Impacts of Early Holocene environmental dynamics on open‐air occupation patterns in the Western Mediterranean: insights from El Arenal de la Virgen (Alicante, Spain)

Author:

Fernández‐López De Pablo Javier1ORCID,Polo‐Díaz Ana2ORCID,Rabuñal José Ramón13ORCID,Gómez Puche Magdalena1ORCID,Carrión Marco Yolanda4ORCID,Cantó Ana4,Mclaughlin Rowan5ORCID,Ferrer Carlos6,Burjachs Francesc789ORCID

Affiliation:

1. I.U. de Investigación en Arqueología y Patrimonio Histórico (INAPH) University of Alicante, Carr. de San Vicente del Raspeig, s/n San Vicente del Raspeig Alicante Spain

2. Department of Geography, Prehistory and Archaeology University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) Vitoria‐Gasteiz Spain

3. Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies Aarhus University Højbjerg Denmark

4. Department of Prehistory, Archaeology and Ancient History University of Valencia Valencia Spain

5. Maynooth National University of Ireland Kildare Ireland

6. Museu de Prehistòria de Valencia Centro Cultural La Beneficència Valencia Spain

7. ICREA Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats Barcelona Catalunya Spain

8. Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES) Zona Educacional 7 Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3) Tarragona Spain

9. Àrea de Prehistòria Universitat Rovira i Virgili Tarragona Spain

Abstract

ABSTRACTOpen‐air sites represent a fundamental proxy of the Early Holocene adaptive systems in the Iberian Peninsula. However, its research potential for the study of human–environmental interactions has been minimally explored. In this work, we present the results of an integrated research programme focused on open‐area excavations at the Mesolithic site of Arenal de la Virgen (Alicante, Spain). Novel multi‐scalar geoarchaeological and archaeo‐stratigraphic studies, coupled with featured‐based palaeobotanical analysis, were used to design an extensive radiocarbon dating programme and produce different Bayesian chronological models. Our results distinguish two different Mesolithic occupation phases, dating to 9.3–9.1 and 8.6–8.3k cal a bp respectively, consisting of combustion features and lithic scatters. The comparison of occupational dynamics with the nearby palaeoecological records of Salines and Villena indicated that both Mesolithic phases occurred under relatively stable environmental conditions. The second Mesolithic phase, however, ended during the onset of the 8.2k cal a bp climatic event, when sedimentation processes shifted from soil formation to accretion of aeolian sands. We demonstrate that the end of the Mesolithic occupations at Arenal de la Virgen coincides with the cessation of radiocarbon‐dated activity in other open‐air Postglacial sites in the central Mediterranean region of Iberia.

Funder

H2020 European Research Council

Conselleria de Cultura, Educación y Ciencia, Generalitat Valenciana

Publisher

Wiley

Subject

Paleontology,Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous),Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)

Reference111 articles.

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2. Alday A.(coord.)2006. El Mesolítico de muescas y denticulados en la cuenca del Ebro y el litoral mediterráneo peninsular. Diputación Foral de Álava Álava.

3. Alonso N.&López D.2005. Esclerocios deCenococcum geophilumFr. En yacimientos protohistóricos del nordeste peninsular in Molera J. Farjas J. P. Roura P. Pradell T (Eds) Actas del VI Congreso Ibérico de Arqueometría Girona 213 – 221.

4. Lithics

5. Aparicio J.2008. La necrópolis mesolítica de El Collado (Oliva‐Valencia). Diputación provincial de Valencia Valencia.

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