Cadernos Lab. X eolóxico de Laxe
Coruña. 2001. Vol. 26, pp. 407-414
ISSN: 0213-4497
The Ursus spelaeus disappearance
archaeologically registered in the Northeast
of Catalonia
Registro arqueológico de la desaparición de
Ursus spelaeus en el Noreste de Cataluña
MAROTO, J.; RAMIÓ, S. & SOLÉS, A.
AB ST RACT
The extinction of Ursus spelaeus remains controversial. In this paper, data from two
archaeological sites from NE Iberian Peninsula are presented. Thus, the Middle-Upper
Paleolithic term is thoroughly analysed by combining radiocarbon datings, palaeontological remains and archaeological findings.
Key words: Ursus spelaeus , Palaeolithic, Ermitons cave, Arbreda cave, Archaeology
Àrea de Prehistòria, Universitat de Girona, Plaça Ferrater Mora, 1, 17071 Girona. SPAIN
408 MAROTO et al .
INTRODUCTION
The fossil register shows a plentiful
presence of the Ursus spelaeus on the
Middle Palaeolithic in Europe, but during
the Upper Palaeolithic a progessive declive was registered, which inevitably took
the Ursus spelaeus to its extintion
(ALT U N A,
1971;
P R AT
1976;
GAMBLE, 1986; GUÉRIN & PATOUMATHIS, 1996). In order to explain the
reasons of extintion of the Ursus spelaeus
we will provide data concerning the transition between the Middle and Upper
Palaeolithic based on two archaeological
sites, the Arbreda Cave and the Ermitons
Cave (Catalonia), located on the Northeast
of the Iberian Peninsula, one of the meridional areas of distribution of this
Ursidae.
THE ARBREDA CAVE
Natural surroundings and Site’s
Excavation
The Arbreda Cave belongs to the
group of the Reclau Caves (Serinyà). These
caves are located at a heigh of 200 and 210
metres, and they open to a cascading travertine backing the west margin of a
plain, the Pla d’Usall, formed by limestone of lacustrine origin and constituent of a
small but relative abrupt talus.
The territory as easily accessible and
offers many natural resources within an
hour radius: the great plain of the Pla
d’Usall, the Lake of Banyoles and the
swamps that surround it, a long stretch of
the middle Fluvià river, and the valley of
CAD. LAB. X EOL. LAX E 26 (2001)
the Ser river with a variety of relifs, from
subtile to abrupt. The site is also located
at about 3 hours from the relevant natural
north and south passway along the
Prelitoral Catalan Depressions, and near
the Fluvià river, which also serves as a
natural way into the inland territories, as
the massif of Alta Garrotxa, for exemple.
Digging was undertaken by J .M.
Corominas on 1972 and 1973. Since
1975, excavations have been systematic,
but with a few interruptions. Nowdays,
the excavations are supervised by
Professors Narcís Soler and Julià Maroto,
from the University of Girona.
The stratigraphic sequence of the site
is complete, for its chronology includes
from Middle Palaeolithic (approximately
100.000 years) to well into Upper
Palaeolithic (about 15.000 years ago).
T he Levels of Middle Palaeolithic
The diggings have not yet reached the
lower levels of the stratigraphic sequence
of the site, which we only know from the
1972-73 sounding (Alfa Sector). The
constant presence along the Mousterian
register of the Ursus spelaeus is evident on
the work of ESTÉVEZ (1987) about the
fauna materials corresponding to this
sounding.
Level I (recent Middle Palaeolithic
known from new excavations) is dated
with 14 C AMS in 39,9 ± 0,6 ka (average
resulting from four datings).
Excluding the rabbit, abundant but
only partly hunted, the presence of carnivores dominates (MNI=28). W ithin them
we mostly find Ursus spelaeus predominant
over the ungulates (MNI=14) (Table 1).
CAD. LAB. X EOL. LAX E 26 (2001)
The cave bear is represented by 21
individuals: 16 fetals-newborns-infantils,
2 juvenile, 2 adults (1 male, 1 female) and
1 senile. W ith this information we infer
that the cave was used by bears as an
hibernation and breading site when it was
not occupied by the Neanderthals. The
abundance of Ursus spelaeus (together with
other carnivores as the wolf, fox, hyena,
lynx and wild cat) seems to indicate a low
frequency of human presence during
Middle Palaeolithic.
None of the carnivores remains show
any anthropic activity, for this reason we
think they have a clear paleonthologic
character. On the other hand, some of the
ungulates remains (deer, horse, large bovine) show evident signs of having been
consumed and digested by some carnivore.
But the percentage of ungulates remains
into the cave brought by carnivores is still
unknown.
Regading burned remains 5% of the
total remains, we were able to verifly that
they belong strictly to ungulates.
Cultural material is essentially represented by the lithic industry, typical of the
Middle Palaeolithic (Mousterian), mostly
cut in quartz and quarzite, found locally
and made by the Neanderthals (Maroto et
al., 1996).
The Levels of Upper Palaeolithic
Level H (inicial Upper Palaeolithic
known from recent excavation) is dated
with 14C AMS in 38,3 ± 0,5 ka (average
resulting from four datings).
Again, rabbits are is the most dominant, but this time, this species shows evidence of anthropic activity. Disregarding
rabbit, contrary to the period mentioned
in the previous section, the presence of
The Ursus spelaeus disappearance 409
ungulates dominates, even though the
amount of individuals found is approximatly the same (MNI=15). The number
of ungulates double the number of carnivores (MNI=6).
The Ursus spelaeus is registred only
with 5 deciduous teeth. The presence of
wolf, fox, hyena and lynx is found with
equally low frequency (table 1).
There is a remarcable increase of anthropic signs documented on the fauna, specially among the ungulates (horse, roe
deer, deer and large bovine) as well as
among the carnivores. At this level, the
anthropic fauna is most significant in relation to the nonanthropic.
The material culture of this period suffers at this level a clear rupture in comparison to the culturewhich is closer to the
Middle Palaeolithic.
At the Level H, the culture material
corresponds to early Aurignacian, with a
lithic industry manufactured with foreign
flint possibly, fruit of the first modern
humans in Europe (MAR OT O et al . ,
1996).
On the other levels of the Upper
Palaeolithic there is a complete disappearance of the cave bear, and the presence of
the rest of the great carnivores (ESTÉVEZ,
1987; GALOBART et al ., 1996).
THE ERMITONS CAVE
Natural surroundings and Site’s
Excavation
The Ermitons Cave (Sales de Llierca) is
located inland of the calacareous massif at
the Alta Garrotxa, belonging to the most
410 MAROTO et al .
CAD. LAB. X EOL. LAX E 26 (2001)
Table 1. Arbreda Cave, levels I and H. Number of Speciments and Minimum Number of
Individuals of large and medium mammal fauna species, excluding the rabbit.
oriental sectors of the Prepyrenean. The
cave is located at a altitude of 400 metres,
95 above Sant Aniol stream. These situation is different from the Reclau Caves,
the surrounding relif is extremely abrupt
due to the lithology (mainly of massive
limestone) and to its intensely folded and
broken structure.
Deep-carved rivers are the only way of
penetration into the massif: you can get
into the massif from the Fluvià valley by
following the Llierca river and after taking
Sant Aniol stream upwards.
For these reasons our interpretation of
the human presence isn’t accidental, but
taking into account that you need two
hours, from the archeological site, to go
out of the massif and that the majority of
animals and the raw material come from
the surrounding of the cave, we think that
it was used as sporadic shelter for seasonly
hunting of the wild mountain goats
(Capra pyrenaica ). The Ermitons Cave was
excavated by Muñoz & Pericot between
1970-71.
In 1996, J. Maroto began renewed
CAD. LAB. X EOL. LAX E 26 (2001)
excavations. Stratigraphic sequences contain material from final Bronze Age and
Neolithics in the upper strata. In the
lower strata they contain material of the
Middle Palaeolithic.
T he strata of the Middle Palaeolithic
A predominance of anthropic remains
is the main characteristic of the fauna of
this stratum VI. The wild mountain goats
is more abundant than the other species (ª
85% NISP), but Ursus spelaeus, which is
paleontologic is also present (ª 8% NISP).
Stratum IV dated absolutely the 14 C
result 33.190 ± 660 BP, contain mousterian industry.
In stratum IV we find predominance of
the cave bear (≈ 57%), which nonanthropic, we also find some carnivores (hyena
and panthera, for exemple, ≈ 4%) and
goats (≈ 38%).
The bear bones findings are well distributed over the animal’s entire body. We
find offsprings, adults and senile individuals.
With this information we infer that
the cave was used by bears as an hibernation and breeding site (MAROTO et al .,
1996).
DISCUSSION
The documented register at both
archeologic sites –Arbreda Cave and
Ermitons Cave– indicates that the arrival
of the first modern human from the begining of the Upper Palaeolithic was very
influencial over the frequency and distribution of the cave bear in Catalonia, and
probably also in other areas nearby. The
The Ursus spelaeus disappearance 411
Modern humans would adopt a different
model of settlement in territory than the
Neanderthals. The Modern humans would
occupy the caves with continuosly, which
implies a greater pressure for the large carnivores that inhabit of the caves.
In this way, in the Arbreda Cave, we
observe that within a short time (around
1.500 years according to 14 C dating) the
cave bear evolves from being the most
represented great mammal to practically
disappearing from its register. On the
other hand, the transition from Middle to
Upper Palaeolithic in theses sites, does not
have a correspondence with a climatic
change according to the palinologic
(BURJ ACHS
&
RENAULTMI SK O V SK Y , 1992; B U R J ACH S,
1993), anthracological (M. Ros), fish-fossil (MUÑOZ & CASADEVALL, 1997),
amphibian and reptile (Fèlix), bird
(GARCIA, 1995), chiropter and insectivore (Galobart), and rodent studies
(ALCALDE, 1987).
At stratum IV at Ermitons Cave, posterior in time to the documented disappearence of the Ursus spelaeus in the neighbouring Arbreda Cave, still of
Neanderthal culture, cave bears are plentifully present.
We could postulate the hypothesis that
cave bears and Neanderthals followed the
same steps at the beginning of Upper
Palaeolithic. Territorial pressure of
Modern human beings would have directed them to more marginal areas, as for
example Alta Garrotxa.
In regions netx to Aude and the
Cantabric we find parallels to the fact that
has been explained above and that reinfor-
412 MAROTO et al .
ces the hypothesis that we had forseen for
Catalonia.
In Aude, the Tournal Cave (BizeMinervois) presents Middle Palaeolithic
levels (33.650 ± 1250 BP) with
Mousterian industry (TAVOSO, 1987).
From the study by PAT OU- MAT H I S
(1994) we know that during these mousterian levels the Ursus spelaeus is more frequent than the rest of carnivores (70% of
these in the richer level) and that it is the
second after the horse if we take into
account all the fauna.
Above these Aurignacians levels to be
found, with a cultural break. In these
levels cave bears are absent or at last present with an anecdotical number of
remains (2 maximum); the anthropic
fauna is mainly represented by horses,
large bovines and rein deers.
STRAUSS (1982) studied the intensity
of use of Cantabric caves from the relative
presence of carnivores which has been
estracted from archeological sites.
If carnivores are well represented this
fact is taken as a prove of a less frequent
use of this sites by human beings. The
author infers that during Middle
Palaeolithic there is a tendency as time
passes by that goes from what he names
CAD. LAB. X EOL. LAX E 26 (2001)
"partial time" caves, which means that
they are both used by carnivores and
human beings, to the "full time occupation" by human groups during the Upper
Palaeolithic.
In the same Cantabric area we have a
concrete example in the Ekain Cave
(ALTUNA & MERINO, 1984). W hile in
the X level there has been 1109 remains of
Ursus spelaeus registered and in the IX
level (transition Middle Palaeolithic /
Upper Palaeolithic) there has been a total
amount of 248, in the posterior levels of
Upper Palaeolithic there has been hardly
any register (level VIII, 0 remains; level
VII, 3 remains; level VI, 7 remains; level
V, IV and III, 1 remains and in the level II,
note one).
Finally we think that this fact concerning territorial pressure from Modern
human towards cave bears taking must be
into account, but other factors should not
be excluded in the explanation of the great
cave ursidae extinction.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This research has been sponsored by
PB97-0656 del Ministerio de Educación i
Cultura.
CAD. LAB. X EOL. LAX E 26 (2001)
The Ursus spelaeus disappearance 413
Figure 1. Geographic situation of Ermitons Cave and Arbreda Cave in the northeast of the Iberian
Peninsula.
414 MAROTO et al .
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