RT Journal Article
T1 Neanderthal morphology, behaviour and adaptation at Valdegoba Cave (Northern Spain) during late MIS 6 – early MIS 5
A1 Terradillos Bernal, Marcos
A1 Demuro, Martina
A1 García Martínez, Daniel
A1 Arceredillo, Diego
A1 Arnold, Lee J.
A1 Jordá Pardo, Jesús F.
A1 Torres, Trinidad
A1 Ortiz, José E.
A1 Díez Fernández Lomana, J. Carlos
AB Valdegoba Cave (Burgos, Spain) is a site of longstanding importance for studying Neanderthal behaviour and anatomy within the interior of the Iberian Peninsula. Previous research at Valdegoba has explored various aspects of Neanderthal life histories, including records of mitochondrial DNA and oral microbiomes, use of the mouth for manual tasks, and resource acquisition – particularly specialised hunting of chamois. This latest article presents significant new insights into Neanderthal use of Valdegoba Cave based on the discovery of additional human remains, analysis of unpublished lithic artifacts, and examination of new geochronology results obtained using luminescence (single-grain OSL and pIR-IRSL) dating of sediments and amino acid racemisation (AAR) dating of mammal teeth. Our combined chronological dataset indicates that Neanderthal occupation of Valdegoba's Levels 4 and 5 (Unit D) occurred within, or close to, the transition between Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 6 and 5, most likely between ∼140 and ∼120 ka. The newly discovered fifth distal phalanx from Level 5 presents clear Neanderthal morphology characterized by the expansion of the distal region (apical tuft), which is a typical Neanderthal trait. The updated lithic analysis of Valdegoba demonstrates the technological variability of Neanderthals in the Iberian Peninsula during the MIS 6/5 transition and their ability to adapt to diverse environments and resources. Our latest findings suggests that the Neanderthal group from Valdegoba Cave employed varied strategies for territorial and subsistence management towards the end of the Middle Pleistocene and beginning of the Late Pleistocene.
PB Elsevier
SN 0277-3791
YR 2025
FD 2025-12-01
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/133957
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/133957
LA eng
NO Terradillos-Bernal, M., Demuro, M., García-Martínez, D., Arceredillo, D., Arnold, L. J., Jordá-Pardo, J. F., Torres, T., Ortiz, J. E., & Díez Fernández-Lomana, J. C. (2025). Neanderthal morphology, behaviour and adaptation at Valdegoba Cave (Northern Spain) during late MIS 6 – early MIS 5. Quaternary Science Reviews, 369. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.QUASCIREV.2025.109649
NO The luminescence dating research undertaken by Martina Demuro was supported by Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellowship FT200100816 and ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award DE160100743. This research was supported by the Junta de Castilla y León (Consejería de Educación y Consejería de Educación) through several funding projects, and by the University of Burgos through its support to the “Prehistoric Archaeology” research group.
NO Australian Research Council
NO Junta de Castilla y León
NO Universidad de Burgos
DS Docta Complutense
RD 18 mar 2026