Plant resources potentiality for Neanderthal groups settle down in the Lozoya Valley (C Spain) at the beginnings of the Upper Pleistocene

Abstract

The archaeopaleontological sites of Pinilla del Valle (Madrid, Central Spain) have provided a set of important items: i.e. Neanderthal teeth, lithic assemblages and domestic hearths, which show the development of human occupations at the beginnings of the Upper Pleistocene in Central Spain. Palynological and anthracological analyses conducted have provided in turn key information about vegetation dynamics and wood uses developed at the beginnings of the Upper Pleistocene, a period of time still characterised by scarce and fragmentary palaeovegetational information in central Spain. Pollen data have shown the progressive installation of an open landscape in the area in accordance with the global scale increasingly colder conditions. Based on these previous data this work focuses on the potential resources that such vegetal environments can provide to the dietary, subsistence and uses of territory by the Neanderthal community settled there. The taxa identified by pollen and charcoal analyses are grouped into four categories (food, medicinal use, manufacturing and firewood), in order to know the range of uses that neanderthals may have made from plants. Charcoal data revealed the use of wood from different plant communities which demonstrates the potential of woody plant resources that such open environments hosted inside. On the other hand the studies on oral dental microwear have proved that Neanderthal not only consumed meat, but seafood, fish and some cooked vegetables were also present in his diet. Correlations between climate change on paleoecosystems and Neanderthal subsistence patterns have been established, showing how flexible was the Neanderthal diet and his ability of adaptation to changes in food resources over time.