytical methods developed within the chemical and physical sciences. The selection of the ochre assemblages was made following these criteria: • chronology between 28,000 cal BP and 5,000 cal BP, • prehistoric contexts with funerary and/or domestic evidences; • geographical position of archaeological sites between northern Spain, south-eastern France, Italian peninsula, Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica and Portugal. The methodology of the research will be developed with a dual approach: theoretical and practical. The theoretical approach will cover the socio-cultural and symbolic dimension of human groups in south-west Europe during Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic. While the practical approach will focus on the analysis of physical and chemical parameters of archaeological ochre samples by stereoscopic microscope, SEM-EDS, Raman spectroscopy, XRF, XRD, FT-IR. The use of these instruments allows gaining information about elemental composition, size and shape of minerals, mineral phases, composition of the main elements, as well as defining the main characters of crystalline minerals subjected to heat treatment. To collect, organize and effectively manage the data will be create a Spectral Database for Prehistoric Colouring Compounds. Each spectrum will be used for comparison purposes and also to identify a particular substance or to better clarify the structure of a compound. The database will be available on-line. It will represent a system up to date, easily accessible and modifiable according to predetermined criteria. Different users will share data and will make quick searches with specific and customized access to support the security and protection of the data.

El Cierro se localiza en Fresnu, en el concejo de Ribadesella (Asturias). Sus coordenadas geográficas son 43º 27’ 26’’ de latitud N y 5º 06’ 20’’ de longitud O. Se sitúa a unos 83 m sobre el nivel del mar, del que dista en la actualidad 3,1 km en línea recta a la desembocadura del río Sella y 2,1 km a los acantilados de Tereñes. La cueva se encuentra en el extremo oriental del macizo asturiano de la Cordillera Cantábrica, en un sector formado por materiales paleozoicos de la Zona Cantábrica del Macizo Ibérico. Se trata de una cavidad kárstica situada en las calizas de La Escalada, del Carbonífero (Moscoviense), constituidas por calizas micríticas y bioclásticas de color gris y muy recristalizadas.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The introduction of farming had far-reaching impacts on health, social structure and demography. Although the spread of domesticated plants and animals has been extensively tracked, it is unclear how these nascent economies developed within different environmental and cultural settings. Using molecular and isotopic analysis of lipids from pottery, here we investigate the foods prepared by the earliest farming communities of the European Atlantic seaboard. Surprisingly, we find an absence of aquatic foods, including in ceramics from coastal sites, except in the Western Baltic where this tradition continued from indigenous ceramic using hunter-gatherer-fishers. The frequency of dairy products in pottery increased as farming was progressively introduced along a northerly latitudinal gradient. This finding implies that early farming communities needed time to adapt their economic practices before expanding into more northerly areas. Latitudinal differences in the scale of dairy producti...

Abstract Portable x-ray fluorescence spectrometry (pXRF) has become fundamental in prehistoric research since it enables chemical studies that preserve the integrity of rock art or other investigated archaeological objects. This unique and fragile expression of our ancestors requires the use of non-invasive and non-destructive in situ analytical techniques. This provides significant sources of physicochemical information for enhancing the comprehension of the symbolic and ideological realm of past societies. Thus, XRF data acquired in the field allow giving more detailed insights into the pigment used by Palaeolithic artists, the rock art organisation inside the cave and the different frequentation periods of it. However, if the qualitative study is now well established and routinely used, quantitative evaluation encounters difficulties linked to the context of the study (karstic environment in our case) and the heterogeneous nature of the analysed material (nature of the pigments used, presence of several layers, conservation state of the rock art, type of the rock art support). Moreover, the non-invasive nature of this technique is faced with a large number of data since it offers the acquisition of statistically relevant data by multiple measurements of different spots on the same figure. The present work struggles with the issue of filling the gap of well-adapted quantitative procedures devoted to caves or rock-shelters analyses, and offers efficient tools and methodologies, which take into account the specificities of the studied rock art and its context. Additionally, the evaluation procedures of the high volume of data have to be effective. The analyses of drawings, monochrome and polychrome paintings of three Palaeolithic key cave sites, namely Rouffignac and Font-de-Gaume in Dordogne, Southern-France, and La Garma in Cantabria, Northern Spain, illustrate the new approaches and procedures developed in this study.

La Galería Inferior de La Garma ha proporcionado numerosos indicios arqueológicos de la frecuentación de este sistema cárstico en los inicios de la Edad Media. Entre ellos destaca un contexto funerario datado a comienzos del siglo VIII en el que se han localizado los esqueletos de tres varones jóvenes, uno de los cuales vestía un cinturón con broche de hierro liriforme con decoración damasquinada. En este trabajo se describe detalladamente este objeto y se discute su contexto de aparición.

Abstract Mesolithic hunter-gatherer settlements generally leave ephemeral archaeological traces and are notoriously difficult to detect. Nowhere is this more so than on the northern coast of Spain, despite a long tradition of Mesolithic research. In this project, evidence of Mesolithic activity together with the geomorphological and topographical suitability of particular locations were used to select areas for large-scale geophysical survey. The results demonstrate the potential of the new methodology: magnetometry survey at El Alloru revealed the very first Asturian open-air settlement site to be discovered.

Within the framework of the project that we are conducting in the drainage of Sado River, mainly focused on the study of the Mesolithic shell mounds, we are carrying out archaeological surface surveys in order to identify new sites and relocate the already known ones. The surveys conducted aim to obtain a sequence of prehistoric settlement in an area that until this date was not sistematically surveyed. Although this project is focused on the study of the Mesolithic/Neolithic transition, the proposed methodology involved a total coverage of the area, as well as the recording of archaeological evidence, regardless of their chronology. Here we present a summary of these new sites of historical chronology, as a contribution to the archaeological knowledge of the area

The discovery in 1995 of the skeletons of fi ve young individuals dating to the seventh–eighth centuries AD in the Lower Gallery at La Garma, a place that is only accessible by descending two shafts 7m and 13m deep, provided solid archaeological evidence for the use of natural caves in Cantabria (northern Spain) for burial during the early medieval period. Recent excavation of similar contexts, such as the caves of Las Penas or Riocueva, together with the re-analysis of formerly known sites, is disclosing new, apparently heterodox, funerary behaviour during that period. This includes intriguing features such as the systematic crushing of human skulls, and the association of burned grain with bodies. Further analysis reveals that this form of funerary activity is not restricted to Cantabria. Evidence for such atypical burials can be found in other parts of the Iberian Peninsula and elsewhere in south-west Europe. This paper attempts to address the reasons behind such unusual funerary behaviour. Why were the bodies of some individuals hidden in remote areas of natural caves rather than being buried in ordinary cemeteries? Some hypotheses are discussed here and further lines of research are proposed.

A pesar de la gran abundancia de yacimientos atribuibles a este período (unos 130 sólo en el oriente de Asturias) (Fano 1998), la información disponible para el estudio de las áreas de hábitat de las sociedades relacionadas con el complejo arqueológico costero conocido como asturiense (viii-vi milenios cal BC) es muy escasa. Es éste un problema que ya preocupó al propio conde de la Vega del Sella, quien abogó por la existencia de espacios habitacionales al aire libre próximos a las cavidades (Vega del Sella 1923), pues éstas no habrían podido ser utilizadas para esta finalidad, dado que en algunos casos los concheros las habrían colmatado completamente. Años más tarde, G. A. Clark trató de contrastar esta hipótesis excavando frente a la boca de la cueva de La Riera (Clark, 1974), donde creyó haber documentado indicios de ocupaciones asturienses al aire libre. No obstante, estos resultados fueron cuestionados por revisiones posteriores (González Morales, 1982, Arias, 1991). Por el contrario, en la base del conchero de Mazaculos II se encontraron indicios de un asentamiento en la entrada de la cueva (González Morales, 1982), lo que volvió a poner sobre la mesa la posibilidad de la existencia de asentamientos hipogeos en el Mesolítico Cantábrico, planteamiento que fue considerado en trabajos posteriores, al evaluar la habitabilidad de las cavidades con conchero (Arias, 1991). Observaciones efectuadas en los años 1990, como la relativa a la topografía del terreno inmediato a las cuevas, no siempre favorable a la existencia de ocupaciones exteriores, corroboraron esa posibilidad, pero sin negar la probable presencia de asentamientos al aire libre (Fano, 1998).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

La Garma is one of the most outstanding sites for the study of Palaeolithic art, not only for the abundance and high quality of its paintings and engravings, but also by their association to extraordinarily preserved middle Magdalenian floors. Moreover, the latter include an important ensemble of Magdalenian portable art. A specific protocol has been created for the research of this site, focusing on non-intrusive techniques, with the aim of minimizing the effect of the archaeological work on the Palaeolithic floors and structures. Technological advances have been gradually adapted to the procedures, so the evolution of the research at La Garma provides an interesting overview on recent changes in the Archaeological methods for the study of Palaeolithic art and its context. Key words: Rock Art. Portable Art. Palaeolithic Floors. Recording Techniques. Cantabrian Region.

1 Department of Archaeology, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, United Kingdom. 2 The Cantabria Institute for Prehistoric Research, University of Cantabria, Edificio Interfacultativo, Avda. Los Castros s/n, 39005 Santander, Spain. 3 Departamento de Geografía, Prehistoria y Arquelogía, Facultad de Letras, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, c/ Tomás y Valiente s/n, 01006 Vitoria-Gazteiz, Álava, Spain. 4 Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology Department of Human Evolution, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany. 5 Facultad de Filosofía y Letras UNAM, Circuito Interior. Ciudad Universitaria, s/n. C.P. 04510. México, DF. México. 6 The Cantabria Institute for Prehistoric Research Cuevas Prehistóricas de Cantabria, Carretera de las Cuevas s/n, 39670 Puente Viesgo, Spain. 7 Department of Archaeology, University of Southampton, Avenue Campus, Highfield Road, Southampton, SO17 1BF, UK. 8 University of Barcelona/ICREA, Departament de Prehistòria, Història Anti...

The available information about the context of Palaeolithic portable art objects in Cantabrian Spain is discussed. It is concluded that portable art was frequent at most Palaeolithic sites in the region and that the objects were often integrated within everyday life. In addition, portable art is found in a significant number of Lower and Middle Magdalenian contexts that can be interpreted as ritual areas. A spatial association between the distribution of portable art and parietal art is also seen as being existent. Finally, it is acknowledged that the situation is complex and the meaning of portable art probably varied over time.

This work presents a geological approach to the characterizattion of lithic materials collected at the mesolithic Sado River's shellmidens, recognized between Alcácer and São Romão, 80 km SE of Lisbon. They contain abundant lithic materials from different lithologies, including mainly Siliceous Slates, Chert, Jasper and Quartz. A first look at the geological map pointed to a provenance from the Paleozoic terranes located close to the Torrão area, c. 20 km E of the occupation sites, or from the Quaternary terraces along the Sado river. However, regional geological field studies and the detailed analysis of both the raw and transformed lithic materials, led to a different conclusion. Most, if not all, of the lithic materials may have been collected in Paleogene conglomerates covering the region between Torrão and Alc The comparison between the regional extension of these conglomerates and of the shellmiddens, points to the " material availability " as a crucial factor fo...

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In spite of Spain’s long coastline (nearly 8000 km) and its well-established tradition in underwater archaeology, the prehistoric settlement of the continental shelf is practically unknown with very few finds. Underwater research has focused on naval archaeology and, until very recently, no attempt had been made to look for prehistoric sites. In the past decade, new research projects have been launched to explore selected areas on the Cantabrian shelf and offshore of Gibraltar . This chapter summarizes the currently available evidence of submerged prehistoric archaeology and the preliminary results of these new projects.