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Paleoenvironmental context of Neanderthal occupations in northeastern Iberia: The small-mammal assemblage from Abric Romaní (Capellades, Barcelona, Spain)

Fernández-García, M; López-García, JM; Bennàsar, M; Gabucio, MJ; Bargalló, A; Gema Chacón, M; Saladié, P; ... Carbonell, E; + view all (2018) Paleoenvironmental context of Neanderthal occupations in northeastern Iberia: The small-mammal assemblage from Abric Romaní (Capellades, Barcelona, Spain). Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology , 506 pp. 154-167. 10.1016/j.palaeo.2018.06.031. Green open access

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Abstract

The Abric Romaní site (Capellades, Barcelona, Spain) constitutes a key site for understanding the latest Neanderthal occupations in Western Europe. Here we present a comprehensive systematic and taphonomic analysis of a small-mammal assemblage from Level O of the Abric Romaní site, with the aim of reconstructing the paleoecological context in which the Neanderthals lived. The assemblage, which probably dates from a stadial episode between Interstadial 15 and Interstadial 14, contains fifteen small mammal species, including species uncommon for the northeast of Iberia, such as Sciurus vulgaris, Nyctalus lasiopterus and Pipistrellus pipistrellus. Taphonomic studies suggest a predatory origin for the assemblage, probably related to Strix aluco, and paleoecological inferences suggest lower temperatures (−3/−4 °C) and higher rainfall (+70/+170 mm) than at present and a landscape dominated by an open forest with watercourses. The new data improve our knowledge of trends associated with Marine Isotope Stage 3 that affected Neanderthal populations in the Iberian Peninsula, showing that the Neanderthals were well adapted to cooler and wetter conditions across Iberia.

Type: Article
Title: Paleoenvironmental context of Neanderthal occupations in northeastern Iberia: The small-mammal assemblage from Abric Romaní (Capellades, Barcelona, Spain)
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1016/j.palaeo.2018.06.031
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2018.06.031
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: Level O, Taphonomy, Climate, Landscape, Middle Paleolithic, Marine Isotope Stage 3
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10062718
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