Re-evaluating the human remains from El Bosquet cave (Mont-ral, Tarragona, Spain): healed trauma and forgotten past

Abstract

During the early development of archaeology in Spain, many of the materials obtained from excavations were later forgotten in museum deposits. However, re-investigation of these collections with contemporary methodologies can still contribute valuable knowledge. This study presents the case of El Bosquet Cave (Mont-ral, Tarragona, Spain), located in the Northeastern Iberian Peninsula. This cave was excavated and documented in 1956 and the recovered materials were transferred, years later, to the Reus Museum, where they are currently located. Our results provide a more precise Middle Bronze Age chronology for the site in addition to bioarchaeological conclusions on the human remains from four individuals. Of note is a healed mandibular fracture in one of the individuals. Trauma observed in human skeletal remains reflect the conditions and risks of human groups in relation to daily activities or may be the result of interpersonal violence. In the Iberian Peninsula there are very few documented cases of mandibular fractures in prehistoric populations. This study contributes to the knowledge of the populations of the recent prehistory in the region of Catalonia and highlights the importance of reanalyzing the collections that are deposited and, in many cases forgotten, in the different museums of the territory.