Zooarchaeological study of the Magdalenian sequence of the Valdavara 1 site (Becerreá, Lugo, NW Iberia)

Abstract

Valdavara 1 (Becerreá, Lugo) is an archaeopalaeontological cave site located in the NW of the Iberian Peninsula, in the western limit −both geographically and culturally- of the Cantabrian area of influence. The stratigraphic sequence includes levels chronoculturally framed in the Lower-Middle Magdalenian and dated between 18,720 and 16,680 cal BP. The faunal assemblage, dominated by chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica), shows a great diversity in ungulate, carnivore and leporid remains. Zooarchaeological and taphonomic analyses reveal a complex accumulation history, shaped by both anthropogenic and carnivore presence at the cave. Despite a low percentage of remains with direct evidence of human modification (5.92 %), the lithic and bone artifacts and the personal ornaments retrieved suggest repeated human occupations alternating with the use of the cavity as a den by a variety of carnivores, mainly wolves (Canis lupus) and foxes (Vulpes vulpes), as 13.59 % of the bones exhibit toothmarks and digestion traces. Anatomical representation patterns, bone mineral density (BMD) correlations, and the taphonomic study suggest selective transport, exploitation by both human and non-human predators, and differential preservation processes played a big role on the conservation of the assemblage. Overall, the study positions Valdavara 1 as a unique site within the Magdalenian record of the Iberian Peninsula, illustrating a dynamic interplay of ecological and cultural factors that shaped the presence of hunter-gatherers in the Eastern Mountains of Galicia during the Late Glacial.