Prehistoric herding facilities: site formation processes and archaeological dynamics in Cova Gran de Santa Linya (Southeastern Prepyrenees, Iberia)

Abstract

Prehistoric pen accumulations in rockshelters and caves are indicators of the history of pastoralism beginning in the Neolithic period. This paper characterises the stabling practices and the syn/post-depositional processes identified in Cova Gran de Santa Linya through a combination of micromorphological and stratigraphic analyses and radiometric dating of the pen deposits recorded at the site. The study confirms the cyclical stabling of ovicaprids in the rockshelter. Other activities, such as the repeated burning of residues, add to our understanding of pen management and the upkeep of pen deposits in the past. The topographic characteristics and extensive use of the site over a long period of time, along with contextual data from other cave sites in the South Pyrenean mountain range where pen deposits have been documented, allow discussion of the role played by Cova Gran in long distance transhumant herding between the Ebro Basin and the Pyrenees during the past, which includes routes that have operated almost until the present day.