The past is out there: open-air Palaeolithic sites and new research strategies in the Cantabrian region (Northern Iberia)

Abstract

The development of Paleolithic studies in the Cantabrian Region has been historically biased towards cave deposits. This can be explained by a concurrence of factors, as the richness of cave deposits, the heritage regulations, and the interest of researchers. This bias affects the way we interpret the archaeological record in order to understand paleolithic human behaviors, and environments. Nevertheless some advances in the open air research have been done in the last 20 years at Irikaitz, Ametzagaina, Uribe Kosta, El Barandiallu, Cabo Busto and Bañugues. These efforts help us to understand the limits and possibilities of open air paleolithic surveying and excavation in order to understand the non-cave human activities in this concrete region.