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On identifying Palaeolithic single occupation episodes: archaeostratigraphic and technological approaches to the Neanderthal lithic record of stratigraphic unit xa of El Salt (Alcoi, eastern Iberia)

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Abstract

Within the framework of archaeological palimpsest dissection, stratigraphic association of lithic remains with hearths and other archaeological materials in undisturbed Neanderthal contexts allows us to seek patterns in lithic and faunal assemblage composition, assess the degree of time averaging within assemblages and investigate the spatial distribution of archaeological remains. So far, the European Neanderthal record shows variability in such spatial parameters, not only among different geographic regions but also across time. This approach has been employed to draw conclusions about the main features of Neanderthal occupations from in situ archaeological contexts within individual site sequences. As contribution to this topic, we present new results from our ongoing archaeostratigraphic investigation of stratigraphic unit xa from El Salt (Alcoi, Alacant, eastern Iberia). Our previous study, based on stratigraphic analysis of the lithic record consisting of raw material units, yielded several micropalimpsests within unit xa. Here, we carry out further technological and spatial analysis of the micropalimpsest units. The results obtained from it suggest that we may be able, in specific cases, to recognise indicators of diachrony within the context of these archaeostratigraphic units. This confirms the existence of a micropalimpsest, and suggests that we have the chance to find analytical frames that are even closer to the human temporal scale than the AU. This should be the target of future interdisciplinary behavioural study of El Salt unit xa. This work illustrates the potential of a spatial and archaeostratigraphic approach to stone tool technology and brings to light the importance of archaeological palimpsest dissection as a first step for behavioural analysis in Palaeolithic research.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the members of the team of El Salt for their field and post-excavation work, and Museu Arqueològic Municipal Camil Visedo Moltó d’Alcoi and the Alcoian town hall for their support. We also thank the eighteenth International Union of Prehistoric and Protohistoric Sciences (IUPPS) congress organisation, and the organisers of the session named Is “Neanderthal behaviour” a useful concept?: multiscalar approaches to the behavioural diversity of Middle Palaeolithic Neanderthal populations (xvi-7) for allowing us to present this work within it and publish it in this volume. We are thankful to Leopoldo J. Pérez for his support on the archaeozoological questions, to Sara M. Magee for her suggestions and corrections on English writing, to Rory Connolly for his comments during the writing of this paper, and to Santiago Sossa and Mariel Bencomo for their logistical assistance to this study. Additionally, we would like to thank the anonymous reviewers who helped improve the previous versions of this paper with their ideas.

Funding

Archaeological excavations at El Salt rockshelter are funded by the Spanish central government through the project called Neandertales en la montaña alicantina: un enfoque multianalítico (MEC-FEDER HAR2015-68321-P), and by the Valencian autonomous government through public research funding (DOGV P-0300900-H). One of the authors (AM) is also funded by Universitat d’Alacant through a university faculty formation grant (UAFPU 2018-049).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Grupo de Investigación Sociedades Cazadoras-Recolectoras Paleolíticas; Departamento de Geografía e Historia; Facultad de Humanidades, Universidad de La Laguna, Guajara campus, 38071, San Cristóbal de la Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain

    Alejandro Mayor, Cristo M. Hernández, Jorge Machado, Carolina Mallol & Bertila Galván

  2. Àrea de Coneixement de Prehistòria; Departament de Prehistòria, Arqueologia, Història Antiga, Filologia Llatina i Filologia Grega; Facultat de Filosofia i Lletres, Universitat d’Alacant, Sant Vicent del Raspeig campus, 03690, Sant Vicent del Raspeig, Alacant, Spain

    Alejandro Mayor

  3. Área de Didáctica de las Ciencias Sociales; Departamento de Didácticas Específicas; Facultad de Educación, Universidad de La Laguna, Edificio Central campus, 38200, San Cristóbal de la Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain

    Cristo M. Hernández

  4. Archaeological Micromorphology and Biomarker Research Laboratory; Instituto Universitario de Bio-Orgánica Antonio González, Universidad de La Laguna, Anchieta campus, 38296, San Cristóbal de la Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain

    Carolina Mallol

  5. Área de Conocimiento de Prehistoria; Unidad de Docencia e Investigación de Prehistoria, Arqueología e Historia Antigua; Departamento de Geografía e Historia; Facultad de Humanidades, Universidad de La Laguna, Guajara campus, 38071, San Cristóbal de la Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain

    Carolina Mallol & Bertila Galván

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  1. Alejandro Mayor
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Correspondence to Alejandro Mayor.

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Mayor, A., Hernández, C.M., Machado, J. et al. On identifying Palaeolithic single occupation episodes: archaeostratigraphic and technological approaches to the Neanderthal lithic record of stratigraphic unit xa of El Salt (Alcoi, eastern Iberia). Archaeol Anthropol Sci 12, 84 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-020-01022-4

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