The Paleoecology of Lower Magdalenian Cantabrian Spain

Description

The terrestrial mammalian microfauna from the Lower Magdalenian site of El Juyo (Santander, Spain) and related sites are here used to reconstruct the paleoenvironment of Cantabrian Spain. Fine screening yielded a large sample of small mammal remains accumulated as a result of barn owl pellet regurgitation. Small carnivores and large faunal species are also present, together with human food remains. These data are compared with other sources to produce a clearer picture of the Lower Magdalenian setting, indicating that the climate was very humid and cold, with open coastal heath the dominant terrain type. Rapid climatic deterioration occurred during the deposition of the upper occupation levels. An increasing separation of human adaptations from the constraints of environment is observable; these adaptations focused upon the ‘wild harvesting’ of concentrated resources. Red deer, ibex, salmon, and marine molluscs were harvested with increasing efficiency, presaging the adaptations leading to food production.