Human landscapes of the Late Last Glacial Period in the interior of the Iberian Peninsula. La Peña de Estebanvela (Segovia, Spain)

Human landscapes of the Late Last Glacial Period in the interior of the Iberian Peninsula. La Peña de Estebanvela (Segovia, Spain) C. Cacho1, J.A. Martos1, J. Jordá-Pardo2, J. Yravedra3, L. Zapata4, M. Ruiz5, B. Avezuela2, C. Sesé6, B. Sanchiz6, S. Bailon7 and L. Marquer

La Peña de Estebanvela is a rock shelter located at an altitude of 1065 m in the Sierra de Ayllón on the northern border of Spain’s Sistema Central range. It lies on a slope on the right bank of the River Aguisejo, a tributary of the River Riaza which eventually flows into the River Duero. Its archaeological infilling stretches from the Middle to Late Magdalenian. Research undertaken between 1999 and 2009 returned long lithic (51,000 pieces) and faunistic (64,155 remains of macrofauna) inventories, as well as elements of personal ornaments, bone industry objects, a unique collection of objets d’art, and a number of hearths.

Radiocarbon dating using CalPal software (March 2007 version) shows a chronological sequence structured over three long periods of time:17,770–17,190 cal BP, 15,150– 13,890 cal BP, and 13,720–12,610 cal BP. Comparison of the accumulated probability curves for the calibrated dates with high resolution palaeoclimatic curves obtained from cores of Greenland ice (δ18O GISP2 Hulu Age Model) and from the bottom of the Sea of Alborán (SST MD95-2043), clearly situate this archaeological sequence between the beginning of GS 2a and the start of GS 1, including the interstages GI 1e and GI 1c and the cold oscillation of GI 1b.

The site’s micromammal assemblage indicates a damp, temperate climate similar to that currently reigning in the area. The taxa found are those of an environment with a watercourse and abundant plant cover, forested areas, and zones of transition towards more open landscapes with wood border vegetation and shrubs, and both dry and damp meadows. The herpetological remains found also suggest climatic conditions were similar to those of the present.

Open areas Equus ferus Equus hydruntinus

The charcoals found indicate the use of wood, mainly willow, as a domestic fuel. Indeed, the dominance of willow suggests an intensive and recurrent use of the riparian environment. Although the fruits have not been found, the presence of charred wood suggests that different wild plant foods (cherry, sloe, hazelnut, crabapple...) were available and may have formed part of the diet. Certainly, fish were consumed; the vertebrae of brown trout (Salmo trutta) have been found at the site.

Magdalenian hunters Wooded areas Cervus elaphus, Capreolus capreolus, Lynx sp., Vulpes sp.

Mountainous areas Rupicapra pyrenaica, Capra pyrenaica

Zooarchaeological and taphonomic studies of the animals hunted by the occupants of La Peña de Estebanvela reveal different habitats were exploited, including open areas with Equus ferus and Equus hydruntinus, wooded areas with Capreolus capreolus and Cervus elaphus, and mountainous areas with Rupicapra pyrenaica. Anatomical analyses have shown that animals were transported whole to the site, irrespective of their size, suggesting they were killed at a distance of no more than 10 km. The majority of animals hunted were between three and six years of age, although some juveniles and young specimens were taken. Analysis of the ungulate remains of Levels I, II and III suggest that there were two periods in the year when these animals were hunted: spring-early summer and autumn, i.e., when young were being born, increasing the vulnerability of these items, and during the reproductive period, when large numbers gathered together. This pattern of usage of the shelter is repeated throughout the sequence.

The presence of personal ornaments, mainly made from the shells of Atlantic and Mediterranean gastropods, implies that the occupants of La Peña de Estebanvela were mobile. They may have journeyed to the coast and collected the raw materials they required, or have traded with other groups with direct access to the sea.

The objets d’art found at the site also indicate contact with other groups in what is now France. Elements similar to the engraved stones of La Peña de Estebanvela have been found in Gourdan (Haute Garonne), Espelugues (Haute Pyrenées), Rhodes (Ariège), Pages (Lot), Dufaure (Landes), and even Rochedane (Doubs), close to what is now the French-Swiss border. These findings suggest a common symbolism was in use among these groups during the Late Pleistocene.

This research project has been funding by the cooperation agreement betwen the Junta de Castilla y León and Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CyL-14-40.024.0002.01)

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Departamento de Prehistoria. Museo Arqueológico Nacional. Serrano 13. 28001 Madrid. Spain. Departamento de Prehistoria y Arqueología. Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia. Senda del Rey 7. 28040 Madrid. Spain. Departamento de Prehistoria. Facultad de Geografía e Historia. Profesor Aranguren, s/n. 28040 Madrid. Spain. Área de Prehistoria. Universidad del País Vasco. Tomas y Valiente s/n. Apdo. 2111. 01006 Vitoria-Gasteiz. Spain. Grupo de Investigación Arqueobiología. Instituto de Historia. CSIC. Albasanz 26-28. 28037 Madrid. Spain. Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales. MNCN-CSIC. José Gutiérrez Abascal 2. 28006 Madrid. Spain. CNRS UMR 7209-7194. Département Ecologie et Gestion de la Biodiversité. Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle. 55 rue Buffon. 75005 Paris. France. Département de Préhistoire, UMR 7194 CNRS, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle. 1 rue René Panhard. 75013 Paris. France.