RT Journal Article
T1 Zooarchaeological study of the Magdalenian sequence of the Valdavara 1 site (Becerreá, Lugo, NW Iberia)
A1 Bal García, Hugo
A1 Fernández Rodríguez, Carlos
A1 Vaquero, Manuel
A1 Alonso Fernández, Elvira Susana
A1 Fábregas Valcarce, Ramón
K1 Lower-Middle Magdalenian
K1 Northwestern Iberian Peninsula
K1 Zooarchaeology
K1 Taphonomy
K1 Mixed-sites
AB 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.
PB Elsevier
YR 2025
FD 2025-11-12
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10347/46959
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10347/46959
LA eng
NO Bal-García, H., Fernández-Rodríguez, C., Vaquero, M., Alonso-Fernández, E. S., & Fábregas Valcarce, R. (2025). Zooarchaeological study of the Magdalenian sequence of the Valdavara 1 site (Becerreá, Lugo, NW Iberia). Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 68, 105486. 10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105486
NO HBG is supported by the grant Ayudas para contratos predoctorales para la formación de doctores (PRE-2020-095452) funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and “FSE invierte en tu futuro”. This paper contributes to the project PID2022-142337NB-I00 (Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Gobierno de España). The archaeological excavations at Valdavara 1 Cave were funded by the Concello de Becerreá.
DS Minerva
RD 6 may 2026