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Article

English

ID: <

http://hdl.handle.net/10261/250521

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·

DOI: <

10.1515/opar-2020-0193

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Where these data come from
Mountains, Herds and Crops: Notes on New Evidence from the Early Neolithic in the Southern Central Pyrenees

Abstract

After years of intense fieldwork, our knowledge about the Neolithisation of the Pyrenees has considerably increased. In the southern central Pyrenees, some previously unknown Neolithic sites have been discovered at subalpine and alpine altitudes (1,000–1,500 m a.s.l.). One of them is Cueva Lóbrica, 1,170 m a.s.l., which has an occupation phase with impressed pottery dated ca. 5400 cal BCE. Another is Coro Trasito, 1,558 m a.s.l., a large rock shelter that preserves evidence of continuous occupations in the Early Neolithic, 5300–4600 cal BCE. Evidence of human occupation at higher altitudes has also been documented. In the Axial Pyrenees, at the Obagues de Ratera rock shelter, 2,345 m a.s.l., an occupation has been dated to around 5730–5600 cal BCE. At Cova del Sardo, in the Sant Nicolau Valley, at 1,780 m a.s.l., a series of occupations have been excavated, dated to ca. 5600–4500 cal BCE. These sites allow us to discuss patterns of occupation of the mountainous areas between the Late Mesolithic and Early Neolithic. Recent data suggest that the last hunter–gatherer occupied all altitudinal stages of the Pyrenees, both in the outer and inner ranges. A change in the settlement pattern seems to have occurred in the Early Neolithic, which consisted of a concentration of occupations in the valley bottom and mid-slopes, in biotopes favourable to both herding and agriculture. Research described in this article has been carried out in the framework of several projects: ‘Modelización de los espacios prehistóricos de montaña. Un SIG del patrimonio arqueológico y los territorios pastoriles (HAR2015-66780-P/IP: Ermengol Gassiot)’ funded by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO) of Spain; ‘Muntanyes humanes. Arqueología del pastoralisme i l’agricultura al Pirineu Occidental (CLT009/18/00032 Ajuts per a projectes quadriennals de recerca en matèria d’arqueologia i paleontología 2018–2021/IP: Ermengol Gassiot)’ funded by the Generalitat de Catalunya; ‘Arqueología del Pastoralismo en el Bien Pirineos Monte Perdido’, funded by the Ministerio de Cultura in Spain and different contracts with National Park of Aigüestortes & Estany of Sant Maurici. The work of one of the authors (N.M.) was supported by a MSCA-IF grant, project QUANT (ID: 792,544).

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