Galeria del silex Sierra de Atapuerca

ABSTRACT We present new datings and a new anthropological study of Early Neolithic human remains found in Galería del Sílex in 1979. This gallery is part of the Cueva Mayor system in the Sierra de Atapuerca. The human fossils attributed to the Neolithic period correspond to a minimum number of three individuals that have been radiocarbon dated to the last third of the 6th millennium cal BCE. Thus, the fossils from Galería del Sílex are among the oldest Neolithic human remains in the interior of the Iberian Peninsula. The human remains from Galería del Sílex were not found within a domestic context of human occupation of the cave, but rather within two pits (simas) located more than three hundred meters from the ancient entrance. This suggests that Galería del Sílex could have been an area reserved for depositing deceased humans during the Early Neolithic. Given the scarcity of this kind of funerary cave in the Spanish northern plateau during the Early Neolithic, the data from the Galería del Sílex add to our knowledge of human mortuary behavior during this period. In addition to the Galería del Sílex, there are two other well-known Neolithic sites in Sierra de Atapuerca: El Portal´on in Cueva Mayor, which was a human occupation site, and Cueva del Mirador, which was used for livestock stabling and exploitation. Considered altogether, the emerging evidence provided by these three sites makes Sierra de Ata puerca increasingly relevant as a source of information about Early Neolithic people from the interior of the Iberian Peninsula. 4. Discussion and Conclusions ... In summary, while the remains of I-4 may have arrived inside GS accidently, this explanation does not seem adequate for the remains of individuals I-1, I-2, I-3 and I-5, whose origin is better explained by an intentional act, possibly of funerary origin, related to the presence of ceramic pieces... This fact suggests that I-1 and I-5 could correspond to a primary deposit, while I-2 could be a secondary deposit, all of them carried out during the Early Neolithic times... On the other hand, dating results (Table 2, Fig. 6) can help us to establish the order of arrival of human remains corresponding to the Early Neolithic. The arrival of the remains of I-1 and I-5 could have taken place during the same generation, whereas the arrival of I-2 occurred several generations later. ... In this context, it is possible that I-3’s remains, found in Sima B, and not directly dated, could be more or less contemporary with those of I-2 and I-5, since all three consisted of a secondary deposit. It is also important to note that the dates obtained for Individuals I-1, I-2 and I-5 suggest that they are among the oldest human remains from the Early Neolithic found in the interior of the Peninsula... in the period spanning 5300-5000 BCE, the Early Neolithic funerary tradition began in the interior of the peninsula... the low population density of the first Neolithic settlers, in addition to their continuously changing settlements, could explain the lack of visibility of death from that period. With respect to the age at death and sex attributed to Early Neolithic individuals found in GS, it is noteworthy that both sexes are represented. This is remarkable because out of all Early Neolithic individuals from the Ibe rian Peninsula and the south of France, just 16% are women. This funerary nature of GS is especially relevant when taken in context with the other two Early Neolithic sites in Sierra de Atapuerca. On the one hand, El Portalón site, has provided a wealth of evidence, suggesting its exclusive use as living quarters around 6270 ± 40 BP), although a human bone fragment has been dated to 6170 ± 30 BP. On the other hand, excavations carried of Cueva de El Mirador have shown that it was solely dedicated to livestock stabling, around 6300 ± 50 BP. The new evidence provided here, by dating human remains from GS Sima A and Sima B, highlights a unique set of occupations in Sierra de Atapuerca during the Early Neolithic, in which the use of different caves was specialized for different purposes. Therefore, we believe that the group of Neolithic occupa tions in Atapuerca can be considered a focal point for neolithization of the Duero valley. In summary, GS is an extraordinary site due to the fact that it was sealed at the end of the Bronze Age and has remained intact to the present day... it could have been used as a funeral gallery whose use extended from the Early Neolithic, throughout the Chalcolithic, and lasted until the beginning of the Bronze Age.