Transitional societies in the inner Tagus. The Mesolithic record of “El Conejar” cave, Cáceres (Spain)

Overview
Transitional societies in the inner Tagus. The Mesolithic record of “El Conejar” cave, Cáceres (Spain)
Journal MESO 2010 – The 8th International Conference on the Mesolithic in Europe
Authors Mejías del Cosso, Dolores; Rodríguez Hidalgo, Antonio J.; Canals, Antoni; Mancha, Eva; Aranda, Victoria; Barrero, Nova; Bermejo, Lucía; Cánovas, Isabel; Donadei, Paolo; García Vadillo, Francisco J.; García, Jesús; Marín, Juan; Modesto, Mario; Morcillo, Abel; Peña, Luna; Carbonell, Eudald
Volume
Issue
Year 2010
DOI
Abstract
Since 1917, Ismael del Pan begins excavations in “El Conejar” cave (Extremadura, Spain) this karstic cavity has been the centre of several archaeological excavations. In none of those made during the twentieth century could be documented archaeological levels in situ, so that their sequence of occupation was described through decontextualized or surface collected materials, all Neolithic or later. The research approach from a transdisciplinary perspective has allowed us to locate in recent years several sedimentary units in stratigraphy. One, called “Brecha Superior”, has at least one archaeological level dated by radiocarbon (8220 ± 40 BP). This record shows the presence of an occupational continuum in the study area, supplementing the population vacuum between the last Upper Palaeolithic record of the neighbouring Maltravieso Cave and first Neolithic occupations identified in “El Conejar”. The lithic tools recovered during three fieldworks plus to the paleoenvironmental and paleoeconomic data indicate the presence of Holocene hunter-gatherer adapted to the exploitation of ecosystems other than those normally present these chronologies (coast or estuaries). The closeness of the one classical areas for the investigation of the Mesolithic (Portuguese area) allows us to contextualize “El Conejar” in both the western peninsula and the rest of the Iberian Peninsula.

Deja un comentario