Last Neanderthal occupations at Central Iberia: the lithic industry of Jarama VI rock shelter (Valdesotos, Guadalajara, Spain)

Abstract

The work undertaken at the Jarama VI site (Valdesotos, Guadalajara, Spain) in the 1990s resulted in the recovery of thousands of archeological remains from the three Pleistocene sedimentary units of this cavity. Prior to the systematic analysis of the lithic material and the reception of new geochronological data, it had been suggested that the upper unit of Jarama VI could correspond to the Early Upper Paleolithic, while the other two units could be related to Neanderthal occupations. We now present the results of a comprehensive analysis and review of the materials, enabling us to clarify that all three units at Jarama VI belong to the Middle Paleolithic and, hence, to the last known Neanderthals in this central area of the Iberian Peninsula, a relatively high altitude inland zone within the framework of mountainous landscapes—parameters which seem to be characteristic of these last groups of Neanderthals.