El Mirón Cave (Middle Magdalenian)
Basic information
Sample name: El Mirón Cave (Middle Magdalenian)
Reference: G. Cuenca-Bescós, A. B. Marín-Arroyo, I. Martínez, M. R. González-Morales, and L. G. Straus. 2012. Relationship between Magdalenian subsistence and environmental change: the mammalian evidence from El Mirón (Spain). Quaternary International 272:125-137 [ER 3786]
Geography
Country: Spain
State: Cantabria
Coordinate: 43° 14' 47" N, 3° 27' 4" W
Coordinate basis: stated in text
Time interval: Late Pleistocene
Section: 3786
Unit number: 4
Unit order: above to below
Max Ma: 0.016057
Min Ma: 0.01481
Age basis: radiocarbon (calibrated)
Geography comments: "El Mirón is a large cave in the upper Ason River Valley of the Cantabrian Cordillera of northern Spain".
The Middle Magdalenian levels of the site have been radiocarbon dated to between 16,057 and 14,810 cal. BP.
The Middle Magdalenian levels of the site have been radiocarbon dated to between 16,057 and 14,810 cal. BP.
Environment
Lithology: not described
Taphonomic context: cave,human accumulation
Archaeology: hearths,stone tools
Habitat comments: The cave was used fairly continuously by humans. The entire Magdalenian and Azilian cultural periods contain abundant lithic assemblages, associated with hearth remains. Humans were the principal bone accumulators of the large mammal assemblage, while birds of prey (owls) were likely responsible for the gathering of small mammal fauna.
Methods
Life forms: ungulates
Sampling methods: quarry,screenwash
Sample size: 3328 specimens
Years: 1996 - 2000
Sampling comments: "Sediments were washed through a graded series of sieves, from 2 cm to 1 mm, and were water-screened through fine mesh for the recovery of small vertebrate remains. This produced a rich and species-diverse assemblage of mainly rodents and insectivores, though also small carnivores, bats, lagomorphs, fishes, amphibians, reptiles and birds".
"A total of 5200 ungulate remains were identified, taxonomically distributed across 7 species". These are the only identified remains with NISP data reported; the numerous remains of small mammals are only given as MNI, of which there are "a minimum of 1915 individuals across 22 species".
"A total of 5200 ungulate remains were identified, taxonomically distributed across 7 species". These are the only identified remains with NISP data reported; the numerous remains of small mammals are only given as MNI, of which there are "a minimum of 1915 individuals across 22 species".
Metadata
Sample number: 4112
Contributor: Benjamin Carter
Enterer: Benjamin Carter
Modifier no: John Alroy
Created: 2023-02-24 14:09:25
Modified: 2024-11-03 00:08:46
Abundance distribution
7 species
0 singletons
total count 3328
geometric series index: 7.8
Fisher's α: 0.846
geometric series k: 0.3443
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.5302
Shannon's H: 0.8603
Good's u: 1.0000
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
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Register
| Equus ferus | 9 | 422 kg |
| "Equus caballus": not domesticated | ||
| Bovina indet. | 4 | |
| "Bos/Bison" | ||
| Cervus elaphus | 1801 | 142 kg browser-grazer |
| Capreolus capreolus | 22 | 22 kg browser |
| Sus scrofa | 3 | 54 kg herbivore |
| Capra pyrenaica | 1396 | |
| Rupicapra rupicapra | 93 | 27 kg browser-grazer |