Sample name: El Cierro Cave (Level D)

Reference: E. Alvarez-Fernandez, J. Bécares, J. F. J. Pardo, A. Agirre-Uribesalgo, D. Alvarez-Alonso, M. T. Aparicio, I. Barrera-Mellado, P. Carral, R. P. Carriol, M. Cubas, M. Cueto, K. Douka, M. Elorza, M. J. Fernândez-Gómez, S. Gabriel, N. García-Ibaibarriaga, M. J. Iriarte-Chiapusso, C. Llave, A. Maestro, S. Martín-Jarque, R. Portero, Suârez-Bilbao, Tarriño, and Teira. 2020. Palaeoenvironmental and chronological context of human occupations at El Cierro cave (northern Spain) during the transition from the late Upper Pleistocene to the early Holocene. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 29:102138 [ER 3797]

Lithology: claystone

Taphonomic context: bird accumulation,cave,human accumulation,midden

Archaeology: stone tools

Habitat comments: "Levels D, C and B of El Cierro represent shell-midden deposits. Level D is a carbonated deposit that laterally displays dark detritic material cemented with carbonates. A total of 104 lithic remains has been recorded; 85 in the Azilian (Levels C-D) and 19 in the Mesolithic period (Level B). The assemblage is primarily human accumulated, with the small vertebrate remains having derived through natural deaths or by predation and deposition by owls or diurnal birds of prey".

Life forms: rodents,ungulates,birds,crustaceans,clams,snails,other invertebrates

Sampling methods: quarry,screenwash

Sample size: 779 specimens

Years: 1977 - 1979, 2014 - 2016

Sampling comments: "Current research restarted in 2014 to study the remains found in the 1970s, and re-sample the "shell-midden" deposits (Levels D, C and B). The fauna and archaeological materials surveyed includes both those excavated between 1977 and 1979, and from the 2014 to 2016 fieldwork".
"The volume sampled for the Azilian Level D was c. 6,000 cm3 in the latter seasons. As the levels were rich in carbonates, the concretion containing the remains was broken up and the sediment was floated in water and then sieved through screens down to a 0.4 mm mesh size".

Sample number: 4133

Contributor: Benjamin Carter

Enterer: Benjamin Carter

Created: 2023-02-27 11:59:05

Modified: 2023-04-28 03:29:10