https://cir.cenieh.es/handle/20.500.12136/829 2026-08-01T17:52:58Z 2026-08-01T17:52:58Z Sánchez-Romero, Laura Benito-Calvo, Alfonso https://cir.cenieh.es/handle/20.500.12136/3599 2026-07-16T01:00:16Z 2026-06-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Inferring the role of hominids at Torralba: spatial analysis of original excavation data Authors: Sánchez-Romero, Laura; Benito-Calvo, Alfonso Abstract: Torralba has been a key locality for Middle Pleistocene paleoanthropology since its discovery by the Marqués de Cerralbo in the early 1900s. It yielded numerous elephant bones and lithic artifacts, leading to its first interpretation as an elephant kill site, and provoking subsequent studies and debates about that interpretation. After Cerralbo, Torralba was excavated by a multidisciplinary team led by the American paleoanthropologist F. Clark Howell between 1961 and 1963. This work generated a large body of documentation, including maps, photographs, catalogs, drawings, and notes. Here, we present previously unpublished stratigraphic sections and georeferenced and digitalized distribution maps. Combined with newly digitized archival photographs of the original excavations, these resources provide long sought and critically important spatial and stratigraphic positioning of 1,541 bones, 428 artifacts and 1,678 additional stones (among other elements). The work was carried out considering all these elements, discussing their possible stratigraphic attribution through the study of distribution and orientation patterns by applying spatial analysis methods. The results have provided important data regarding the importance of recovering documentation from old excavations and processing it with innovative analytical methods, as well as regarding the formation processes of the deposit that bear directly on previous behavioral inferences and provide valuable data for future studies.

2026-06-01T00:00:00Z Miller, Jennifer M. Shipton, Ceri Kourampas, Nikos Parés, Josep María Vonhof, Hubert Javad Shoaee, Mohammad Cueva-Temprana, Arturo Harding, Makayla Crowther, Alison Jurkenas, Dovydas Mutoro, Doreen Cerassoni, Jacopo Niccolò Fernandes, Ricardo Maroma, Christine Ndiema, Emmanuel Boivin, Nicole Petraglia, Michael D. https://cir.cenieh.es/handle/20.500.12136/3598 2026-05-27T01:00:15Z 2026-05-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Cave morphology and human-mediated sediment deposition: Late Pleistocene to Holocene evolution of the cave floor at Panga ya Saidi, coastal Kenya Authors: Miller, Jennifer M.; Shipton, Ceri; Kourampas, Nikos; Parés, Josep María; Vonhof, Hubert; Javad Shoaee, Mohammad; Cueva-Temprana, Arturo; Harding, Makayla; Crowther, Alison; Jurkenas, Dovydas; Mutoro, Doreen; Cerassoni, Jacopo Niccolò; Fernandes, Ricardo; Maroma, Christine; Ndiema, Emmanuel; Boivin, Nicole; Petraglia, Michael D. Abstract: Panga ya Saidi (PYS), a cave situated in a forested upland near the coast of Kenya, contains an archaeological record that spans at least 78,000 years and is crucial for understanding the evolution of Homo sapiens populations in eastern Africa. Here we report on new systematic excavation, three-dimensional scanning, radiocarbon dating, and geoarchaeological analyses that provide insights on sedimentary dynamics, occupation patterns, and site-formation processes at PYS. Our data show that while unroofed parts of the cave probably contain the deepest stratigraphies, these are likely to be dominated by colluvial influx and yield limited cultural deposits. Sheltered zones near the chamber edges exhibit better stratigraphic integrity and higher artifact densities, with deposits exceeding 5.5 meters in thickness in the main excavation area. In this area, marked shifts in occupation intensity and sediment sources enable us to reconstruct the evolution of the inhabited cave space. Our findings underscore PYS as a key site for understanding human behavior, adaptation, and environmental interactions from the Late Pleistocene to the Holocene, with implications for broader interpretations of the evolution of Homo sapiens populations in eastern Africa.

2026-05-01T00:00:00Z Sánchez-Martínez, Javier Rafart-Vidal, Eulàlia Benito-Calvo, Alfonso Martínez-Moreno, Jorge Sánchez de la Torre, Marta https://cir.cenieh.es/handle/20.500.12136/3596 2026-05-16T01:00:12Z 2026-05-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Variations in human ecodynamics in the southern Pyrenees: chert procurement and use at Cova Gran de Santa Linya during the Upper Paleolithic Authors: Sánchez-Martínez, Javier; Rafart-Vidal, Eulàlia; Benito-Calvo, Alfonso; Martínez-Moreno, Jorge; Sánchez de la Torre, Marta Abstract: The southern slope of the Pyrenees is rich in siliceous resources, particularly chert. This material, widely distributed across the region, was the primary raw material exploited by anatomically modern humans (AMH) during the Upper Paleolithic. However, it remains unclear whether the procurement strategies employed during this period—marked by multiple climatic fluctuations and chrono-cultural phases remained consistent or changed over time. To address this question, an archaeopetrological characterization of chert was conducted on the core and retouched tool assemblages from the Upper Paleolithic sequence at Cova Gran de Santa Linya. This analysis aims to identify the sedimentary origins of the silicifications and infer potential procurement zones to detect variations in lithic organization and procurement strategies over time. The study distinguishes two main types of silicifications: cherts formed in a continental hypersaline (evaporitic) sedimentary environment, likely associated with the Garumnian facies of the Tremp Formation, and cherts derived from a continental lacustrine environment, available in various geological formations within the Pre-Pyrenean Marginal Ranges and the Ebro Valley. Additionally, marine-origin cherts were identified, in formations located both on the southern and northern foothills of the Pyrenees. This preliminary approach suggests a primary procurement strategy in the transverse valleys of the southern Pyrenees and the Ebro Depression. The presence of marine-origin cherts, whose outcrops are located at a greater distance, suggests a certain permeability towards northern territories within the Pyrenean range. Furthermore, we detected a shift in raw material use and management throughout the Upper Paleolithic, particularly from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) onwards, where evaporitic chert varieties decrease in favor of lacustrine varieties. This progressive changes in raw material use coincides with parallel re-organisation of technology during the Magdalenian. Long-distance tracers are mainly identified on the onset of the LGM, likely indicating broader mobility and procurement strategies as a resilient response to harsh climate conditions and resources availability.

2026-05-01T00:00:00Z Robu, Marius Tîrlă, Maria-Laura Mirea, Ionuț-Cornel Faur, Luchiana-Maria Veres, Daniel Priceputu, Adrian Ungureanu, Constantin Vlaicu, Marius Kenesz, Marius Petculescu, Alexandru Pourmand, Ali Constantin, Silviu https://cir.cenieh.es/handle/20.500.12136/3604 2026-08-01T01:00:21Z 2026-05-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Hydroclimatic events in the Carpathian karst during MIS 3–2: Evidence from sedimentary records in two Romanian caves Authors: Robu, Marius; Tîrlă, Maria-Laura; Mirea, Ionuț-Cornel; Faur, Luchiana-Maria; Veres, Daniel; Priceputu, Adrian; Ungureanu, Constantin; Vlaicu, Marius; Kenesz, Marius; Petculescu, Alexandru; Pourmand, Ali; Constantin, Silviu Abstract: Cave sediments are well-preserved terrestrial archives of Quaternary hydroclimatic variability, often recording changes at high temporal resolution. Urșilor and Muierilor caves in the Romanian Carpathians contain extensive paleoflood deposits that provide insight into past hydrological dynamics. Here, we integrate new and previously published data to reconstruct palaeohydrological activity during Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 3–2, a period marked by rapid climate fluctuations. Our approach combines detailed stratigraphic logging, granulometric and clast-shape analyses, and chronological constraints derived from radiocarbon dating of fossil remains and Usingle bondTh dating of speleothems. The results indicate that both cave systems record recurrent high-magnitude flash floods, particularly during MIS 3 and the post–Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) phase of MIS 2, suggesting episodic intensification of hydrological extremes in the Carpathian region. Cave sediments are subdivided into allostratigraphic units, with paleoflood sequences represented by diamicton and thalweg facies, locally exhibiting channelized structures, and underlain by either backswamp (Muierilor) or slackwater deposits (Urșilor). Microstratigraphic variability within stalagmite PM163 further documents rapid environmental changes affecting the local hydrology at Muierilor. Three coeval hydrological events are identified in both caves, with deposition occurring after: ∼46 ka, ∼34.5 ka, and ∼29 ka. These results demonstrate that integrating sedimentological, microstratigraphic, and chronological data provides a robust framework for paleoenvironmental reconstruction. The sedimentary record indicates that flooding was modulated by large-scale hydroclimatic variability, although the relative contributions of precipitation and glacial meltwater remain unresolved. Overall, the studied cave deposits represent valuable archives of high-energy paleofloods during MIS 3–2 in the Romanian Carpathians, offering new constraints on the timing of hydrological extremes and suggesting regional synchronicity across karst systems with contrasting geomorphological settings.

2026-05-01T00:00:00Z