MNK Skull is one of the most significant archaeological sites in Olduvai Gorge, particularly due ... more MNK Skull is one of the most significant archaeological sites in Olduvai Gorge, particularly due to the previous discovery of human fossils referred to in the paper where the Homo habilis taxon was originally defined. An important archaeological assemblage is contained in the same horizon as the hominin fossils, constituting the last evidence of both Homo habilis remains and handaxe-free tool kits in the Olduvai Gorge sequence. Our excavations at the site are the first to be conducted since the original work in the 1960s, and sought to refine the archaeological context wherein the Homo habilis remains were discovered. Chronostratigraphic results place the MNK Skull sequence in Middle Bed II prior to deposition of Tuff IIB. The assemblage was deposited near the shoreline, as Palaeolake Olduvai withdrew into the basinal depocentre, and fossils and stone tools were subjected to significant postdepositional processes. The assemblage was affected by mudflow deposits that buried and preserved the assemblage but also entrained surficial bone and lithic elements into the flow. Rather than an occupation site as originally interpreted, the assemblage is better understood as a background deposit, possibly accumulated on an unconformity surface over a long period of time. The stone tool assemblage is typical of the Oldowan, with no technological elements announcing the appearance of the Acheulean, which is well attested to across the Olduvai sequence in post-Tuff IIB times. Our results highlight that, with an approximate age of circa 1.67 Ma, MNK Skull stands as a key site to understand the late Oldowan and the disappearance of Homo habilis in East Africa.
Big game and big-game hunting play a major role in hominid evolutionary models, cultural evolutio... more Big game and big-game hunting play a major role in hominid evolutionary models, cultural evolutionary models, and ethnographic descriptions. In western Europe's Late and Terminal Pleistocene sites, the remains of big game, including red deer, are common, and these remains figure prominently in economic reconstructions. However, assumptions about the dietary role of big-game animals guide critical aspects of these reconstructions, eliminating from consideration alternative economic strategies. Since archaeological data are usually ambiguous, inferences and models about the past can be substantially altered by applying different assumptions and methodologies to the same data. The case of Pleistocene Cantabria is used to show how an economy focused on resources other than big-game may be modeled.
Al llarg de l’article es presenten els materials lítics recuperats en el jaciment de Forat de Con... more Al llarg de l’article es presenten els materials lítics recuperats en el jaciment de Forat de Conqueta. Aquestos suports lítics foren tallats i dipositats a la cavitat, en part, probablement, com a elements relacionats amb ofrenes funeràries diverses. S’ha pogut definir una sèrie de materials lítics que inclouen puntes de projectil així com làmines i laminetes i diversos tipus de retocats, i també una sèrie de suports amb estigmes i morfologies que relacionem amb l’obtenció i encesa de foc que hem agrupat sota la denominació de «suports de foc».Throughout the paper we present the lithic materials recovered from the site of Forat de Conqueta. These lithic supports were cut in the cavity probably as elements related to various funerary offerings. Within these lithic materials we could define arrow heads, blades and bladelets and various types of retouched. Moreover there has been identified a series of lithic objects with stigma and morphologies that relate to the burning of fire insi...
Resumen: Variabilidad y continuidad son dos nociones estrechamente vinculadas con la caracterizac... more Resumen: Variabilidad y continuidad son dos nociones estrechamente vinculadas con la caracterización de los conjuntos líticos de Paleolítico medio. En este artículo se analizan algunos factores de orden tecno-económico y tecno-psicológico que subyacen en varios conjuntos líticos musterienses recuperados en los yacimientos de Roca dels Bous y Cova Gran (Prepirineo Oriental, Lleida). Se discute la interrelación entre los patrones de captación de materias primas y su incidencia sobre el sistema técnico. La homogeneidad de estos conjuntos permite definir un tecno-complejo que comparte un entorno tecno-cognitivo común. PalaBRas clave: variabilidad musteriense, Roca del Bous, Cova Gran, factores tecno-económicos, MIS 3, sistemas técnicos, Paleolítico Medio. Roca dels Bous and cova GRan: tales aBout two mousteRian Rock-sHelteRs at tHe PRePyRenees of lleida aBstRact: Variability and continuity are two concepts linked with the characterization of the Middle Palaeolithic. This paper discusses some techno-economical and techno-psychological factors of Mousterian assemblages from Roca dels Bous and Cova Gran (Eastern Pre-Pyrenees, Lleida, Spain). Interrelation between raw material procurement patterns and technical systems is explored. Homogeneity of these assemblages portraits one single techno-complex with a shared techno-cognitive background.
... y grupos funcionales A partir de diferentes estudios arqueológicos y etnoar-queológicos (para... more ... y grupos funcionales A partir de diferentes estudios arqueológicos y etnoar-queológicos (para una síntesis sobre el tema, véase Juhl 1995) se ha ... En suma, parece per-filarse un cambio en la organización subsistencial, a tra-vés de la expresión en el registro de los grupos ...
is an important area to study early populations of Homo sapiens because subsets of those populati... more is an important area to study early populations of Homo sapiens because subsets of those populations likely dispersed to Eurasia and subsequently throughout the globe during the Upper Pleistocene. The Middle Stone Age (MSA) archaeology of this region, particularly aspects of stone-tool technology and typology, is highly variable with only rare cases of geographic and temporal patterning. Although there are differences in timing and perhaps frequency of occurrence, those elements that make up the MSA lithic tool kit are also found at contemporaneous sites elsewhere in Africa and Eurasia, making it difficult to identify a unique archaeological signal for hominin dispersals out of eastern Africa. Rather, regional variation appears to be the outcome of possibly long-term interactions between particular physical and social environments experienced by hominin populations. The archaeological record of eastern Africa has the potential to play a central role in our understanding of the behavioral evolution of modern human populations. The fossil record from this region includes the earliest specimens attributed to Homo sapiens ∼195-154 ka (Clark et al. 2003; McDougall, Brown, and Fleagle 2005; White et al. 2003). Both fossil and genetic evidence are consistent with this region providing the source population(s) for subsequent dispersals out of Africa and feature prominently in models favoring the "southern route" from Africa to Arabia (reviewed in Beyin 2011), with each dispersing group sampling a portion of the biological and behavioral variability present in the parent population (Gunz et al. 2009; Prugnolle, Manica, and Balloux 2005; cf. Lycett and von Cramon-Taubadel 2008). Whereas the fossil and genetic data provide the best insights into past biological variation, it is the archaeological record that provides the richest source of information on the behavioral variability of fossil hominins. All of the early fossils of H. sapiens from eastern Africa are associated with Middle Stone Age (MSA) artifacts.
L’objectiu d’aquest text és presentar la metodologia d’excavació i registre desenvolupada al jaci... more L’objectiu d’aquest text és presentar la metodologia d’excavació i registre desenvolupada al jaciment de Forat de Conqueta i presentar la seqüència estratigràfica de la cavitat càrstica. La totalitat dels materials va ser coordinada tridimensionalment assignant-los un número de registre seqüencial per unitats arqueològiques en què s’han diferenciat quatre nivells arqueològics. L’anàlisi de la disposició espacial, la distribució vertical i la incidència d’alteracions tèrmiques dels diferents grups materials són emprades com a eina d’anàlisi de la seqüència arqueològica.The aim of this text is to present the excavation methodology and the record developed at the site of Forat de Conqueta, as well as to present stratigraphy of the karsts cavity. The whole amounts of materials were coordinated three-dimensionally assigning a sequential record number of archaeological units which have four different archaeological levels. The analysis of the space, vertical distribution and the effect of...
La caracterització de primeres matèries lítiques i la determinació de les àrees de procedència ha... more La caracterització de primeres matèries lítiques i la determinació de les àrees de procedència han permès avaluar les estratègies de captació i gestió dels recursos lítics que es van utilitzar al Forat de Conqueta. La caracterització dels materials ha estat realitzada a partir de caràcters macroscòpics. La primera matèria amb un índex més elevat de representativitat és el sílex, seguida de les dolerites. Els resultats obtinguts mostren dues estratègies diferents de captació que corresponen als dos moments d’us de la cavitat. D’una banda, el registre del nivell 1/2 correspondria a una estratègia de captació local i expeditiva. De l’altra, el registre del nivell 3 presenta una aportació de matèria al·lòctona superior a la local.The characterization of lithic raw materials and the determination of the areas of its origin, have allowed evaluating the strategies used to capture and management of lithic resources that are used to Forat de Conqueta. The characterization of the materials wa...
Al llarg d’aquest treball es presenten les característiques del jaciment de Forat de Conqueta. Es... more Al llarg d’aquest treball es presenten les característiques del jaciment de Forat de Conqueta. Es descriu la ubicació i les característiques geològiques del jaciment. Alhora s’adjunta la descripció de la morfologia de la cavitat.The aim of this paper is describe the main characteristics of Forart de Conqueta site. Location and geological characteristics of the deposit are described. In parallel we present the description of the morphology of the cave.A lo largo de este trabajo se presentan las características del yacimiento de Forat de Conqueta. Se describe la ubicación y las características geológicas del yacimiento. A la vez se adjunta la descripción de la morfología de la cavidad
En una reseña de 1973, Emili Sunyer menciona una importante secuencia musteriense en el primer co... more En una reseña de 1973, Emili Sunyer menciona una importante secuencia musteriense en el primer contrafuerte del Pirineo de Lleida. Esta escueta nota que nos llevó hasta Roca dels Bous (Mora, 1988), está en el origen de nuestra investigación sobre el poblamiento humano en las primeras sierras del Prepirineo Oriental (Fig. 1A). Los trabajos de campo realizados estos años en Roca dels Bous, Tragó, Cova Gran de Santa Linya y más recientemente en Abric Pizarro, indican que es un área clave para analizar la presencia humana en el Pleistoceno superior y Holoceno en el nordeste de Iberia.
Verificando la integridad del registro arqueológico: análisis de fábricas en las unidades arqueol... more Verificando la integridad del registro arqueológico: análisis de fábricas en las unidades arqueológicas del paleolítico medio/superior de la Cova Gran
Thc rmjority of Middle Pleisroccne open sites wirh lithie asscroblagcs known Irom rhe central are... more Thc rmjority of Middle Pleisroccne open sites wirh lithie asscroblagcs known Irom rhe central area of rhe Iberian Península are locared in fluvial deposits. Sircs wirh both [aunal and lirbic remains in low cnergy or undisturbed scdimenuary contexts are-are. comprising thc 'Iorralba and Ambrona localines (Seria), subjccc to rc-excavanon since 1933, and two orhcr sites, Aridas 1 and 1, located in the jarama valley ncar Madrid (Fig. 1). Another site, Cuesta de la Bajada, near 'Ierucl (Santonja et al. 1982) wirh an IRSL minimal date of 137,90± 1O,07ka, belongs ro rhc latter pan oí the period considered in rbis pa Pvr and is still bcillg studied. Mention should also be madc uf two other remarkable sitcs at Solana del Zamborino and Cúllnr-Baza 1 (Botella er al. 1975; Ru\z Bustos and Michaux Ig76) in AndalusiJ., s\J\J[h of our study-rcgion. Torralba Thc presence of large rnammal rcmains in the dcposits near the old railway station at Torralba, located sorne t56km northeast of Madrid, ara height of 1,108m, h.os becn known sincc rhe end of rhc last ccn tury. Betwccn 1909 and 19]1, thc Marquis of Cerralbo undcrtook the first investigations in rhc field (Cerrulbo 19UJ. Latcr, betwccn 1960 and 1963, F. C. Howcll carried out severa] seasons of ficld work during which a total of 1,026m 2 were cxravatcd. A siguificantlv Iarge urea of intact deposits, although nor so large as Howcll's excavated arca, was still prcserved at rhc site oí the earlier excavations, and in ve5ti~ation of thcse le-, cls heban in 1';lgS_ A site monograph has not vct been pubfishcd, but data from Howell's cxcavatio» are providcd in a series uf specialisc reparts ahour geulogy (
MNK Skull is one of the most significant archaeological sites in Olduvai Gorge, particularly due ... more MNK Skull is one of the most significant archaeological sites in Olduvai Gorge, particularly due to the previous discovery of human fossils referred to in the paper where the Homo habilis taxon was originally defined. An important archaeological assemblage is contained in the same horizon as the hominin fossils, constituting the last evidence of both Homo habilis remains and handaxe-free tool kits in the Olduvai Gorge sequence. Our excavations at the site are the first to be conducted since the original work in the 1960s, and sought to refine the archaeological context wherein the Homo habilis remains were discovered. Chronostratigraphic results place the MNK Skull sequence in Middle Bed II prior to deposition of Tuff IIB. The assemblage was deposited near the shoreline, as Palaeolake Olduvai withdrew into the basinal depocentre, and fossils and stone tools were subjected to significant postdepositional processes. The assemblage was affected by mudflow deposits that buried and preserved the assemblage but also entrained surficial bone and lithic elements into the flow. Rather than an occupation site as originally interpreted, the assemblage is better understood as a background deposit, possibly accumulated on an unconformity surface over a long period of time. The stone tool assemblage is typical of the Oldowan, with no technological elements announcing the appearance of the Acheulean, which is well attested to across the Olduvai sequence in post-Tuff IIB times. Our results highlight that, with an approximate age of circa 1.67 Ma, MNK Skull stands as a key site to understand the late Oldowan and the disappearance of Homo habilis in East Africa.
Big game and big-game hunting play a major role in hominid evolutionary models, cultural evolutio... more Big game and big-game hunting play a major role in hominid evolutionary models, cultural evolutionary models, and ethnographic descriptions. In western Europe's Late and Terminal Pleistocene sites, the remains of big game, including red deer, are common, and these remains figure prominently in economic reconstructions. However, assumptions about the dietary role of big-game animals guide critical aspects of these reconstructions, eliminating from consideration alternative economic strategies. Since archaeological data are usually ambiguous, inferences and models about the past can be substantially altered by applying different assumptions and methodologies to the same data. The case of Pleistocene Cantabria is used to show how an economy focused on resources other than big-game may be modeled.
Al llarg de l’article es presenten els materials lítics recuperats en el jaciment de Forat de Con... more Al llarg de l’article es presenten els materials lítics recuperats en el jaciment de Forat de Conqueta. Aquestos suports lítics foren tallats i dipositats a la cavitat, en part, probablement, com a elements relacionats amb ofrenes funeràries diverses. S’ha pogut definir una sèrie de materials lítics que inclouen puntes de projectil així com làmines i laminetes i diversos tipus de retocats, i també una sèrie de suports amb estigmes i morfologies que relacionem amb l’obtenció i encesa de foc que hem agrupat sota la denominació de «suports de foc».Throughout the paper we present the lithic materials recovered from the site of Forat de Conqueta. These lithic supports were cut in the cavity probably as elements related to various funerary offerings. Within these lithic materials we could define arrow heads, blades and bladelets and various types of retouched. Moreover there has been identified a series of lithic objects with stigma and morphologies that relate to the burning of fire insi...
Resumen: Variabilidad y continuidad son dos nociones estrechamente vinculadas con la caracterizac... more Resumen: Variabilidad y continuidad son dos nociones estrechamente vinculadas con la caracterización de los conjuntos líticos de Paleolítico medio. En este artículo se analizan algunos factores de orden tecno-económico y tecno-psicológico que subyacen en varios conjuntos líticos musterienses recuperados en los yacimientos de Roca dels Bous y Cova Gran (Prepirineo Oriental, Lleida). Se discute la interrelación entre los patrones de captación de materias primas y su incidencia sobre el sistema técnico. La homogeneidad de estos conjuntos permite definir un tecno-complejo que comparte un entorno tecno-cognitivo común. PalaBRas clave: variabilidad musteriense, Roca del Bous, Cova Gran, factores tecno-económicos, MIS 3, sistemas técnicos, Paleolítico Medio. Roca dels Bous and cova GRan: tales aBout two mousteRian Rock-sHelteRs at tHe PRePyRenees of lleida aBstRact: Variability and continuity are two concepts linked with the characterization of the Middle Palaeolithic. This paper discusses some techno-economical and techno-psychological factors of Mousterian assemblages from Roca dels Bous and Cova Gran (Eastern Pre-Pyrenees, Lleida, Spain). Interrelation between raw material procurement patterns and technical systems is explored. Homogeneity of these assemblages portraits one single techno-complex with a shared techno-cognitive background.
... y grupos funcionales A partir de diferentes estudios arqueológicos y etnoar-queológicos (para... more ... y grupos funcionales A partir de diferentes estudios arqueológicos y etnoar-queológicos (para una síntesis sobre el tema, véase Juhl 1995) se ha ... En suma, parece per-filarse un cambio en la organización subsistencial, a tra-vés de la expresión en el registro de los grupos ...
is an important area to study early populations of Homo sapiens because subsets of those populati... more is an important area to study early populations of Homo sapiens because subsets of those populations likely dispersed to Eurasia and subsequently throughout the globe during the Upper Pleistocene. The Middle Stone Age (MSA) archaeology of this region, particularly aspects of stone-tool technology and typology, is highly variable with only rare cases of geographic and temporal patterning. Although there are differences in timing and perhaps frequency of occurrence, those elements that make up the MSA lithic tool kit are also found at contemporaneous sites elsewhere in Africa and Eurasia, making it difficult to identify a unique archaeological signal for hominin dispersals out of eastern Africa. Rather, regional variation appears to be the outcome of possibly long-term interactions between particular physical and social environments experienced by hominin populations. The archaeological record of eastern Africa has the potential to play a central role in our understanding of the behavioral evolution of modern human populations. The fossil record from this region includes the earliest specimens attributed to Homo sapiens ∼195-154 ka (Clark et al. 2003; McDougall, Brown, and Fleagle 2005; White et al. 2003). Both fossil and genetic evidence are consistent with this region providing the source population(s) for subsequent dispersals out of Africa and feature prominently in models favoring the "southern route" from Africa to Arabia (reviewed in Beyin 2011), with each dispersing group sampling a portion of the biological and behavioral variability present in the parent population (Gunz et al. 2009; Prugnolle, Manica, and Balloux 2005; cf. Lycett and von Cramon-Taubadel 2008). Whereas the fossil and genetic data provide the best insights into past biological variation, it is the archaeological record that provides the richest source of information on the behavioral variability of fossil hominins. All of the early fossils of H. sapiens from eastern Africa are associated with Middle Stone Age (MSA) artifacts.
L’objectiu d’aquest text és presentar la metodologia d’excavació i registre desenvolupada al jaci... more L’objectiu d’aquest text és presentar la metodologia d’excavació i registre desenvolupada al jaciment de Forat de Conqueta i presentar la seqüència estratigràfica de la cavitat càrstica. La totalitat dels materials va ser coordinada tridimensionalment assignant-los un número de registre seqüencial per unitats arqueològiques en què s’han diferenciat quatre nivells arqueològics. L’anàlisi de la disposició espacial, la distribució vertical i la incidència d’alteracions tèrmiques dels diferents grups materials són emprades com a eina d’anàlisi de la seqüència arqueològica.The aim of this text is to present the excavation methodology and the record developed at the site of Forat de Conqueta, as well as to present stratigraphy of the karsts cavity. The whole amounts of materials were coordinated three-dimensionally assigning a sequential record number of archaeological units which have four different archaeological levels. The analysis of the space, vertical distribution and the effect of...
La caracterització de primeres matèries lítiques i la determinació de les àrees de procedència ha... more La caracterització de primeres matèries lítiques i la determinació de les àrees de procedència han permès avaluar les estratègies de captació i gestió dels recursos lítics que es van utilitzar al Forat de Conqueta. La caracterització dels materials ha estat realitzada a partir de caràcters macroscòpics. La primera matèria amb un índex més elevat de representativitat és el sílex, seguida de les dolerites. Els resultats obtinguts mostren dues estratègies diferents de captació que corresponen als dos moments d’us de la cavitat. D’una banda, el registre del nivell 1/2 correspondria a una estratègia de captació local i expeditiva. De l’altra, el registre del nivell 3 presenta una aportació de matèria al·lòctona superior a la local.The characterization of lithic raw materials and the determination of the areas of its origin, have allowed evaluating the strategies used to capture and management of lithic resources that are used to Forat de Conqueta. The characterization of the materials wa...
Al llarg d’aquest treball es presenten les característiques del jaciment de Forat de Conqueta. Es... more Al llarg d’aquest treball es presenten les característiques del jaciment de Forat de Conqueta. Es descriu la ubicació i les característiques geològiques del jaciment. Alhora s’adjunta la descripció de la morfologia de la cavitat.The aim of this paper is describe the main characteristics of Forart de Conqueta site. Location and geological characteristics of the deposit are described. In parallel we present the description of the morphology of the cave.A lo largo de este trabajo se presentan las características del yacimiento de Forat de Conqueta. Se describe la ubicación y las características geológicas del yacimiento. A la vez se adjunta la descripción de la morfología de la cavidad
En una reseña de 1973, Emili Sunyer menciona una importante secuencia musteriense en el primer co... more En una reseña de 1973, Emili Sunyer menciona una importante secuencia musteriense en el primer contrafuerte del Pirineo de Lleida. Esta escueta nota que nos llevó hasta Roca dels Bous (Mora, 1988), está en el origen de nuestra investigación sobre el poblamiento humano en las primeras sierras del Prepirineo Oriental (Fig. 1A). Los trabajos de campo realizados estos años en Roca dels Bous, Tragó, Cova Gran de Santa Linya y más recientemente en Abric Pizarro, indican que es un área clave para analizar la presencia humana en el Pleistoceno superior y Holoceno en el nordeste de Iberia.
Verificando la integridad del registro arqueológico: análisis de fábricas en las unidades arqueol... more Verificando la integridad del registro arqueológico: análisis de fábricas en las unidades arqueológicas del paleolítico medio/superior de la Cova Gran
Thc rmjority of Middle Pleisroccne open sites wirh lithie asscroblagcs known Irom rhe central are... more Thc rmjority of Middle Pleisroccne open sites wirh lithie asscroblagcs known Irom rhe central area of rhe Iberian Península are locared in fluvial deposits. Sircs wirh both [aunal and lirbic remains in low cnergy or undisturbed scdimenuary contexts are-are. comprising thc 'Iorralba and Ambrona localines (Seria), subjccc to rc-excavanon since 1933, and two orhcr sites, Aridas 1 and 1, located in the jarama valley ncar Madrid (Fig. 1). Another site, Cuesta de la Bajada, near 'Ierucl (Santonja et al. 1982) wirh an IRSL minimal date of 137,90± 1O,07ka, belongs ro rhc latter pan oí the period considered in rbis pa Pvr and is still bcillg studied. Mention should also be madc uf two other remarkable sitcs at Solana del Zamborino and Cúllnr-Baza 1 (Botella er al. 1975; Ru\z Bustos and Michaux Ig76) in AndalusiJ., s\J\J[h of our study-rcgion. Torralba Thc presence of large rnammal rcmains in the dcposits near the old railway station at Torralba, located sorne t56km northeast of Madrid, ara height of 1,108m, h.os becn known sincc rhe end of rhc last ccn tury. Betwccn 1909 and 19]1, thc Marquis of Cerralbo undcrtook the first investigations in rhc field (Cerrulbo 19UJ. Latcr, betwccn 1960 and 1963, F. C. Howcll carried out severa] seasons of ficld work during which a total of 1,026m 2 were cxravatcd. A siguificantlv Iarge urea of intact deposits, although nor so large as Howcll's excavated arca, was still prcserved at rhc site oí the earlier excavations, and in ve5ti~ation of thcse le-, cls heban in 1';lgS_ A site monograph has not vct been pubfishcd, but data from Howell's cxcavatio» are providcd in a series uf specialisc reparts ahour geulogy (
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