- e-mail: diez.garcia.marcos@gmail.com
- Palaeolithic Archaeology, Prehistoric Art, Prehistoric Rock Art, Origin of symbolic behaviour, Rock art chronology, Territorial organisation, and 17 moreTerritorial prehistory organisation, Middle to Upper Paleolithic Transition, Paleolithic Europe, Middle Paleolithic, Ice Age Cave Art, Evolution and Human Behavior, Radiocarbon, Series De Uranio, Termoluminiscencia, Arte paleolítico, Cornisa Cantábica, Paleolithic Art, Direct Chronology, Magdalenian, Behavioral Ecology, Gravettian, and Aurignacianedit
- Licenciado en Historia (rama curricular de Prehistoria) por la Universidad del País Vasco (1996), Diplomado en Arqueo... moreLicenciado en Historia (rama curricular de Prehistoria) por la Universidad del País Vasco (1996), Diplomado en Arqueología Práctica por la Universidad de Deusto (1996) y Doctor (especialidad Prehistoria) por la Universidad del País Vasco bajo la dirección de I. Barandiarán (2002).Ha sido profesor de licenciatura (en Historia) y grado (en Historia, Historia del Arte, y Geografía e Historia) en las universidades del País Vasco (2009-2017) e Isabel I de Burgos (2017-2019), de másteres en cuaternario en la universidad del País Vasco (2009-2019) y de máster en formación del profesorado en la Isabel I (2016-2018), y de doctorado en las universidades Rovira y Virgili de Tarragona (2004-2007) y País Vasco (2004-2009). Ha realizado estancias de investigación en Francia (Universidad de Bordeaux -1998-), Portugal (Parque Arqueológico del Valle de Côa -1999- e Instituto Politécnico de Tomar -1998-), República Checa (Laboratorio de Paleolítico y Paleoetnografía del Instituto de las Ciencias Checas -2002 a 2004-) y España (Universidad Rovira y Virgili -1997 y 1998-).Su ámbito de investigación se centra principalmente en el arte prehistórico, tanto paleolítico como postpaleolítico. Sus líneas de trabajo actuales preferentes se concretan en:•Origen de la conducta simbólica y del grafismo.•El desarrollo del arte paleolítico y el fin del estilo paleolítico.•Aplicación de técnicas cronométricas al estudio de arte prehistórico.•Territorialidad y movilidad de los grupos cazadores-recolectores.•Arte prehistórico como información paleoetnográfica.•Conservación, gestión y puesta en valor del Patrimonio Rupestre.Ha desarrollo trabajos arqueológicos y de conservación en España (entre otros, Ekain, Danbolinzulo, Altamira, Covalanas, La Haza, El Castillo, La Pasiega, Las Chimeneas, Coimbre, Covaciella, El Bosque, Venta Laperra, Los Casares, Ardales, etc.), Francia (Merveilles), Portugal (Foz Côa y Escoural), Italia (Grotta di Genovessi), República Checa (Dolní Vestonice y Paulov) y Timor (prospección de arte rupestre en el área de Tutuala). Su actividad de investigación ha sido reconocida positivamente por la ANECA con tres tramos de investigación (sexenios 1997-2005, 2006-2011 y 2012-2017). Está acreditado por la ANECA, en 2015, como profesor ayudante doctor, profesor de universidad privada y profesor contratado doctor. Además de la actividad académica y de investigación, ha desarrollo actividad laboral en el ámbito de la gestión del Patrimonio, trabajando como técnico superior en el Centro Nacional de Arte Rupestre del Ministerio de Cultura Portugués (1999 y 2000) y como Coordinador de Centros Culturales del Gobierno de Cantabria (2006 a 2010). Ha sido miembro de diversas comisiones y órganos de asesoramiento sobre patrimonio (comunidades de País Vasco, Cantabria, Asturias y Extremadura, Ministerio de Cultura del Gobierno de España) y miembro del Patronato del Museo Nacional y Centro de Investigación de la cueva de Altamira (2010-2012). Por último, destaca su actividad de transferencia, habiendo escrito varias guías de cuevas con arte rupestre y diversos libros de divulgación, así como numerosas charlas de divulgación científica y habiendo comisariado exposiciones para el Gobierno de Cantabria, la Fundación Atapuerca y el Museo Nacional y Centro de Investigación de la cueva de Altamira.edit
Ekain cave (Deba, Gipuzkoa) has been researched for the last five decades and has been kept closed to the general public. This fact has allowed an exceptional preservation of the depictions. The re-study of rock art sites discovered... more
Ekain cave (Deba, Gipuzkoa) has been researched for the last five decades and has been kept closed to the general public. This fact has allowed an exceptional preservation of the depictions. The re-study of rock art sites discovered during the 20th century and the improvement of the survey and recording methodologies are allowing significant advances in the Upper Palaeolithic research. In this paper we present a new graphic ensemble in the entrance gallery to Ekain cave, also known as Erdibide. We located several pigment stains, a triangular sign and an incomplete depiction of a bison, all drawn in red. This taxon is not new in the cave: other bison have previously been registered in black, red or even engraved; they are incomplete and, in general, lack internal details. Because of this there is a contrast with the horses, technically and stylistically more elaborated. The style of these bison, ascribed mostly to the Niaux morphotype, allows to associate them to the middle-to-late Magdalenian and would, probably, be culturally synchronic to the horses that characterise the cave.
RESUMEN La cueva de Ekain (Deba, Gipuzkoa) ha sido estudiada durante las últimas cinco décadas y se ha mantenido cerrada al público general por motivos de conservación, hecho que ha permitido que las grafías se preserven de una manera excepcional. El re-estudio de los conjuntos descubiertos durante el siglo XX junto con la mejora de los métodos de prospección y registro está permitiendo nuevos avances en la investi-gación del arte paleolítico cantábrico. En este artículo presentamos un nuevo conjunto gráfico descubierto en la galería de entrada a la cueva de Ekain conocida como Erdibide. Se han localizado restos de pigmento, un signo triangular y una representación parcial de bisonte en color rojo. Este taxón no constituye una representación nueva en la cueva. Se han registrado previamente otros, tanto pintados en negro o en rojo e incluso grabados; se caracterizan por estar incompletos y carecer, prácticamente, de detalles internos, hecho que contrasta con los caba-llos, técnica y estilísticamente más elaborados. El estilo característico de estos bisontes, adscritos al tipo Niaux, permite asociarlos a la fase media-avanzada del Magdaleniense y serían, muy probablemente, culturalmente sincrónicos al numeroso conjunto de caballos de la cueva. LABURPENA Ekaingo leizea (Deba, Gipuzkoa) azken bost hamarkadatan aztertu izan da eta publikoarentzako itxita egon da kontserbazio-arrazoiak direla-eta. Horri esker, grafiak bikain zainduta daude. XX. mendean aurkitutako multzoak berraztertu egin dira eta, aldi berean, hobetu egin dira zulaketarako eta erregistrorako metodoak. Horiei esker, aurrerapen berriak egin dira Paleolitoko arte kantauriarraren ikerketan. Artikulu honetan, Ekaingo leizearen sarrerako galerian, Erdibide izenekoan, aurkitutako multzo grafiko berria aurkeztuko dugu. Pigmentu-hondarrak, ikur triangeluar bat eta bisonte baten zati baten errepresentazioa, gorria, aurkitu dira. Taxon hori ez da leizeko errepresentazio berri bat. Au-rrez, beltzez edo gorriz margotutako beste batzuk ere erregistratuta daude; baita grabatuak ere. Osatu gabe daude eta ez dute ia barneko xehetasunik, zaldietan ez bezala; izan ere, zaldien irudiak, teknikoki eta estilistikoki, landuagoak dira. Bisonte horien estilo bereizgarriak, Niaux estiloak, aukera ematen du irudiak Madeleine aldiaren erdialdeko fasearekin edo fase aurreratuarekin lotzeko eta, seguru asko, leizeko zaldi kopuru handiaren sinkroniko izango ziren kulturalki. (1) Retorno a Ekain (Deba, Gipuzkoa): un nuevo conjunto gráfico paleolítico en la galería Erdibide
RESUMEN La cueva de Ekain (Deba, Gipuzkoa) ha sido estudiada durante las últimas cinco décadas y se ha mantenido cerrada al público general por motivos de conservación, hecho que ha permitido que las grafías se preserven de una manera excepcional. El re-estudio de los conjuntos descubiertos durante el siglo XX junto con la mejora de los métodos de prospección y registro está permitiendo nuevos avances en la investi-gación del arte paleolítico cantábrico. En este artículo presentamos un nuevo conjunto gráfico descubierto en la galería de entrada a la cueva de Ekain conocida como Erdibide. Se han localizado restos de pigmento, un signo triangular y una representación parcial de bisonte en color rojo. Este taxón no constituye una representación nueva en la cueva. Se han registrado previamente otros, tanto pintados en negro o en rojo e incluso grabados; se caracterizan por estar incompletos y carecer, prácticamente, de detalles internos, hecho que contrasta con los caba-llos, técnica y estilísticamente más elaborados. El estilo característico de estos bisontes, adscritos al tipo Niaux, permite asociarlos a la fase media-avanzada del Magdaleniense y serían, muy probablemente, culturalmente sincrónicos al numeroso conjunto de caballos de la cueva. LABURPENA Ekaingo leizea (Deba, Gipuzkoa) azken bost hamarkadatan aztertu izan da eta publikoarentzako itxita egon da kontserbazio-arrazoiak direla-eta. Horri esker, grafiak bikain zainduta daude. XX. mendean aurkitutako multzoak berraztertu egin dira eta, aldi berean, hobetu egin dira zulaketarako eta erregistrorako metodoak. Horiei esker, aurrerapen berriak egin dira Paleolitoko arte kantauriarraren ikerketan. Artikulu honetan, Ekaingo leizearen sarrerako galerian, Erdibide izenekoan, aurkitutako multzo grafiko berria aurkeztuko dugu. Pigmentu-hondarrak, ikur triangeluar bat eta bisonte baten zati baten errepresentazioa, gorria, aurkitu dira. Taxon hori ez da leizeko errepresentazio berri bat. Au-rrez, beltzez edo gorriz margotutako beste batzuk ere erregistratuta daude; baita grabatuak ere. Osatu gabe daude eta ez dute ia barneko xehetasunik, zaldietan ez bezala; izan ere, zaldien irudiak, teknikoki eta estilistikoki, landuagoak dira. Bisonte horien estilo bereizgarriak, Niaux estiloak, aukera ematen du irudiak Madeleine aldiaren erdialdeko fasearekin edo fase aurreratuarekin lotzeko eta, seguru asko, leizeko zaldi kopuru handiaren sinkroniko izango ziren kulturalki. (1) Retorno a Ekain (Deba, Gipuzkoa): un nuevo conjunto gráfico paleolítico en la galería Erdibide
Research Interests: Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Rock Art (Archaeology), World Cultural Heritage, Paleolithic Europe, and 12 moreArchaeology of Caves and Caverns (Archaeospeleology), Upper Paleolithic, Prehistoric Rock Art, Rock Art, Magdalenian, Paleolithic, Arte Rupestre, Ice Age Cave Art, Paleolithic Archaeology, Paleolítico, Arte Rupestre Prehistórico, and UNESCO world heritage
We have all asked ourselves when art first appeared; when humans first drew, painted, engraved, or sculpted forms in order to transmit concepts and ideas different from their formal materiality. It is not easy to answer that question... more
We have all asked ourselves when art first appeared; when humans first drew, painted, engraved, or sculpted forms in order to transmit concepts and ideas different from their formal materiality. It is not easy to answer that question because the information is based on archaeological evidence (with the limitations that this implies in terms of the object and the contextualization of its chronology and use) and modern conditioning factors about the understanding of the objects. The first consideration is obvious: what is art? To discuss this would be to enter an unending debate. To avoid that, as it is not the objective of this book, it is preferable to express our position directly. Art is a tangible creation through which the author, either an individual or a representative of a society, potentially transmits an idea or concept which goes (or may go) beyond formal materialization; a “formal vehicle” that a person or a group endows with a particular meaning. Therefore, it is a formal constructed graphic language, perceived and understood by the members of the human group that created it and which may also possess a potential meaning beyond the “precise moment” of its creation and thus possess a sense of timelessness. It should also be added that art is not necessarily associated with beauty. The current state of discussion of this topic in our discipline has demonstrated that aspect of beauty forms part of the “vehicle” of the meaning that the forms generate in the observer and interpreter of the graphic creation. This is to say that with a greater perception of beauty (something that pleases the eye and, by extension, the “spirit” of the observer), there is great ease of comprehension and/or acceptance of
the message. The study of the origins of art, or graphic languages, is not simple as we do not possess all the evidence that would enable a precise conclusion. However, archaeology, with the material evidence that has reached us and which it has succeeded in discovering, is endeavoring to seek the origins. It is a constant and intense search in which scientific debate is not out of place.
the message. The study of the origins of art, or graphic languages, is not simple as we do not possess all the evidence that would enable a precise conclusion. However, archaeology, with the material evidence that has reached us and which it has succeeded in discovering, is endeavoring to seek the origins. It is a constant and intense search in which scientific debate is not out of place.
Research Interests: Prehistoric Archaeology, Art History, Languages and Linguistics, Rock Art (Archaeology), Palaeolithic Archaeology, and 15 morePrehistoric Art, Neanderthals (Palaeolithic Archaeology), Lower Paleolithic, Middle to Upper Paleolithic Transition, Origin of Language, Lower and Middle Paleolithic, Middle Palaeolithic, Prehistoric Rock Art, Rock Art, Paleolithic, Paleolithic Art, Neanderthals, Paleolithic Archaeology, Homo Erectus, and Rock art research
Aubert et al. (2018) discuss and criticize age constraints for Paleolithic cave paintings recently published by Hoffmann et al. (2018). Aubert et al. (2018) reiterate the importance of demonstrating the human origin of the painting as... more
Aubert et al. (2018) discuss and criticize age constraints for
Paleolithic cave paintings recently published by Hoffmann et al.
(2018). Aubert et al. (2018) reiterate the importance of demonstrating
the human origin of the painting as well as the stratigraphic
relationship between the dated calcite and the art. They
argue that (1) in Ardales the red pigment found on curtain formations
could be of natural origin, or accidently transferred onto
the speleothem surface by humans, and (2) in Maltravieso and La
Pasiega we have not demonstrated that the dated calcite formations
overlie the pigment. Here we clarify why we feel these
criticisms are unfounded.
Paleolithic cave paintings recently published by Hoffmann et al.
(2018). Aubert et al. (2018) reiterate the importance of demonstrating
the human origin of the painting as well as the stratigraphic
relationship between the dated calcite and the art. They
argue that (1) in Ardales the red pigment found on curtain formations
could be of natural origin, or accidently transferred onto
the speleothem surface by humans, and (2) in Maltravieso and La
Pasiega we have not demonstrated that the dated calcite formations
overlie the pigment. Here we clarify why we feel these
criticisms are unfounded.
Research Interests: Prehistoric Archaeology, Rock Art (Archaeology), Prehistoric Europe (Archaeology), Paleolithic Europe, Prehistoric Art, and 15 moreNeanderthals (Palaeolithic Archaeology), Middle to Upper Paleolithic Transition, Prehistory, Middle Palaeolithic, Prehistoric Rock Art, Neandertals, Middle Paleolithic, Uranium series dating, Arte Rupestre, Chronology, Ice Age Cave Art, Prehistoric Archeology, Neanderthals, Cave art, and Arte Rupestre Prehistórico
We present in this work the integral study of the portable art of Fariseu (Côa Valley). Eighty-five engraved pieces and four painted ones form the studied collection. The chronological attribution to the Late Dryas/ beginning of the... more
We present in this work the integral study of the portable art of Fariseu (Côa Valley). Eighty-five engraved pieces and four painted ones form the studied collection. The chronological attribution to the Late Dryas/ beginning of the Pre-boreal is perfectly assured by the stratigraphic origin of the pieces. The technical and stylistic attributes of the figures are similar to some of the rock art of the Côa valley, making the collection an important chronological referent to a vast number of engraved and painted panels of the region. Those technical and stylistic attributes are also similar to others from Southwest Europe that are dated from the end of the Late glacial period, which denotes the affiliation of this rock art facies in a graphic tradition of a broader geographic range.
Research Interests:
The determination of the sex of the individuals who placed their hands on cave walls in order to leave the stenciled paintings of their hands, has been the subject of considerable debate in recent years. Many research projects have been... more
The determination of the sex of the individuals who placed their hands on cave walls in order to leave the stenciled paintings of their hands, has been the subject of considerable debate in recent years. Many research projects have been carried out with varied results. This study has attempted to obtain new data through an experimental approach that is then applied to the prehistoric hand stencils in El Castillo Cave. In the experiment, 77 samples (hand stencils) of western adults from the Iberian Peninsula, 46 women and 31 men, were taken. For each modern individual (22 women and 18 men), both the stencils and the real size of their hands were measured. This data was then compared with the Paleolithic stencils to determine whether there was a range of variation between the negative image and the actual hand. The measurements taken into account were the general hand length, index finger length and ring finger length. Discriminatory statistical analysis was used for the experimental work and the measurements collected in the field. In the data obtained in the experimental study, significant differences were observed in the length of male and female fingers, but not in the ring fingers themselves. Discriminant analyses show that it is the absolute finger lengths and not the ring fingers that are able to discriminate between men and women. By applying this function to 21 stenciled hands in El Castillo Cave, it was found that 11 belong to women and 10 to men, indicating equal gender representation. Three of the 21 hands may be wrongly sexed according to the discriminant function. However, there is a significant difference between the real finger measurements and the measurements of their stencils in the experimental study, as the negative images overestimate the real values.
Research Interests: Anthropology, Social and Cultural Anthropology, Rock Art (Archaeology), Palaeolithic Archaeology, Symbolic Anthropology (Anthropology), and 14 morePaleolithic Europe, Prehistoric Rock Art, Sexual dimorphism, Rock Art, Arte Rupestre, Ice Age Cave Art, Paleolithic Art, Palaeolithic Europe, Palaeolithic archaeology, Mesolithic archaeology, Prehistoric transitions, Environmental archaeology, Archaeozoology, Pleistocene fauna, Palaeoclimate, Refugia and recolonisation, Spatial analysis, Palaeolithic art and symbolism, Rock art research, Hands on science, Human Sexual Dimorphism, Cave art, Arte Rupestre Prehistórico, and Symbolic Behavior
Research Interests:
El presente texto constituye una síntesis de los resultados de los trabajos arqueológicos de campo relativos al estudio integral de las manifestaciones gráficas de la cueva de La Covaciella que se iniciaron en 2014 y que se desarrollaron... more
El presente texto constituye una síntesis de los resultados de los trabajos arqueológicos de campo relativos al estudio integral de las manifestaciones gráficas de la cueva de La Covaciella que se iniciaron en 2014 y que se desarrollaron hasta el año 2015, fecha en que se llevó a cabo la publicación monográfica (García-Diez et al., 2015), que incluyó valoraciones más amplias para integrar su arte en las discusiones del arte paleolítico europeo.
Research Interests:
Slimak et al. challenge the reliability of our oldest (>65,000 years) U-Th dates on carbonates associated with cave paintings in Spain. They cite a supposed lack of parietal art for the 25,000 years following this date, along with... more
Slimak et al. challenge the reliability of our oldest (>65,000 years) U-Th dates on carbonates associated with cave paintings in Spain. They cite a supposed lack of parietal art for the 25,000 years following this date, along with potential methodological issues relating to open-system behavior and corrections to detrital or source water 230 Th. We show that their criticisms are unfounded.
Research Interests: Prehistoric Archaeology, Rock Art (Archaeology), Palaeolithic Archaeology, Geochronology, Symbolic Anthropology (Anthropology), and 15 morePaleolithic Europe, Prehistoric Art, Neanderthals (Palaeolithic Archaeology), Middle to Upper Paleolithic Transition, Middle Palaeolithic, Prehistoric Rock Art, Rock Art, Neandertals, Middle Paleolithic, Uranium series dating, Arte Rupestre, Paleolithic Archaeology, Arte Rupestre Prehistórico, Symbolic Behavior, and Series De Uranio
Slimak et al. challenge the reliability of our oldest (>65,000 years) U-Th dates on carbonates associated with cave paintings in Spain. They cite a supposed lack of parietal art for the 25,000 years following this date, along with... more
Slimak et al. challenge the reliability of our oldest (>65,000 years) U-Th dates on carbonates associated with cave paintings in Spain. They cite a supposed lack of parietal art for the 25,000 years following this date, along with potential methodological issues relating to open-system behavior and corrections to detrital or source water 230 Th. We show that their criticisms are unfounded.
Research Interests:
The timing and nature of the emergence of art in human evolution has been one of the more debated subjects in palaeoanthropology in the last few years, and one of the areas where archaeology has made impressive advances. Here, we discuss... more
The timing and nature of the emergence of art in human evolution has been one of the more debated subjects in palaeoanthropology in the last few years, and one of the areas where archaeology has made impressive advances. Here, we discuss the first evidence of figurative art on portable materials in the north of Spain. After analysis of the stratigraphic contexts of all examples potentially of this age, which eliminated those of uncertain provenance, only three examples can be said to be Gravettian with a degree of confidence. We examine their stratigraphic provenance, the integrity of their archaeological contexts, and the absolute dates available for them. We then discuss their thematic and stylistic traits, comparing them to the wider database of material in the adjacent regions of the French Pyrenees and Mediterranean Iberia. We conclude that figurative depictions were scarce in the Gravettian of southwestern Europe, in contrast to the relatively abundant examples of cave art assigned to this period in the region. If this is correct, we should nuance our discussions of 'Palaeolithic art' by considering that parietal and portable art had their own trajectories and functions, at least in the Early to mid-Upper Palaeolithic.
Research Interests:
Technological advances are enabling the discovery of new caves with rock art and of new graphic units in already known and studied caves. In this framework, a discovery was made in an unexplored gallery in Ekain (Deba, Gipuzkoa), a small... more
Technological advances are enabling the discovery of new caves with rock art and of new graphic units in already known and studied caves. In this framework, a discovery was made in an unexplored gallery in Ekain (Deba, Gipuzkoa), a small passage named La Fontana. Figurative representations (horses) and non-figurative marks (simple strokes) were traced on both walls using digital engraving on decalcified clay. This discovery prompted the re-study of depictions executed with the same technique in the final part of Azkenzaldei gallery, where a new ensemble of representations, mostly non-figurative, was also found. Since it is impossible to date these representations directly, we apply a stylistic analysis to establish their chronology. The comparison with other depic-tions in the same cave might point towards their execution during advanced phases of the Magdalenian. RESUMEN Los avances tecnológicos están permitiendo descubri-mientos de cavidades con arte rupestre y de grafías en cuevas ya estudiadas. En este marco se produjo el descubrimiento de una nueva galería en la cueva de Ekain, un conducto de reducidas dimensiones denominado La Fontana. En ambas paredes se documentan caballos y trazos simples ejecutados en trazo digital sobre arcilla. Este descubrimiento motivó el reestudio de figuras ejecutadas con la misma técnica en la ga-lería de Azkenzaldei, donde se localizó un nuevo conjunto de representaciones. En cuanto a la cronología, la imposibilidad de datar directamente las representaciones llevó a aplicar el análisis estilístico. La comparación con figuras de la misma cavidad apunta a que se tratan de grabados ejecutados en fases avanzadas del Magdaleniense.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The extent and nature of symbolic behavior among Neandertals are obscure. Although evidence for Neandertal body ornamentation has been proposed, all cave painting has been attributed to modern humans. Here we present dating results for... more
The extent and nature of symbolic behavior among Neandertals are obscure. Although evidence for Neandertal body ornamentation has been proposed, all cave painting has been attributed to modern humans. Here we present dating results for three sites in Spain that show that cave art emerged in Iberia substantially earlier than previously thought. Uranium-thorium (U-Th) dates on carbonate crusts overlying paintings provide minimum ages for a red linear motif in La Pasiega (Cantabria), a hand stencil in Maltravieso (Extremadura), and red-painted speleothems in Ardales (Andalucía). Collectively, these results show that cave art in Iberia is older than 64.8 thousand years (ka). This cave art is the earliest dated so far and predates, by at least 20 ka, the arrival of modern humans in Europe, which implies Neandertal authorship.
Unusually for a Palaeolithic cave, the Grotta di Cala dei Genovesi on the island of Levanzo, off the west coast of Sicily, Italy, has yielded evidence of both parietal and mobiliary art. Developments in dating techniques since the... more
Unusually for a Palaeolithic cave, the Grotta di Cala dei Genovesi on the island of Levanzo, off the west coast of Sicily, Italy, has yielded evidence of both parietal and mobiliary art. Developments in dating techniques since the excavations of the 1950s now allow the age of the mobiliary art— an engraved aurochs—to be determined. At the same time, stylistic comparison of the parietal art at Grotta di Cala dei Genovesi with other broadly contemporaneous sites that demonstrate well-documented cave art allows a relative chronology to be proposed. The two methods taken together enable a direct chronological comparison to be made between the production of parietal and mobiliary art at this important cave site.
Research Interests:
La cueva de Praileaitz I contiene en su interior un conjunto de arte rupestre de puntos y líneas rojos, organizados en varios casos formando series, sobre la pared y principalmente formaciones de calcita tipo bandera. Fueron realizados... more
La cueva de Praileaitz I contiene en su interior un conjunto de arte rupestre de puntos y líneas rojos, organizados en varios casos formando series, sobre la pared y principalmente formaciones de calcita tipo bandera. Fueron realizados con los dedos y, la mayor parte, en lugares que debido a su color, el contraste cromático con el soporte e implantación muestran un alto grado de visibilidad. Su localización y temática, así como la existencia de conjuntos similares en la Península Ibérica, permite considerar su carácter paleolítico, sin poder precisar más su cronología.
Praileaitz I cave has an ensemble of cave art which comprises red dots and lines, occasionally arranged in series over the cave wall but mostly in flag calcite formations. These were traced with the fingers and, for the most part, in places that, due to its color, the contrast with the cave wall color and the placement, show a high degree of visibility. Its location and theme, as well as the presence of similar ensembles in the Iberian Peninsula, allow considering its Paleolithic age, but without any other marker it is not possible to be more specific about its chronology.
Praileaitz I cave has an ensemble of cave art which comprises red dots and lines, occasionally arranged in series over the cave wall but mostly in flag calcite formations. These were traced with the fingers and, for the most part, in places that, due to its color, the contrast with the cave wall color and the placement, show a high degree of visibility. Its location and theme, as well as the presence of similar ensembles in the Iberian Peninsula, allow considering its Paleolithic age, but without any other marker it is not possible to be more specific about its chronology.
Research Interests:
El dolmen del Alto de la Huesera fue excavado en 1948. En 2010 se inició una intervención arqueológica con el fin de determinar el estado del monumento y su posterior puesta en valor. Durante estos trabajos se localizó una losa decorada... more
El dolmen del Alto de la Huesera fue excavado en 1948. En 2010 se inició una intervención arqueológica con el fin de determinar el estado del monumento y su posterior puesta en valor. Durante estos trabajos se localizó una losa decorada de arenisca en el túmulo, junto al corredor, datable en el Calcolítico. Presenta cinco profundos surcos paralelos horizontales que se cierran en un extremo describiendo una forma acampanada y dos formas apuntadas que se relacionan con puñales de lengüeta. Esta nueva localización y la revisión de los grafitos postpaleolíticos del sector vasco-navarro documentan la diversidad gráfica en temas y contextos de este fenómeno artístico de la Prehistoria.
The Alto de la Huesera dolmen was excavated in 1948. In 2010 a new archaeological fieldwork started with the objective of determining the condition of the monument, subsequently restoring it. In these works the team located a sandstone stela in the burial mound and beside the corridor, datable to the Chalcolithic age. The engravings are five deep parallel grooves that come in contact at the end creating a bell-shaped form and two pointed shapes that are connected with a ‘puñal de lengüeta’. This discovery and the revision of the post-Paleolithic graphic entities from the Basque-Navarre area allow the documentation of the graphic diversity, both in theme and context, of the artistic phenomenon of Prehistory.
The Alto de la Huesera dolmen was excavated in 1948. In 2010 a new archaeological fieldwork started with the objective of determining the condition of the monument, subsequently restoring it. In these works the team located a sandstone stela in the burial mound and beside the corridor, datable to the Chalcolithic age. The engravings are five deep parallel grooves that come in contact at the end creating a bell-shaped form and two pointed shapes that are connected with a ‘puñal de lengüeta’. This discovery and the revision of the post-Paleolithic graphic entities from the Basque-Navarre area allow the documentation of the graphic diversity, both in theme and context, of the artistic phenomenon of Prehistory.
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L'étude des convergences et des divergences graphiques dans l'art Paléolithique est utilisée pour comprendre la culture, les territoires et les systèmes d'interaction des groupes humains. L'ensemble rupestre de la grotte de La Covaciella... more
L'étude des convergences et des divergences graphiques dans l'art Paléolithique est utilisée pour comprendre la culture, les territoires et les systèmes d'interaction des groupes humains. L'ensemble rupestre de la grotte de La Covaciella contient quinze représentations d'animaux et d'autres motifs linéaires, géométriques et des points. La présence de représentations de bison est remarquable. Certains sont exécutés avec des procédés techniques très complexes. Deux d'entre eux ont été datés par la méthode du C 14 AMS et deux dates ont été obtenues : 14 260 AE 130 BP (17 733–16 973 cal BP) et 14 060 AE 140 BP (17 503– 16 260 cal BP). Chronologiquement, ces résultats correspondent au début du Magdalénien moyen ou à la fin du Magdalénien inférieur. D'autres figures similaires à celles des bisons de La Covaciella ont été retrouvées dans d'autres sites d'Europe occidentale. Le nombre de bisons qui possèdent des ressemblances graphiques avec les deux morphotypes de bisons présents dans la cavité, pyrénéen (morphotype Niaux) et périgourdin (morphotype Font-de-Gaume), est très élevé. Une première considération qui résulte de la recherche de comparaisons suppose une nouvelle interprétation de la valeur territoriale qui implique le terme « style Pyrénéen » (Asturies, Cantabrie, PaysBasque, Navarre, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Hautes-Pyrénées, Haute-Garonne, Ariège, Dordogne, Lot, Ardèche et Vienne). Le morphotype pariétal Font-de-Gaume est le plus commun en Dordogne. En outre, dans quelques cas, il existe une complémentarités spatiale entre les deux morphotypes graphiques. Cet article propose différentes hypothèses chronologiques et anthropologiques pour expliquer la distribution et la coexistence des deux modèles graphiques.
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U-series dating is a precise and accurate geochronological tool which is widely applied to date secondary CaCO 3 formation, for example in speleothem based palaeoclimate research. It can also be employed to provide chronological... more
U-series dating is a precise and accurate geochronological tool which is widely applied to date secondary CaCO 3 formation, for example in speleothem based palaeoclimate research. It can also be employed to provide chronological constraints for archaeological sites which have a stratigraphic relationship with speleothem formations. We present in detail our methods to conduct precise and accurate U-Th dating of calcite crusts that formed on top of cave paintings. Our protocols allow the application of U-series measurements on small, thin calcite crusts covering cave art, which can be found in many sites, while taking care not to harm the art underneath. The method provides minimum ages for the covered art and, where possible, also maximum ages by dating the flowstone layer the art is painted on. We present dating results for crusts from two locality types in Spain, a typical cave environment (La Pasiega) and a more open, rock shelter type cave (Fuente del Trucho).
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In the course of the last decades, new cave art discoveries such as La Garma, Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc, Le Reseau Clastres in the Niaux Cave, Cosquer and Cussac have allowed researchers to advance in context and spatial studies related to the... more
In the course of the last decades, new cave art discoveries such as La Garma, Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc, Le Reseau Clastres in the Niaux Cave, Cosquer and Cussac have allowed researchers to advance in context and spatial studies related to the art. This has been possible because the decorated chambers were intact at the moment of the discovery and, soon after, protocols were put in place to protect these invaluable records. These types of caves are a minority. In the Cantabrian region, most of the discoveries took place at the beginning of the 20th century and, in some cases, a few years after the first studies were published, the caves were greatly modified to prepare them for tourist visits in the 1950s. However, the study of historical documents can provide information regarding the context and the original spatial distribution of the caves. Using the available data from different historical sources such as pictures, descriptions, sketches, plans, etc. available in publications and unpublished materials, we can reconstruct, to a limited extent, the appearance of a cave in the moment of its discovery. The information gathered by the different researchers in the last hundred years to advance in the knowledge of La Pasiega cave in Puente Viesgo (Cantabria) is used to prove the validity of this approach. The results, combining information from the available sources and careful observation in the cave, are positive, allowing us to advance significantly in the understanding of the cave's spatial characteristics.
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En los últimos años la prehistoria ha sufrido una profunda transformación. Procedimientos, protocolos y técnicas de la geología, biología, antropología, arte, etc. se han ido incorporando a “lo prehistórico”, nutriendo y enriqueciendo el... more
En los últimos años la prehistoria ha sufrido una profunda transformación. Procedimientos, protocolos y técnicas de la geología, biología, antropología, arte, etc. se han ido incorporando a “lo prehistórico”, nutriendo y enriqueciendo el estudio e interpretación de las conductas humanas pasadas.
Con este libro, estructurado a modo de manual, se pretende dar al lector las claves para el estudio de los materiales arqueológicos: huesos, piedras, obras artísticas, carbones, sedimento, etc. Por ello se aborda, de modo multi e interdisciplinar y en 31 capítulos escritos por especialistas de cada materia, una amplia variedad de temas de conocimiento: la prospección y excavación, la cronología, el análisis de los depósitos arqueológicos, el análisis macro y microespacial, analíticas de índole ambiental y de explotación del paisaje, estudio de huesos humanos y de animales, estudio de materiales arqueológicos (líticos, óseos, cerámicos, metalúrgicos, etc.) y gráficos, funcionalidad, arqueología experimental y enfoques etnográficos básicos en muchos casos para la interpretación.
Con este libro, estructurado a modo de manual, se pretende dar al lector las claves para el estudio de los materiales arqueológicos: huesos, piedras, obras artísticas, carbones, sedimento, etc. Por ello se aborda, de modo multi e interdisciplinar y en 31 capítulos escritos por especialistas de cada materia, una amplia variedad de temas de conocimiento: la prospección y excavación, la cronología, el análisis de los depósitos arqueológicos, el análisis macro y microespacial, analíticas de índole ambiental y de explotación del paisaje, estudio de huesos humanos y de animales, estudio de materiales arqueológicos (líticos, óseos, cerámicos, metalúrgicos, etc.) y gráficos, funcionalidad, arqueología experimental y enfoques etnográficos básicos en muchos casos para la interpretación.
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The red disks from El Castillo Cave are among the earliest known cave paintings. Here, we combine the morphometric and technological study of red disks from two areas located at the end of the cave with the microscopic, elemental, and... more
The red disks from El Castillo Cave are among the earliest known cave paintings. Here, we combine the morphometric and technological study of red disks from two areas located at the end of the cave with the microscopic, elemental, and mineralogical analysis of the pigment and compare the results obtained with observations derived from experimental replication. Ergonomic constraints imply that a number of disks were made by adults, and the differences in pigment texture and composition suggest that they correspond to an accumulation through time of panels made by different persons who shared neither the same technical know-how nor, very possibly, the same symbolic system.
Research Interests: Prehistoric Archaeology, Rock Art (Archaeology), Palaeolithic Archaeology, Symbolism, Raman Spectroscopy, and 18 moreWorld Cultural Heritage, Prehistoric Europe (Archaeology), Paleolithic Europe, Prehistoric Art, Upper Paleolithic, Prehistoric Rock Art, Rock Art, Cantabrian Palaeolithic, Raman, Cantabrian Region, Ochre, Symbols, Pigments, Rock art research, Edxrf Analysis, Arte Rupestre Prehistórico, UNESCO world heritage, and Analysis of Pigments on Ancient Artifacts
The red disks from El Castillo Cave are among the earliest known cave paintings. Here, we combine the morphometric and technological study of red disks from two areas located at the end of the cave with the microscopic, elemental, and... more
The red disks from El Castillo Cave are among the earliest known cave paintings. Here, we combine the morphometric and technological study of red disks from two areas located at the end of the cave with the microscopic, elemental, and mineralogical analysis of the pigment and compare the results obtained with observations derived from experimental replication. Ergonomic constraints imply that a number of disks were made by adults, and the differences in pigment texture and composition suggest that they correspond to an accumulation through time of panels made by different persons who shared neither the same technical know-how nor, very possibly, the same symbolic system.
L'archéologie, basée sur l'étude des aspects matériels de la culture humaine, permet de mettre en évidence une partie de ce qui caractérise l'humain. La transformation et la systématisation d'objets naturels (outils liés à un processus... more
L'archéologie, basée sur l'étude des aspects matériels de la culture humaine, permet de mettre en évidence une partie de ce qui caractérise l'humain. La transformation et la systématisation d'objets naturels (outils liés à un processus technique), la recherche de la transcendance (sentiment devant la mort et enterrements) et la construction d’un symbolisme/langage médiatisé (ornements corporels et langage graphique et artistique) permettent de déterminer sur quelles bases et à quel moment s'est déroulé le processus d'humanisation. Un processus d'acquisition et de socialisation continue et progressive d’aptitudes et de capacités démarré il y a au moins 2,5 millions d'années avec Homo habilis.
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This paper concerns the dating of the Paleolithic rock art of the Fuente del Trucho cave. We used the U eTh method to date calcite crusts superimposed to the paintings. Whenever sub-samples of a single crust could be dated we obtained... more
This paper concerns the dating of the Paleolithic rock art of the Fuente del Trucho cave. We used the U eTh method to date calcite crusts superimposed to the paintings. Whenever sub-samples of a single crust could be dated we obtained stratigraphically consistent results and the correction for detrital contamination is negligible. Our results are strictly reliable as minimum ages and suggest that the decoration of this site is of a Gravettian or earlier age, even though a Solutrean chronology cannot be excluded in a few cases. These results are upheld by stylistical comparison with Spanish and French parietal and mobiliary art.
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The chronology of European Upper Palaeolithic cave art is poorly known. Three chronometric techniques are commonly applicable: AMS 14 C, TL and U-Th, and in recent years the efficacy of each has been the subject of considerable debate. We... more
The chronology of European Upper Palaeolithic cave art is poorly known. Three chronometric techniques are commonly applicable: AMS 14 C, TL and U-Th, and in recent years the efficacy of each has been the subject of considerable debate. We review here the use of the UeTh technique to date the formation of calcites that can be shown to have stratigraphic relationships to cave art. We focus particularly on two recent critiques of the method. By using specific examples from our own work using this method in Spain, we demonstrate how these critiques are highly flawed and hence misleading, and we argue that the U-Th dating of calcites is currently the most reliable of available chronometric techniques for dating cave art.
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Research Interests:
Landscapes and features of the everyday world were scarcely represented in Paleolithic art, especially those features associated with the human landscape (huts and campsites). On the contrary, other figurative motifs (especially animals)... more
Landscapes and features of the everyday world were scarcely represented in Paleolithic art, especially those features associated with the human landscape (huts and campsites). On the contrary, other figurative motifs (especially animals) and signs, traditionally linked to the magic or religious conceptions of these hunter-gatherer societies, are the predominant themes of Upper Paleolithic art. This paper seeks to present an engraved schist slab recently found in the Molí del Salt site (North-eastern Iberia) and dated at the end of the Upper Paleolithic, ca. 13,800 years ago. This slab displays seven semicircular motifs that may be interpreted as the representation of dome-shaped huts. The analysis of individual motifs and the composition, as well as the ethnographic and archeological contextualization, suggests that this engraving is a naturalistic depiction of a hunter-gatherer campsite. Campsites can be considered the first human landscape, the first area of land whose visible features were entirely constructed by humans. Given the social meaning of campsites in hunter-gatherer life-styles, this engraving may be considered one of the first representations of the domestic and social space of a human group.
Research Interests: Prehistoric Archaeology, Architecture, Rock Art (Archaeology), Palaeolithic Archaeology, Symbolism, and 14 moreArchitectural History, Symbolic Anthropology (Anthropology), Paleolithic Europe, Prehistoric Art, Upper Paleolithic, Prehistoric Rock Art, Rock Art, Paleolithic Archaeology, Upper Palaeolithic, Prehistoric portable art, Homo Sapiens, Origin of symbolic behaviour, Lanscape Architecture, and Arte Rupestre Prehistórico
The study of graphic convergences and divergences in Palaeolithic art is used to understand the culture, territories and interaction systems of human groups. The concept of graphic territory should be understood from a wide perspective.... more
The study of graphic convergences and divergences in Palaeolithic art is used to understand the culture, territories and interaction systems of human groups. The concept of graphic territory should be understood from a wide perspective. It represents a part of the symbolic territory and, at the same time, of the social territory. Therefore, graphic territory should be taken as the representation of convergences in form, techniques and/or style in the graphic language and expression of Palaeolithic groups.
The present reflection takes as its point of departure the bison in La Covaciella Cave in Cabrales, Asturias (north Spain). The ensemble consists of 15 animal representations, 14 linear motifs, four groups of dots, one geometric motif and one stain of colour. Radiocarbon dates are available for two bison: 14,260±130 BP (carbon) and 13,710±180 BP (humic acid fraction) for Bison 18, and 14,060±140 BP (carbon) and 13,290±140 BP (humic acid fraction) for Bison 20. These results correspond chronologically with the start of the middle Magdalenian or the very end of the lower Magdalenian.
The present reflection takes as its point of departure the bison in La Covaciella Cave in Cabrales, Asturias (north Spain). The ensemble consists of 15 animal representations, 14 linear motifs, four groups of dots, one geometric motif and one stain of colour. Radiocarbon dates are available for two bison: 14,260±130 BP (carbon) and 13,710±180 BP (humic acid fraction) for Bison 18, and 14,060±140 BP (carbon) and 13,290±140 BP (humic acid fraction) for Bison 20. These results correspond chronologically with the start of the middle Magdalenian or the very end of the lower Magdalenian.
Research Interests: Rock Art (Archaeology), Palaeolithic Archaeology, Paleolithic Europe, Prehistoric Art, Upper Paleolithic, and 7 morePrehistoric Rock Art, Rock Art, Arte Rupestre, Origin of symbolic behaviour, Palaeolithic Europe, Palaeolithic archaeology, Mesolithic archaeology, Prehistoric transitions, Environmental archaeology, Archaeozoology, Pleistocene fauna, Palaeoclimate, Refugia and recolonisation, Spatial analysis, Palaeolithic art and symbolism, Palaeolithic Art, and Arte Rupestre Prehistórico
The repertoire of Paleolithic portable art in Portugal is very meager. In December of 1999, during salvage archaeological excavations at the Fariseu Station (Vila Nova de Foz Côa, Portugal), two schist slabs were found in stratigraphic... more
The repertoire of Paleolithic portable art in Portugal is very meager. In December of 1999, during salvage archaeological excavations at the Fariseu Station (Vila Nova de Foz Côa, Portugal), two schist slabs were found in stratigraphic context. The archaeological deposit has not been dated radiometrically, but one of the slabs, containing rich thematic artwork, has been ascribed to the Magdalenian period based on the study of the lithic artifacts. The other slab, displaying a single zoomorphic figure, has been associated with early Magdalenian or Proto-Solutrean occupation. In this paper, evidence of this kind of artistic manifestations is reviewed for the context of the lberian peninsula, paying special attention to the Mediterranean region. Furthermore, the two slabs found are analysed in relation to the rock art of the Côa Valley in order to provide elements of chronological value for this rich repertoire of prehistoric rock art.
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Portable objects with figurative decoration found at sites in the Iberian Peninsula (Hornos de la Peña, Salitre, El Castillo, Covalejos, Morín, Lumentxa, Antoliñako Koba, Les Mallaetes and El Parpalló) are presented and discussed. The... more
Portable objects with figurative decoration found at sites in the Iberian Peninsula (Hornos de la Peña, Salitre, El Castillo, Covalejos, Morín, Lumentxa, Antoliñako Koba, Les Mallaetes
and El Parpalló) are presented and discussed. The stratigraphic position of each object is assessed, characterizing and, in some cases, discussing the nature of the decoration. The oldest figurative mobile art in the Iberian Peninsula can be attributed, based on the study of the portable ensembles, to about ~31.5 ky cal BP. Its morpho‐stylistic characterization reveals a graphic construction focusing on simple depictions in which the outlines of the animals are given priority.
and El Parpalló) are presented and discussed. The stratigraphic position of each object is assessed, characterizing and, in some cases, discussing the nature of the decoration. The oldest figurative mobile art in the Iberian Peninsula can be attributed, based on the study of the portable ensembles, to about ~31.5 ky cal BP. Its morpho‐stylistic characterization reveals a graphic construction focusing on simple depictions in which the outlines of the animals are given priority.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
La Península Ibérica es uno de los territorios geográficos naturales con mayor número de conjuntos con arte rupestre prehistórico. Su diversidad es grande ya que incluye una amplia variedad cronológica y estilística, e incluso una... more
La Península Ibérica es uno de los territorios geográficos naturales con mayor número de conjuntos con arte rupestre prehistórico. Su diversidad es grande ya que incluye una amplia variedad cronológica y estilística, e incluso una dispersión geográfica prácticamente total, a excepción del
fenómeno levantino circunscrito a la fachada mediterránea.
La UNESCO ha incluido en su Lista de Patrimonio Mundial cuatro "properties" localizadas en la Península Ibérica.
Considerando la diversidad del arte prehistórico y partiendo de la alta significación y enorme potencial en este ámbito de la Península Ibérica, se considera que existen lagunas de representatividad temática, cronológica y/o geográfica que pudieran servir para proponer nuevas candidaturas o
ampliaciones/extensiones de candidaturas ya existentes.
fenómeno levantino circunscrito a la fachada mediterránea.
La UNESCO ha incluido en su Lista de Patrimonio Mundial cuatro "properties" localizadas en la Península Ibérica.
Considerando la diversidad del arte prehistórico y partiendo de la alta significación y enorme potencial en este ámbito de la Península Ibérica, se considera que existen lagunas de representatividad temática, cronológica y/o geográfica que pudieran servir para proponer nuevas candidaturas o
ampliaciones/extensiones de candidaturas ya existentes.
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Ahondar en los orígenes de nuestro comportamiento sexual no es sencillo. Desde el primer homínido hasta nosotros, el Homo sapiens, las actitudes sexuales han variado. Simplificando el proceso, se pasó de un comportamiento animal a otro... more
Ahondar en los orígenes de nuestro comportamiento sexual no es sencillo. Desde el primer homínido hasta nosotros, el Homo sapiens, las actitudes sexuales han variado. Simplificando el proceso, se pasó de un comportamiento animal a otro propiamente humano, donde además de lo reproductivo entrarían en juego el erotismo, el placer, la belleza, el amor y la sensualidad. Desde el proceso fisiológico animal que supone el cortejo apareatorio y el ritual copulativo hasta las variadas manifestaciones de la esfera sexual humana, ha sido necesario todo un proceso evolutivo: la hominización sexual.
Los yacimientos prehistóricos han legado un conjunto limitado de grabados, pinturas y esculturas que permiten reconstruir la sexualidad humana. Son materiales inertes de los que los estudiosos extraen la información que esconden. Un trabajo no sencillo y lleno de numerosos, y a veces infranqueables, problemas. Hace unos 34 000 años, en fases tempranas del Paleolítico superior, aparecen las primeras representaciones femeninas. La representación humana en estos grupos nómadas, cuya subsistencia se basaba en la caza, pesca y recolección de frutos silvestres, es escasa. A pesar de ello las imágenes femeninas son las más frecuentes y definidas.
Los soportes de representación femenina son muy variados, e incluyen las paredes de cuevas y abrigos, y diferentes elementos en piedra, hueso, cuerno o barro cocido como piezas de arte mueble. Las técnicas de representación incluyen escultura, grabado, pintura o relieve. Algunas se representaron de frente y otras de perfil, unas completas y otras incompletas, unas naturalistas y otras un tanto estilizadas o esquematizadas, pero en todas ellas se reconocen rasgos de su identificación sexual.
Los yacimientos prehistóricos han legado un conjunto limitado de grabados, pinturas y esculturas que permiten reconstruir la sexualidad humana. Son materiales inertes de los que los estudiosos extraen la información que esconden. Un trabajo no sencillo y lleno de numerosos, y a veces infranqueables, problemas. Hace unos 34 000 años, en fases tempranas del Paleolítico superior, aparecen las primeras representaciones femeninas. La representación humana en estos grupos nómadas, cuya subsistencia se basaba en la caza, pesca y recolección de frutos silvestres, es escasa. A pesar de ello las imágenes femeninas son las más frecuentes y definidas.
Los soportes de representación femenina son muy variados, e incluyen las paredes de cuevas y abrigos, y diferentes elementos en piedra, hueso, cuerno o barro cocido como piezas de arte mueble. Las técnicas de representación incluyen escultura, grabado, pintura o relieve. Algunas se representaron de frente y otras de perfil, unas completas y otras incompletas, unas naturalistas y otras un tanto estilizadas o esquematizadas, pero en todas ellas se reconocen rasgos de su identificación sexual.
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At La Peña de Estebanvela, 43 portable art objects have been found in late Upper Palaeolithic levels. Most of the ensemble displays linear patterns forming complex signs. Three equids have also been identified. The decorative motifs at... more
At La Peña de Estebanvela, 43 portable art objects have been found in late Upper Palaeolithic levels. Most of the ensemble displays linear patterns forming complex signs. Three equids have also been identified. The decorative motifs at this site are presented and assessed in the context of the art of the last hunter-gatherer groups, demonstrating the existence of art in the last moments of the Palaeolithic (12 000 and 9500-9000 BP), after the time when Palaeolithic art is traditionally thought to have disappeared, at the end of the Magdalenian. A review at a European scale shows the existence of a common symbolism in the last stages of hunter-gatherer societies, which reflects social links.
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Research Interests:
Dans le cadre des études menées dans la grotte de Santa Ana, nous avons révisé les manifestations artistiques auparavant décrites par plusieurs auteurs. L’analyse actuelle montre que les sillons linéaires trouvés à l’intérieur de la... more
Dans le cadre des études menées dans la grotte de Santa Ana, nous avons révisé les manifestations artistiques auparavant décrites par plusieurs auteurs. L’analyse actuelle montre que les sillons linéaires trouvés à l’intérieur de la grotte correspondent à des trais produits par des animaux et non par une action anthropique.
En el marco del estudio integral de la Cueva de Santa Ana se han revisado las manifestaciones gráficas descritas previamente por otros autores. El análisis actual demuestra que los surcos lineales existentes en el interior de la cueva corresponden a rayas producidas por animales y no por una acción antrópica.
En el marco del estudio integral de la Cueva de Santa Ana se han revisado las manifestaciones gráficas descritas previamente por otros autores. El análisis actual demuestra que los surcos lineales existentes en el interior de la cueva corresponden a rayas producidas por animales y no por una acción antrópica.
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Este artículo describe el arte parietal descubierto en la Cueva de El Mirón (Cantabria, España) en el curso de las excavaciones dirigidas en el yacimiento por MGM y LGS desde 1996. El arte consiste en grabados, la mayoría de ellos... more
Este artículo describe el arte parietal descubierto en
la Cueva de El Mirón (Cantabria, España) en el curso de
las excavaciones dirigidas en el yacimiento por MGM y
LGS desde 1996. El arte consiste en grabados, la mayoría
de ellos aparentemente no fi gurativos en su estado
actual, pero hay una imagen de un caballo y otra de un
posible bisonte. Todos los grabados se localizan en el
fondo del gran vestíbulo, a plena luz, en íntima relación
con los depósitos de origen humano. El caballo y los
grabados lineales asociados a él en las paredes de la
cueva pueden atribuirse al Magdaleniense inferior o medio
sobre la base de su estilo y de la altura practicable
sobre las superfi cies de ocupación de estos períodos.
Datables con mayor precisión son dos grupos de grabados
lineales sobre un gran bloque que pueden asignarse
al Magdaleniense inferior cantábrico, un período bien
caracterizado por sus obras de arte mueble, como los
omóplatos grabados, en El Mirón y en otros varios yacimientos
regionales. El bloque cayó de la pared de la
cueva, con su cara exterior yaciendo sobre el nivel 110,
datado por radiocarbono en 16.130 ± 250 y 16.520 ± 40
BP. A partir de entonces se grabó su cara originalmente
interior. A continuación, el bloque y sus grabados fueron
progresivamente recubiertos por sedimentos del Magdaleniense
medio, superior y fi nal datados entre ca. 14.500-
12.000 BP. En suma, el arte descubierto y estudiado hasta la fecha en El Mirón puede atribuirse al Magdaleniense
inferior y medio, aunque el yacimiento estuvo
habitado por los humanos al menos desde el Paleolítico
medio hasta época medieval. El artículo concluye situando
el arte parietal de El Mirón en el contexto de las otras
numerosas (pero peor datadas) manifestaciones de arte
rupestre de la cuenca del río Asón, en la Cantabria Oriental,
que incluyen sitios tan notables como Venta de la
Perra, Covalanas, La Haza y Cullalvera.
This article describes the rock art discovered in El
Mirón Cave (Cantabria, Spain) during the course of
excavations directed by LGS and MGM since 1996. The
art consists of engravings: most are apparently non-representational
in their currest condition, but there is one
image of a horse and another of a possible bison. The
engravings are all located at the rear of the large, sunlit
vestibule of the cave, in intimate relationship with human
habitation deposits. The horse and associated linear engravings
on the cave wall can be attributed to the earlymiddle
Magdalenian on the basis of style and practicable
height above occupation surfaces of those periods. More
precisely datable, two series of linear engravings on a
large block can be assigned to the Lower Cantabrian
Magdalenian, a period well-endowed with works of portable
art, such as engraved scapulae, both at El Mirón
and in many other regional sites. The block fell from the
cave wall, its outer surface landing on Level 110, which
is 14C-dated to 16,130 ± 250 and 16,520 ± 40 BP. Then
the fl at inner surface of the block was engraved. Next,
the block and the engravings were progressively covered
over by sediments pertaining to Middle, Upper and Terminal
Magdalenian levels 14C-dated between ca. 14,500-
12,000 BP. In sum, the art discovered to date in El Mirón
can be attributed to the early and middle Magdalenian
period, although the site itself was inhabited by humans from at least late Middle Paleolithic through Medieval
times. This article concludes by placing the Mirón parietal
art within the context of the numerous other (but
less-well dated) cave art manifestations in the river Asón
basin of eastern Cantabria, including such notable sites
as Venta de la Perra, Covalanas, La Haza and Cullalvera.
la Cueva de El Mirón (Cantabria, España) en el curso de
las excavaciones dirigidas en el yacimiento por MGM y
LGS desde 1996. El arte consiste en grabados, la mayoría
de ellos aparentemente no fi gurativos en su estado
actual, pero hay una imagen de un caballo y otra de un
posible bisonte. Todos los grabados se localizan en el
fondo del gran vestíbulo, a plena luz, en íntima relación
con los depósitos de origen humano. El caballo y los
grabados lineales asociados a él en las paredes de la
cueva pueden atribuirse al Magdaleniense inferior o medio
sobre la base de su estilo y de la altura practicable
sobre las superfi cies de ocupación de estos períodos.
Datables con mayor precisión son dos grupos de grabados
lineales sobre un gran bloque que pueden asignarse
al Magdaleniense inferior cantábrico, un período bien
caracterizado por sus obras de arte mueble, como los
omóplatos grabados, en El Mirón y en otros varios yacimientos
regionales. El bloque cayó de la pared de la
cueva, con su cara exterior yaciendo sobre el nivel 110,
datado por radiocarbono en 16.130 ± 250 y 16.520 ± 40
BP. A partir de entonces se grabó su cara originalmente
interior. A continuación, el bloque y sus grabados fueron
progresivamente recubiertos por sedimentos del Magdaleniense
medio, superior y fi nal datados entre ca. 14.500-
12.000 BP. En suma, el arte descubierto y estudiado hasta la fecha en El Mirón puede atribuirse al Magdaleniense
inferior y medio, aunque el yacimiento estuvo
habitado por los humanos al menos desde el Paleolítico
medio hasta época medieval. El artículo concluye situando
el arte parietal de El Mirón en el contexto de las otras
numerosas (pero peor datadas) manifestaciones de arte
rupestre de la cuenca del río Asón, en la Cantabria Oriental,
que incluyen sitios tan notables como Venta de la
Perra, Covalanas, La Haza y Cullalvera.
This article describes the rock art discovered in El
Mirón Cave (Cantabria, Spain) during the course of
excavations directed by LGS and MGM since 1996. The
art consists of engravings: most are apparently non-representational
in their currest condition, but there is one
image of a horse and another of a possible bison. The
engravings are all located at the rear of the large, sunlit
vestibule of the cave, in intimate relationship with human
habitation deposits. The horse and associated linear engravings
on the cave wall can be attributed to the earlymiddle
Magdalenian on the basis of style and practicable
height above occupation surfaces of those periods. More
precisely datable, two series of linear engravings on a
large block can be assigned to the Lower Cantabrian
Magdalenian, a period well-endowed with works of portable
art, such as engraved scapulae, both at El Mirón
and in many other regional sites. The block fell from the
cave wall, its outer surface landing on Level 110, which
is 14C-dated to 16,130 ± 250 and 16,520 ± 40 BP. Then
the fl at inner surface of the block was engraved. Next,
the block and the engravings were progressively covered
over by sediments pertaining to Middle, Upper and Terminal
Magdalenian levels 14C-dated between ca. 14,500-
12,000 BP. In sum, the art discovered to date in El Mirón
can be attributed to the early and middle Magdalenian
period, although the site itself was inhabited by humans from at least late Middle Paleolithic through Medieval
times. This article concludes by placing the Mirón parietal
art within the context of the numerous other (but
less-well dated) cave art manifestations in the river Asón
basin of eastern Cantabria, including such notable sites
as Venta de la Perra, Covalanas, La Haza and Cullalvera.
Research Interests:
El Monte del Castillo contiene uno de los conjuntos de arte rupestre paleolítico más importantes. A pesar de que en la actualidad se tiene un conocimiento relativamente actualizado sobre las manifestaciones artísticas, la historia de la... more
El Monte del Castillo contiene uno de los conjuntos de arte rupestre paleolítico más importantes. A pesar de que en la actualidad se tiene un conocimiento relativamente actualizado sobre las manifestaciones artísticas, la historia de la gestión de las cuevas del Monte del Castillo,
vinculada al uso cultural y turístico, no ha sido objeto de atención. El presente trabajo, que abarca un lapso temporal desde 1903 a inicios de los años 70 del siglo pasado, recoge diversa información obtenida a través de la consulta de diversas publicaciones y de las Actas del
Patronato de las Cuevas Prehistóricas de Santander, del análisis de diversa información fotográfica de los años 50 y 60, y de la recopilación de información oral de personas que intervinieron activamente en los hechos acontecidos. A partir de ello se propone una articulación de la gestión
y actuaciones en cuatro etapas: a) 1903-1931: la figura de Hermilio Alcalde del Río y la mina de hierro “nombrada Rupestre”; b) 1931-1944: la Junta Superior de Excavaciones y Antigüedades; c) 1944-1950: primeras actuaciones del Patronato de las Cuevas Prehistóricas de la Provincia de Santander; y d) 1950-1971: Alfredo García Lorenzo y los grandes proyectos de adecuación y habilitación.
Monte Castillo contains one of the most important groups of caves with Paleolithic rock art. The archeology and rock art in the hill are well known, but the history of the management of the caves, linked to their cultural and tourist use, has not received researchers’ attention. This paper, which covers a time between 1903 and the early 1970s, gathers together information obtained through publications and the minutes
of the Patronato de las Cuevas Prehistóricas de Santander (Prehistoric Cave Trust), analysis of photographs from the 1950s and 60s, and
the oral information of people who were actively involved in the events. From this, we propose a division of the management activities in four stages: a) 1903-1931: Hermilio Alcalde del Río and the “nombrada Rupestre” iron mine; b) 1931-1944: the Higher Board of Excavations and
Antiquities; c) 1944-1950: first actions of Patronato de las Cuevas Prehistóricas de Santander, and d) 1950-1971: Alfredo García Lorenzo and large-scale projects to prepare the caves for visits.
vinculada al uso cultural y turístico, no ha sido objeto de atención. El presente trabajo, que abarca un lapso temporal desde 1903 a inicios de los años 70 del siglo pasado, recoge diversa información obtenida a través de la consulta de diversas publicaciones y de las Actas del
Patronato de las Cuevas Prehistóricas de Santander, del análisis de diversa información fotográfica de los años 50 y 60, y de la recopilación de información oral de personas que intervinieron activamente en los hechos acontecidos. A partir de ello se propone una articulación de la gestión
y actuaciones en cuatro etapas: a) 1903-1931: la figura de Hermilio Alcalde del Río y la mina de hierro “nombrada Rupestre”; b) 1931-1944: la Junta Superior de Excavaciones y Antigüedades; c) 1944-1950: primeras actuaciones del Patronato de las Cuevas Prehistóricas de la Provincia de Santander; y d) 1950-1971: Alfredo García Lorenzo y los grandes proyectos de adecuación y habilitación.
Monte Castillo contains one of the most important groups of caves with Paleolithic rock art. The archeology and rock art in the hill are well known, but the history of the management of the caves, linked to their cultural and tourist use, has not received researchers’ attention. This paper, which covers a time between 1903 and the early 1970s, gathers together information obtained through publications and the minutes
of the Patronato de las Cuevas Prehistóricas de Santander (Prehistoric Cave Trust), analysis of photographs from the 1950s and 60s, and
the oral information of people who were actively involved in the events. From this, we propose a division of the management activities in four stages: a) 1903-1931: Hermilio Alcalde del Río and the “nombrada Rupestre” iron mine; b) 1931-1944: the Higher Board of Excavations and
Antiquities; c) 1944-1950: first actions of Patronato de las Cuevas Prehistóricas de Santander, and d) 1950-1971: Alfredo García Lorenzo and large-scale projects to prepare the caves for visits.
Research Interests:
Paleolithic cave art is an exceptional archive of early human symbolic behavior, but because obtaining reliable dates has been difficult, its chronology is still poorly understood after more than a century of study. We present... more
Paleolithic cave art is an exceptional archive of early human symbolic behavior, but because obtaining reliable dates has been difficult, its chronology is still poorly understood after more than a century of study. We present uranium-series disequilibrium dates of calcite deposits overlying or underlying art found in 11 caves, including the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage sites of Altamira, El Castillo, and Tito Bustillo, Spain. The results demonstrate that the tradition of decorating caves extends back at least to the Early Aurignacian period, with minimum ages of 40.8 thousand years for a red disk, 37.3 thousand years for a hand stencil, and 35.6 thousand years for a claviform-like symbol. These minimum ages reveal either that cave art was a part of the cultural repertoire of the first anatomically modern humans in Europe or that perhaps Neandertals also engaged in painting caves.
Research Interests: Cognitive Science, Rock Art (Archaeology), Unesco, Symbolism, Symbolism (Art History), and 10 morePaleolithic Europe, Middle to Upper Paleolithic Transition, Upper Paleolithic, Prehistoric Rock Art, Rock Art, Ice Age Cave Art, Origin of symbolic behaviour, Cave art, Arte Rupestre Prehistórico, and UNESCO world heritage
Purpose: The primitive anthropological meaning of genital ornamentation is not clearly defined and the origin of penile intervention for decorative purposes is lost in time. Corporeal decoration was practiced in the Upper Paleolithic... more
Purpose: The primitive anthropological meaning of genital ornamentation is not
clearly defined and the origin of penile intervention for decorative purposes is lost
in time. Corporeal decoration was practiced in the Upper Paleolithic period. We
discuss the existing evidence on the practice of phallic piercing, scarring and
tattooing in prehistory.
Materials and Methods: We studied the archaeological and artistic evidence
regarding explicit genital male representations in portable art made in Europe
approximately 38,000 to 11,000 years ago with special emphasis on decorations
suggesting genital ornamentation.
Results: Archaeological evidence that has survived to our day includes 42 phallic
pieces, of which 30 (71.4%) show intentional marks to a different extent with a
probable decorative purpose. Of these ornamental elements 18 (60%) were recovered
from the upper Magdalenian period (11,000 to 12,700 years ago) in France
and Spain, and 23 (76.7%) belong to the category of perforated batons. Decorations
show lines (70% of objects), plaques (26.7%), dots/holes (23.3%) or even
human/animal forms (13.3%). These designs most probably represent skin scarification,
cutting, piercing and tattooing. Notably there are some technical similarities
between the motifs represented and some designs present in symbolic
cave wall art. This evidence may show the anthropological origin of current male
genital piercing and tattooing.
Conclusions: European Paleolithic art shows decoration explicitly represented
in a high proportion of portable art objects with a phallic form that have survived
to our day. Decorative rituals of male genital tattooing, piercing and scarification
may have been practiced during Paleolithic times.
clearly defined and the origin of penile intervention for decorative purposes is lost
in time. Corporeal decoration was practiced in the Upper Paleolithic period. We
discuss the existing evidence on the practice of phallic piercing, scarring and
tattooing in prehistory.
Materials and Methods: We studied the archaeological and artistic evidence
regarding explicit genital male representations in portable art made in Europe
approximately 38,000 to 11,000 years ago with special emphasis on decorations
suggesting genital ornamentation.
Results: Archaeological evidence that has survived to our day includes 42 phallic
pieces, of which 30 (71.4%) show intentional marks to a different extent with a
probable decorative purpose. Of these ornamental elements 18 (60%) were recovered
from the upper Magdalenian period (11,000 to 12,700 years ago) in France
and Spain, and 23 (76.7%) belong to the category of perforated batons. Decorations
show lines (70% of objects), plaques (26.7%), dots/holes (23.3%) or even
human/animal forms (13.3%). These designs most probably represent skin scarification,
cutting, piercing and tattooing. Notably there are some technical similarities
between the motifs represented and some designs present in symbolic
cave wall art. This evidence may show the anthropological origin of current male
genital piercing and tattooing.
Conclusions: European Paleolithic art shows decoration explicitly represented
in a high proportion of portable art objects with a phallic form that have survived
to our day. Decorative rituals of male genital tattooing, piercing and scarification
may have been practiced during Paleolithic times.
Research Interests: Prehistoric Archaeology, Urology, Human Evolution, Sexual Behaviour, Sexuality, and 16 moreGender and Sexuality, History of Sexuality, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Paleolithic Europe, Prehistoric Art, Upper Paleolithic, Evolution and Human Behavior, European Prehistory (Archaeology), European Archaeology, Ice Age Cave Art, Sexualidad, Tattoos, Cave art, Arte Rupestre Prehistórico, Body Modification (tattoos and Body Piercings), and Scarification
The rock art in Altamira Cave was the first ensemble of Palaeolithic parietal art to be identified scientifically (Sautuola, 1880). Due to the great thematic, technical and stylistic variety of the art in the cave, which constitutes one... more
The rock art in Altamira Cave was the first ensemble of Palaeolithic parietal art to be identified scientifically
(Sautuola, 1880). Due to the great thematic, technical and stylistic variety of the art in the cave,
which constitutes one of the most complete Palaeolithic art ensembles, Altamira was listed as World
Heritage by UNESCO in 1985. Uranium-series dating has recently been applied to figures on the decorated
ceiling in the cave. Several motifs are partly covered by thin layers of calcite precipitates, whose
formation process is datable by this method. The results provide the date when the calcite formed, which
gives a minimum age for the underlying depictions. These results confirm that the parietal art at Altamira
was produced during a prolonged period of time, at least 20,000 years (between 35,000 and 15,200 years
ago), and that part of the ensemble corresponds to the Aurignacian period.
(Sautuola, 1880). Due to the great thematic, technical and stylistic variety of the art in the cave,
which constitutes one of the most complete Palaeolithic art ensembles, Altamira was listed as World
Heritage by UNESCO in 1985. Uranium-series dating has recently been applied to figures on the decorated
ceiling in the cave. Several motifs are partly covered by thin layers of calcite precipitates, whose
formation process is datable by this method. The results provide the date when the calcite formed, which
gives a minimum age for the underlying depictions. These results confirm that the parietal art at Altamira
was produced during a prolonged period of time, at least 20,000 years (between 35,000 and 15,200 years
ago), and that part of the ensemble corresponds to the Aurignacian period.
Research Interests:
The last two decades have witnessed considerable advances in chronometric approaches to cave art, specifically with the application of new dating techniques (AMS 14C, U-series, Thermoluminescence). In this paper we assess all the... more
The last two decades have witnessed considerable advances in chronometric approaches to cave art,
specifically with the application of new dating techniques (AMS 14C, U-series, Thermoluminescence). In
this paper we assess all the currently available chronological information (numerical dates, stylistic
comparisons between portable and cave art, the immediate context of art and its relationship with
archaeological strata and wider artistic styles) pertaining to cave art of the western Pyrenean and eastern
Cantabrian regions, in order to summarize the evolution of art in this important area. The data allow only
an imprecise definition of a broad chronological framework for the area of study: at present we cannot
define precisely the origins of figurative cave art in the area; the earliest (Pre-Magdalenian) cycle is
characterized by basic figures in which, frequently, only the outline is represented. By contrast, in the
later (Magdalenian) cycle the figures are naturalistic and realistically composed. The critical analysis of
available chronological information is necessary in order for us to advance towards the construction of
more solid and less subjective frameworks for the development of art.
specifically with the application of new dating techniques (AMS 14C, U-series, Thermoluminescence). In
this paper we assess all the currently available chronological information (numerical dates, stylistic
comparisons between portable and cave art, the immediate context of art and its relationship with
archaeological strata and wider artistic styles) pertaining to cave art of the western Pyrenean and eastern
Cantabrian regions, in order to summarize the evolution of art in this important area. The data allow only
an imprecise definition of a broad chronological framework for the area of study: at present we cannot
define precisely the origins of figurative cave art in the area; the earliest (Pre-Magdalenian) cycle is
characterized by basic figures in which, frequently, only the outline is represented. By contrast, in the
later (Magdalenian) cycle the figures are naturalistic and realistically composed. The critical analysis of
available chronological information is necessary in order for us to advance towards the construction of
more solid and less subjective frameworks for the development of art.
Research Interests:
This paper presents a study of a pecked pebble from the Middle Paleolithic recovered more than 30 years ago in Axlor rockshelter in the Spanish Basque Country. At the time of the discovery, the piece was described as being deliberately... more
This paper presents a study of a pecked pebble from the Middle Paleolithic recovered more than 30 years ago in Axlor rockshelter in the Spanish Basque Country. At the time of the discovery, the piece was described as being deliberately modified, but since then it has been either ignored or described only as problematic evidence of Neanderthal symbolic behavior. In this work, we provide a new description and additional documentation of the piece, and we discuss its anthropic nature and the possibility that its meaning can be related to the small but credible record of graphic behavior known for early hominin groups prior to the Upper Paleolithic in Europe. The linear design theme of the Axlor piece is similar to that of other items made by European Neanderthals. These artifacts confirm the capability of pre-Homo sapiens sapiens humans to create and use portable “art.” This tradition is evidence of the emergence of “behavioral modernity” among late Neanderthals.
Research Interests: Cognitive Science, Palaeolithic Archaeology, Symbolism, Paleolithic Europe, Neanderthals (Palaeolithic Archaeology), and 9 moreMiddle to Upper Paleolithic Transition, Modern human origins, Paleolithic art, rock art, Middle Palaeolithic, Paleolithic Art, Paleolithic Archaeology, Prehistoric portable art, Origin of symbolic behaviour, Middle to Upper Palaeolithic Transition, and Mobiliary Art
The hand stencils of European Paleolithic art tend to be considered of pre-Magdalenian age and scholars have generally assigned them to the Gravettian period. At El Castillo Cave, application of U-series dating to calcite accretions has... more
The hand stencils of European Paleolithic art tend to be considered of pre-Magdalenian
age and scholars have generally assigned them to the Gravettian period. At El Castillo Cave, application of
U-series dating to calcite accretions has established a minimum age of 37,290 years for underlying red hand
stencils, implying execution in the earlier part of the Aurignacian if not beforehand. Together with the series
of red disks, one of which has a minimum age of 40,800 years, these motifs lie at the base of the El Castillo
parietal stratigraphy. The similarity in technique and colour support the notion that both kinds of artistic
manifestations are synchronic and define an initial, non-figurative phase of European cave art. However,
available data indicate that hand stencils continued to be painted subsequently. Currently, the youngest,
reliably dated examples fall in the Late Gravettian, approximately 27,000 years ago.
age and scholars have generally assigned them to the Gravettian period. At El Castillo Cave, application of
U-series dating to calcite accretions has established a minimum age of 37,290 years for underlying red hand
stencils, implying execution in the earlier part of the Aurignacian if not beforehand. Together with the series
of red disks, one of which has a minimum age of 40,800 years, these motifs lie at the base of the El Castillo
parietal stratigraphy. The similarity in technique and colour support the notion that both kinds of artistic
manifestations are synchronic and define an initial, non-figurative phase of European cave art. However,
available data indicate that hand stencils continued to be painted subsequently. Currently, the youngest,
reliably dated examples fall in the Late Gravettian, approximately 27,000 years ago.
Research Interests: Cognitive Science, Rock Art (Archaeology), Palaeolithic Archaeology, Paleolithic Europe, Middle to Upper Paleolithic Transition, and 8 moreModern human origins, Paleolithic art, rock art, Upper Paleolithic, Prehistoric Rock Art, Rock Art, Ice Age Cave Art, Paleolithic Art, Origin of symbolic behaviour, and Cave art
Research Interests: Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Material Culture Studies, Landscape Archaeology, Rock Art (Archaeology), and 24 moreArchaeological Method & Theory, Neolithic Archaeology, Modern human origins, Paleolithic art, rock art, Arqueology, Arqueología, Prehistoric Rock Art, Rock Art, Arte Rupestre, Arqueologia, Antropología, Arqueología del Paisaje, Arte esquemática, Prehistroy Ironage and Rockarts, Pre-Historic Rockart, Rock art research, Schematic Rock Art; Atlantic Rock Art; Arte Rupestre de Lanhelas, Arte Atlântica, Arte Esquemática, Arte Rupestre Prehistórico, Arte Rupeste, Rock art recording, Arte Rupestre Esquemático, Schematic Rock Art, Rituais Funerário, Arte Rupestre Postpaleolítico, and Arte Rupestre Pre-esquemático
Libro sobre métodos y técnicas en arqueología prehistórica que se estructura en los siguientes capítulos: La prospección de superficie, La excavación arqueológica, La datación por carbono-14, La datación por las series de Uranio, La... more
Libro sobre métodos y técnicas en arqueología prehistórica que se estructura en los siguientes capítulos: La prospección de superficie, La excavación arqueológica, La datación por carbono-14, La datación por las series de Uranio, La datación por Resonancia Paramagnética Electrónica (ESR), La datación por luminiscencia de sedimentos arqueológicos, Paleomagnetismo, La reconstrucción de los medios físicos y el análisis de paleopaisajes, Estratigrafía y análisis de facies, La Estratigrafía Analítica, La micromorfología de suelos, La arqueología del paisaje: análisis macro y meso-espacial, Análisis micro-espacial: áreas domésticas, variabilidad funcional y patrones temporales, Arqueopalinología, Fitolitos, almidones y fibras, Macrorrestos vegetales arqueológicos, Paleoecología, Arqueozoología, Tafonomía, Antropología física, Paleogenética humana, Materias primas líticas, Tipología y tecnología lítica, Tipología analítica, El análisis funcional de los instrumentos prehistóricos, Producciones óseas funcionales y decorativas, Producciones cerámicas, Arqueometalurgia, Arte prehistórico, Arqueología experimental y Etnoarqueología.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
El arte rupestre paleolítico es un documento excepcional del comportamiento simbólico de los primeros grupos humanos. Después de más de un siglo de estudio, la información disponible para el estudio de su cronología numérica es escasa.... more
El arte rupestre paleolítico es un documento excepcional del comportamiento simbólico de los primeros grupos humanos. Después de más de un siglo de estudio, la información
disponible para el estudio de su cronología numérica es escasa. Se presentan las fechas obtenidas por la aplicación del método de la serie del Uranio a depósitos de calcita asociados a
motivos rupestres de tres cuevas españolas (Altamira, El Castillo y Tito Bustillo) inscritas en la Lista del Patrimonio Mundial por la UNESCO. Los resultados demuestran que la tradición pictórica en cuevas se remonta, al menos, a los inicios del Auriñaciense, con una edad mínima de 40.800 años para un disco rojo, 37.300 años para una mano negativa y 35.600 para un signo rojo. Estas edades mínimas revelan que el arte rupestre formaba parte del repertorio cultural de los primeros humanos europeos anatómicamente modernos en Europa o que, los neandertales también pudieron involucrarse en la decoración de las cavidades.
Paleolithic cave art is an exceptional archive of early human symbolic behavior, but because obtaining reliable dates has been difficult, its chronology is still poorly understood after
more than a century of study. We present uranium-series disequilibrium dates of calcite deposits overlying or underlying art found in three caves, including the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Altamira, El Castillo, and Tito Bustillo, Spain. The results demonstrate that the tradition of decorating caves extends back at least to the Early Aurignacian period, with minimum ages of 40.8 thousand years for a red disk, 37.3 thousand years for a hand stencil, and 35.6 thousand years for a claviform-like symbol. These minimum ages reveal either that cave art was a part of the cultural repertoire of the first anatomically modern humans in Europe or that perhaps Neandertals also engaged in painting caves.
disponible para el estudio de su cronología numérica es escasa. Se presentan las fechas obtenidas por la aplicación del método de la serie del Uranio a depósitos de calcita asociados a
motivos rupestres de tres cuevas españolas (Altamira, El Castillo y Tito Bustillo) inscritas en la Lista del Patrimonio Mundial por la UNESCO. Los resultados demuestran que la tradición pictórica en cuevas se remonta, al menos, a los inicios del Auriñaciense, con una edad mínima de 40.800 años para un disco rojo, 37.300 años para una mano negativa y 35.600 para un signo rojo. Estas edades mínimas revelan que el arte rupestre formaba parte del repertorio cultural de los primeros humanos europeos anatómicamente modernos en Europa o que, los neandertales también pudieron involucrarse en la decoración de las cavidades.
Paleolithic cave art is an exceptional archive of early human symbolic behavior, but because obtaining reliable dates has been difficult, its chronology is still poorly understood after
more than a century of study. We present uranium-series disequilibrium dates of calcite deposits overlying or underlying art found in three caves, including the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Altamira, El Castillo, and Tito Bustillo, Spain. The results demonstrate that the tradition of decorating caves extends back at least to the Early Aurignacian period, with minimum ages of 40.8 thousand years for a red disk, 37.3 thousand years for a hand stencil, and 35.6 thousand years for a claviform-like symbol. These minimum ages reveal either that cave art was a part of the cultural repertoire of the first anatomically modern humans in Europe or that perhaps Neandertals also engaged in painting caves.
Research Interests: Rock Art (Archaeology), Unesco, Symbolic Anthropology (Anthropology), World Cultural Heritage, Aurignacian, and 12 moreUpper Paleolithic, Prehistoric Rock Art, Rock Art, Arte Rupestre, Chronology, Ice Age Cave Art, Cave art, Arte Rupestre Prehistórico, Auriñaciense, UNESCO world heritage, Arte paleolítico, and Symbolic Behavior
Tradicionalmente las manos paleolíticas se atribuyen a una cronología gravetiense. A pesar de ello, algunos investigadores proponen su ejecución en fases más antiguas o recientes. El objetivo del presente trabajo es delimitar el contexto... more
Tradicionalmente las manos paleolíticas se atribuyen a una cronología gravetiense. A pesar de ello, algunos investigadores proponen su ejecución en fases más antiguas o recientes.
El objetivo del presente trabajo es delimitar el contexto cronológico y cultural en el que se llevaron a cabo. Se recopilan y discuten los datos disponibles para el ámbito ibérico y francés,
teniendo en cuenta la información procedente de la datación radiométrica, el recubrimiento estratigráfico, las uperposiciones entre grafías, los contextos culturales espacialmente inmediatos.
y del arte mueble.
The most common view is considering the Paleolithic hands as Gravettian representations. However, some researchers propose its execution in more ancient or more recent stages.
The aim of this study is to define the chronology in which these representations were painted. Are collected and discussed the available data from radiometric dating, stratigraphy covering,
graphic stratigraphy, cultural contexts associated with hands and portable art, in the Iberian
Peninsula and France.
El objetivo del presente trabajo es delimitar el contexto cronológico y cultural en el que se llevaron a cabo. Se recopilan y discuten los datos disponibles para el ámbito ibérico y francés,
teniendo en cuenta la información procedente de la datación radiométrica, el recubrimiento estratigráfico, las uperposiciones entre grafías, los contextos culturales espacialmente inmediatos.
y del arte mueble.
The most common view is considering the Paleolithic hands as Gravettian representations. However, some researchers propose its execution in more ancient or more recent stages.
The aim of this study is to define the chronology in which these representations were painted. Are collected and discussed the available data from radiometric dating, stratigraphy covering,
graphic stratigraphy, cultural contexts associated with hands and portable art, in the Iberian
Peninsula and France.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
El texto presenta diferentes problemáticas vinculadas al estudio y método del arte paleolítico. Se analizan los procesos de autentificación, los protocolos de reconocimiento y documentación, las variables de estudio, los sistemas de... more
El texto presenta diferentes problemáticas vinculadas al estudio y método del arte paleolítico. Se analizan los procesos de autentificación, los protocolos de reconocimiento y documentación, las variables de estudio, los sistemas de datación y la problemática vinculada a la interpretación. El texto presenta un carácter académico.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Slimak et al. challenge the reliability of our oldest (>65,000 years) U-Th dates on carbonates associated with cave paintings in Spain. They cite a supposed lack of parietal art for the 25,000 years following this date, along with... more
Slimak et al. challenge the reliability of our oldest (>65,000 years) U-Th dates on carbonates associated with cave paintings in Spain. They cite a supposed lack of parietal art for the 25,000 years following this date, along with potential methodological issues relating to open-system behavior and corrections to detrital or source water 230 Th. We show that their criticisms are unfounded.