Accumulation events at TE9c (Sima del Elefante site, Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain)

Abstract

Sima del Elefante site is a major cave infill with a stratigraphic succession 25 m thick and 15 wide. The lower levels of the cave (TE7 to TE16) show a reverse polarity magnetization direction attributed to the Matuyama Chron. Subunit TE9c was dated to 1.22±0.16 Ma years old by the cosmogenic nuclides. TE9c is a complex sedimentary deposit composed by subangular blocks and a clayey matrix. This deposit shows plastic deformations and few fissures. During the excavation it was impossible to define different archaeopaleonthological levels within TE9c. However, the morphology of the sedimentary deposit and its fossil content indicate that there are different moments and processes of accumulation. In this level we recovered a human mandible and a phalanx (Homo sp.) apparently associated to a Mode 1 lithic assemblage and faunal remains with anthropogenic processing marks, mainly on Cervidae and large bovid bones. The main aim is to show the archaeological and paleoecological features of TE9c, so the scenario of the first hominins occupations at Sierra de Atapuerca. We analyzed level 9 from several disciplines: geomorpholoy, paleoecology, taphonomy and archaeology. After the anatomic, taxonomic and taphonomic analyses of the fossil remains recovered in this site, we can observe that the animals recovered from TE9c can be classified in three groups: small animal (mainly birds and lagomorphs), small-medium size carnivores (Vulpes cf. alopecoides, Canis cf. mosbachensis, Lynx issiodorensis ssp. Pannonictis cf.nestii) and medium-large ungulates (Equus altidens, Eucladoceros giulii, Sus sp.Bison cf. voigtstedtensis;Dama “nestii” vallonnetensis).In the most of the cases, the remains of small animals and carnivores have been recovered in anatomical connection or semiconnection. While in the case of large herbivores, only in a case we recovered a part of an animal (Bison sp.) in anatomical semi-connection. A total of 33 lithic remains, mainly in chert, have been discovered and assigned to Mode 1 technology. These artefacts have been recovered through the sedimentary deposit, but the absence of refitting does not allow us to confirm that these pieces correspond to the same momento in time. We consider that there are several events of accumulation and that the origin of each one of the accumulations seems related to the characteristics of each group of fossil remains recovered from this level.