Work

Zooarchaeological study of the Magdalenian sequence of the Valdavara 1 site (Becerreá, Lugo, NW Iberia)

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: • Valdavara 1 provides a key context for the Lower-Middle Magdalenian in NW Iberia. • Faunal analysis reveals intermittent occupation by both humans and carnivores. • There are abundant anthropogenic traces, but scarce evidence of faunal exploitation. • Cultural traits highlight connections with Cantabrian societies. • The site contributes to knowledge of chamois exploitation pattern in mixed-sites. Valdavara 1 (Becerreá, Lugo) is an archaeopalaeontological cave site located in the NW of the Iberian Peninsula, in the western limit −both geographically and culturally- of the Cantabrian area of influence. The stratigraphic sequence includes levels chronoculturally framed in the Lower-Middle Magdalenian and dated between 18,720 and 16,680 cal BP. The faunal assemblage, dominated by chamois ( Rupicapra pyrenaica ), shows a great diversity in ungulate, carnivore and leporid remains. Zooarchaeological and taphonomic analyses reveal a complex accumulation history, shaped by both anthropogenic and carnivore presence at the cave. Despite a low percentage of remains with direct evidence of human modification (5.92 %), the lithic and bone artifacts and the personal ornaments retrieved suggest repeated human occupations alternating with the use of the cavity as a den by a variety of carnivores, mainly wolves ( Canis lupus ) and foxes ( Vulpes vulpes ), as 13.59 % of the bones exhibit toothmarks and digestion traces. Anatomical representation patterns, bone mineral density (BMD) correlations, and the taphonomic study suggest selective transport, exploitation by both human and non-human predators, and differential preservation processes played a big role on the conservation of the assemblage. Overall, the study positions Valdavara 1 as a unique site within the Magdalenian record of the Iberian Peninsula, illustrating a dynamic interplay of ecological and cultural factors that shaped the presence of hunter-gatherers in the Eastern Mountains of Galicia during the Late Glacial.

Source: Journal of Archaeological Science Reports

DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105486

Authors: Hugo Bal-García, Carlos Fernández-Rodríguez, Manuel Vaquero, Elvira Susana Alonso-Fernández, Ramón Fábregas Valcarce

Institutions: Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Universidad de León, Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social, Universitat Rovira i Virgili

Language: English

Topic: Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology

Subfield: Anthropology

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $2,910

Funders: Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación