Sample name: Picareiro Cave (Layer E - Lower)

Reference: N. Bicho, J. Haws, and B. Hockett. 2006. Two sides of the same coin - rocks, bones and site function of Picareiro Cave, central Portugal. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 25(4):485-499 [ER 3785]

Lithology: limestone

Taphonomic context: cave,human accumulation

Archaeology: hearths,stone tools

Habitat comments: "The sediment filling the cave is mostly éboulis, resulting from the chemical and physical erosion of the walls and ceiling of the cavity. The éboulis is characterized by a diversity of clast sizes and compaction, resulting in different interstitial spaces. The spaces among the limestone clasts are packed with fine silts and clays, of natural (eolic) and anthropogenic origins".
"The extraordinarily high number of rabbit bones and large hearths, as well as carcass butchery and high degree of fragmentation of large mammal limb elements, all indicate that the cave was repeatedly used as a short-term hunting/carcass processing camp".

Life forms: ungulates,other small mammals

Sampling methods: quarry,screenwash

Sample size: 622 specimens

Years: 1994 - 2001

Sampling comments: "Archaeological excavations started in 1994. The last year of the current field work was in 2001, after 37 m2 of excavation that reached a maximum depth of about 4.5 m. Excavations used a 1 m2 unit grid. Vertical control followed the geological layers, which were each subdivided into artificial 5 cm thick spits. All artifacts, bones and shells larger than 1 cm were 3D plotted. All sediment was screened through 6 mm and 1 mm mesh screens".

Sample number: 4103

Contributor: Benjamin Carter

Enterer: Benjamin Carter

Created: 2023-02-24 10:59:28

Modified: 2023-05-30 05:03:22