The Lower Magdalenian in Cantabrian Spain: level G1 at El Cierro Cave (Fresnu, Ribadesella, Asturias)

Abstract

El Cierro Cave possesses one of the most complete prehistoric sequences in northern Spain, since its different levels cover the period from the late Middle Palaeolithic to the Mesolithic. In the late 1950s, Professor Francisco Jordá Cerdá excavated the deposit and attributed Layer 5 (later called Level IV) to the upper-final Solutrean. From 1977 to 1979, this archaeologist and Alejandro Gómez Fuentes cleaned the section left by the previous excavation, took samples from each level, and excavated three Lower Magdalenian levels (Levels F, G and G1). However, the data from this fieldwork were never published. Since 2014, an interdisciplinary team lead by the University of Salamanca has been carrying out new research at the site. This communication presents the study of the archaeological remains (fauna, lithic and osseous industry, portable art, etc.) from Level G1. This Lower Magdalenian level is dated in ca. 15,500 BP.