RT Journal Article
T1 A warm and humid paleoecological context for the Neanderthal mountain settlement at the Navalmaíllo rockshelter (Iberian Central System, Madrid)
A1 Blain, Hugues Alexandre
A1 Laplana Conesa, César
A1 Sánchez Bandera, Christian
A1 Fagoaga, Ana
A1 Blanco Lapaz, Ángel
A1 Martínez-Monzón, Almudena
A1 Bisbal-Chinesta, Josep Francesc
A1 Moclán, Abel
A1 Martín Perea, David Manuel
A1 Domínguez García, Ángel Carmelo
A1 Álvarez Vena, Adrián
A1 Sevilla García, María Paloma
A1 Ruiz Zapata, María Blanca
A1 Gil García, María Elena
A1 Márquez, Belén
A1 Huguet Pamiès, Rosa
A1 Pérez González, Alfredo José
A1 Arsuaga Ferreras, Juan Luis
A1 Baquedano, Enrique
AB Neanderthals have been claimed to have had a selective adaptation to rugged, wooded landscapes that would have partially compensate their high basal metabolic rate and locomotor energetic costs through reducing search time and increasing diet breadth. The archaeological site of the Navalmaíllo rockshelter (Pinilla del Valle, Madrid), located in a mountain environment in central Iberian Peninsula, has been interpreted as a repeated short-term occupation hunting camp by Neanderthal groups, mainly focused on primary access to large bovids and cervids. Navalmaíllo rockshelter has also furnished fish, toads, frogs, tortoises, lizards and snakes remains. This association of amphibians and reptiles suggests a much warmer climate (+2.8 °C) for layer F than at present, with similar temperatures during the summer but higher temperatures throughout the remaining months. Rainfall was slightly more abundant (+180.6 mm) than today, with a more contrasted regime during the year, with rainier winters and drier summers. A two-month period of aridity is observed during summer, representing a similar duration to present-day climatic conditions. Reconstructed landscapes are mainly constituted by open areas with dry grassland and rocky or stony areas, evolving laterally to humid meadows, probably close to the aquatic and peri-aquatic areas, such as rivers or ponds with riverside vegetation. Woodland environments are also well represented around the site, with medium scrublands to forest formations. Fish complete this reconstruction by documenting the presence of a pre-mountain well-developed river system characterized by relatively cold, permanent, oxygen-rich, and running waters. Such reconstruction is in disagreement with previous pollen interpretation for Layer F that suggested a very open and cold environment. Our new interpretation suggests that the Neanderthal occupation of the Navalmaíllo rockshelter occurred during a somewhat temperate and humid period, probably within the later part of the Marine Isotope Stage 5, effectively favouring the presence of a high biodiversity around the site.
PB Elsevier
SN 0277-3791, ESSN: 1873-457X
YR 2022
FD 2022-10-01
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/72135
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/72135
LA eng
NO Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN)/FEDER
NO Generalitat de Catalunya
NO Universidad Complutense de Madrid
NO Comunidad de Madrid
NO Unidad de Excelencia María de Maeztu
NO Generalitat Valenciana
NO Grupo Mahou
NO Canal de Isabel II-Gestión
DS Docta Complutense
RD 1 sept 2024