Utilización de los recursos en la Marina y Montaña cantábricas: una prehistoria ecológica de los valles del Deva y Nansa

This monographic title analyses the evolution of prehistoric population and settlement patterns in the western valleys of Cantabria (Spain). The work applies the theoretical basis of ecological history to develop a model of settlement pattern in prehistoric Cantabria. Its theoretical foundation is the concept of mode of resource Use -M.R. U.-, (Guha y Gadgil 1993) that examines the relations between human groups and its environment beyond an economic or a Marxist perspect ive. The model is geographically focused on the western Cantabrian valleys with their multiple different ecological zones, ranging from temperate coastal to the supalpine climate all compressed within 40 Km. The archaeological record in this area is characterized by a disparate settlement pattern in each prehistoric period, and is linked to different resource use strategies of each one. Probably the more important contribution of this approach is the explanation of transitional moments and the Neolithisation process. Although the scarcity of data limits our knowledge, we suggest that the Mousterian focus on strategic points for hunting changes in the Upper Paleolithic to a preference for sea and fluvial resources. Settlements are typically located near the bottom valleys at the confluence of two rivers, and the ideological change is reflected in the presence of rock art the main sites of this period (Fuente del Salín and Chufín). In the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene, environmental changes reduce the coastal plain with people occupying the inland mountains such as at La Calvera rockshelt er ( 1100 m.). Neve rtheless, the distribution of the recent Mesolithic sites (Asturian shell-middens) shows an almost exclusive pref erence for the coast line. These groups develop a stable socio-economic system upon the exploitation of seasonal resources, as shown in Mazaculos Cave. In this context, the first Neolithic occurs around 5,500 BP, and is reflected in the construction of megaliths . The first two Neolithic houses documented at the Pefia Oviedo site (1250m above sea level) demonstrate the strong relation between megaliths and habitations. This resulted in a new emphasis on pastoralism as an economic strategy. These nomadic practices change in the Calcolithic and the Bronze Age when the first forthills were built.