Open air sites in coastal environments during the Late Prehistory: Uribe Kosta (Northern Spain)

Abstract

The spread of the Neolithic to the west of Europe implies, among other features, a modification in the settlement patterns. Open-air villages became the most representative evidence of daily life activities. However, this archaeological record is scarce in some areas of the continent, especially in the south of the Atlantic coast. The Prehistory in the Cantabrian region (Northern Iberian Peninsula) has been built up mostly from archaeological sequences recorded in caves. However, this aspect implies an important bias in the case of the Late Prehistory when the open air settlements were the main scenario of the daily life. In this contribution, we present the coastal occupations carried out in Uribe kosta, located in the eastern of the Cantabrian region, during the Late Prehistory. First discoveries were made in the 1950’s, and since then, numerous lithic assemblages have been collected on surface. Since 2007, systematic research has been carried out in the area with the aim to recognise the open air occupations of the earliest farmers communities. This project includes the excavation of new open air sites, superficial surveys to identify burial mounds and new artefact studies, such as polished tools, pressure blade cores, arrowheads and ground mills. New archaeological sites have been identified (Landaluze and Aranbaltza II) where different structures may represent different activity areas of a permanent and continuous settlement. The available radiocarbon dates for Landaluze are coeval with the spread of megalithic monuments in the region. At the same time, the analysis of lithic tools, especially the arrowheads, has allowed us to propose a long term occupation of this area. Preliminary data suggest that the implantation of farmer communities in the area was clearly more complex than previously considered with strong evidence of permanent settlement with domestic structures, specialized lithic productions and symbolic transformation of the landscape.