Subsistence strategies in the Iberian Plateau: Zooarchaeology of La Malia rock shelter

Abstract

Traditionally, the specialized literature suggests that the interior of the Iberian Peninsula was sparsely populated or even completely unpopulated during the Upper Paleolithic (UP). The orographic characteristics and the altitude of the Castilian Plateau, would have exacerbated the already challenging climatic conditions during the Last Glacial Period. The Malia rock shelter (Tamajón, Guadalajara, Spain) represents a window into subsistence strategies, the exploitation of animal resources and human adaptation to the ecosystems of the high-altitude plateau. The site has been excavated since 2018, distinguishing 3 UP Lithostratigraphic Units (LU) subdivided in four levels dated between 20-37 ka cal BP. Here, we present the first zooarchaeological study of the site based on the analysis on 1260 faunal remains. Cervus elaphus is the best represented species in all the levels of the site, followed by Equus sp. in levels LUII and LUIVa. Leporidae is also abundant in levels LUIVb and LUV. However, other taxa such as Bison priscus, Caprinae or birds are less represented in the sequence. If we look at the bone surface modifications, they indicate an anthropogenic origin of the assemblage. We found a high percentage of cut marks, anthropic breakage and burned bones. Anthropic processing has been documented mainly on red deer and horses in all the sequence, but also in leporids and bison. Carnivore tooth marks were scarcely documented in equids or red deer, but in greater proportion in leporids and birds. To sum up, humans seem to have concentrated their activity on macromammals, while the accumulation of birds and leporids seems to be more of a carnivore accumulation. These results add a new dimension to the debate about the mobility and occupation of our species during this period.