US EPA

1439762 

Book/Book Chapter 

Territorial Mobility of Neanderthal Groups: A Case Study from Level M of Abric Romani (Capellades, Barcelona, Spain) 

Fernandez-Laso, MC; Chacon Navarro, MG; Garcia-Anton, MD; Rivals, F 

2011 

Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology 

187-202 

10.1007/978-94-007-0415-2_17 

WOS:000288104100017 

The Abric Romani site is located in the northeast Iberian
Peninsula, 50 km from Barcelona 317 m above sea level, in a travertine cliff on the right bank of
the Anoia river, which is a tributary of the Llobregat river. This river passes by the Capellades
locality, forming a narrow gorge known as ""Cinglera del Capello. This corridor crosses the
mountain range ""Cordillera Prelitoral"", and is considered as a natural passage between the
inland and coastal Catalonia regions. This situation provides the possibility to exploit a great
variety of biotopes. The site yielded an important and complete stratigraphic sequence of
European Middle Paleolithic. Fifteen archeological levels have been excavated until today, which
appear as thin layers between sterile travertine platforms. This sequence has been dated by U-
series between 70 and 40 ka BP, except for the uppermost level, which is attributed to the Early
Upper Paleolithic. Pollen analyses have revealed five climatic phases, ranging from the milder
conditions at the bottom to an interstadial climate at the top, correlated with the Hengelo
interstadial. It is, consequently, a key site for human behavioral studies among Neanderthal
groups. This paper presents the results of studies on resource procurements, lithics and animals
and on the territory used by Neanderthal groups, through the example of level M dated around 55
ka BP. The results of the lithic analysis and faunal assemblages suggest that the resource
procurement and management is focused on a local and semi-local exploitation in a geographic area
of about 20 km around the rock-shelter. 

Middle Paleolithic; Resource management; Faunal assemblages; Lithic technology