Interconnected Magdalenian societies as revealed by the circulation of whale bone artefacts in the Pyreneo-Cantabrian region
International audience Coastal adaptations of Palaeolithic foragers along the north Atlantic seaboard have received renewedattention in the last decade and include growing evidence for exploitation of whale bone by Late GlacialMagdalenian groups to the north of the Pyrenees. Here we present a system...
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Online Access: | https://hal.science/hal-03104414 https://hal.science/hal-03104414/document https://hal.science/hal-03104414/file/QSR_whalebone_HAL.pdf https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106692 |
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ftunivtoulouse2:oai:HAL:hal-03104414v1 2024-06-23T07:55:05+00:00 Interconnected Magdalenian societies as revealed by the circulation of whale bone artefacts in the Pyreneo-Cantabrian region Lefebvre, Alexandre Marín-Arroyo, Ana Belen Álvarez Fernández, Esteban de La Rasilla Vives, Marco Duarte Matías, Elsa Cueto, Marián Tapia, Jesus Berganza Gochi, Eduardo Pétillon, Jean-Marc Travaux et recherches archéologiques sur les cultures, les espaces et les sociétés (TRACES) École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS)-Université Toulouse - Jean Jaurès (UT2J) Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication (MCC)-Institut national de recherches archéologiques préventives (Inrap)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) Universidad de Salamanca Universidad de Oviedo Oviedo ANR-18-CE27-0018,PaleoCet,L'exploitation des cétacés dans le Paléolithique de l'Europe atlantique(2018) 2021-01 https://hal.science/hal-03104414 https://hal.science/hal-03104414/document https://hal.science/hal-03104414/file/QSR_whalebone_HAL.pdf https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106692 en eng HAL CCSD Elsevier info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106692 hal-03104414 https://hal.science/hal-03104414 https://hal.science/hal-03104414/document https://hal.science/hal-03104414/file/QSR_whalebone_HAL.pdf doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106692 info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess ISSN: 0277-3791 EISSN: 1873-457X Quaternary Science Reviews https://hal.science/hal-03104414 Quaternary Science Reviews, 2021, 251, pp.106692. ⟨10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106692⟩ North Atlantic osseous technology southwestern Europe Late Upper Palaeolithic coastal adaptations communication networks [SHS.ARCHEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Archaeology and Prehistory info:eu-repo/semantics/article Journal articles 2021 ftunivtoulouse2 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106692 2024-06-10T23:39:39Z International audience Coastal adaptations of Palaeolithic foragers along the north Atlantic seaboard have received renewedattention in the last decade and include growing evidence for exploitation of whale bone by Late GlacialMagdalenian groups to the north of the Pyrenees. Here we present a systematic revision of Magdalenianosseous industries from the Cantabrian region designed to explore whether this phenomenon was morewidely shared by hunter-gatherer groups along the Atlantic coast of the northern Iberian Peninsula. Fiftyfourwhale bone objects were identified from 12 of the 64 sampled sites. Essentially represented by large,finished weapon elements (projectile points), these objects are primarily associated with the middlephase of the Cantabrian Magdalenian, and overlap slightly with the beginning its upper and probably theend of its lower phases. More broadly, the circulation of these objects evinces regular, long-distance (ca.600 km) communication networks operating on both sides of the current French and Spanish BasqueCountry between 17.8 and 15 cal ka BP. The structure of this network poses interesting questions concerningpotential social and/or economic interactions between Magdalenian groups from the Pyreneesand neighbouring Cantabrian region.We suggest that the use of whale bone by these particularly mobilehunter-gatherer groups for the production of hunting weapons was connected to the longer use-lifeafforded by the large size of this particular raw material. This choice potentially reflects attempts tooffset raw material transport costs by privileging their regular maintenance rather than the replacementof hunting weaponry. This growing body of evidence for the exploitation of marine resources during theMagdalenian further reinforces the Bay of Biscay being the backdrop to the emergence of the first regular,diversified and organized coastal economies at the end of the Last Glaciation. Article in Journal/Newspaper North Atlantic Université Toulouse 2 - Jean Jaurès: HAL Quaternary Science Reviews 251 106692 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Université Toulouse 2 - Jean Jaurès: HAL |
op_collection_id |
ftunivtoulouse2 |
language |
English |
topic |
North Atlantic osseous technology southwestern Europe Late Upper Palaeolithic coastal adaptations communication networks [SHS.ARCHEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Archaeology and Prehistory |
spellingShingle |
North Atlantic osseous technology southwestern Europe Late Upper Palaeolithic coastal adaptations communication networks [SHS.ARCHEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Archaeology and Prehistory Lefebvre, Alexandre Marín-Arroyo, Ana Belen Álvarez Fernández, Esteban de La Rasilla Vives, Marco Duarte Matías, Elsa Cueto, Marián Tapia, Jesus Berganza Gochi, Eduardo Pétillon, Jean-Marc Interconnected Magdalenian societies as revealed by the circulation of whale bone artefacts in the Pyreneo-Cantabrian region |
topic_facet |
North Atlantic osseous technology southwestern Europe Late Upper Palaeolithic coastal adaptations communication networks [SHS.ARCHEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Archaeology and Prehistory |
description |
International audience Coastal adaptations of Palaeolithic foragers along the north Atlantic seaboard have received renewedattention in the last decade and include growing evidence for exploitation of whale bone by Late GlacialMagdalenian groups to the north of the Pyrenees. Here we present a systematic revision of Magdalenianosseous industries from the Cantabrian region designed to explore whether this phenomenon was morewidely shared by hunter-gatherer groups along the Atlantic coast of the northern Iberian Peninsula. Fiftyfourwhale bone objects were identified from 12 of the 64 sampled sites. Essentially represented by large,finished weapon elements (projectile points), these objects are primarily associated with the middlephase of the Cantabrian Magdalenian, and overlap slightly with the beginning its upper and probably theend of its lower phases. More broadly, the circulation of these objects evinces regular, long-distance (ca.600 km) communication networks operating on both sides of the current French and Spanish BasqueCountry between 17.8 and 15 cal ka BP. The structure of this network poses interesting questions concerningpotential social and/or economic interactions between Magdalenian groups from the Pyreneesand neighbouring Cantabrian region.We suggest that the use of whale bone by these particularly mobilehunter-gatherer groups for the production of hunting weapons was connected to the longer use-lifeafforded by the large size of this particular raw material. This choice potentially reflects attempts tooffset raw material transport costs by privileging their regular maintenance rather than the replacementof hunting weaponry. This growing body of evidence for the exploitation of marine resources during theMagdalenian further reinforces the Bay of Biscay being the backdrop to the emergence of the first regular,diversified and organized coastal economies at the end of the Last Glaciation. |
author2 |
Travaux et recherches archéologiques sur les cultures, les espaces et les sociétés (TRACES) École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS)-Université Toulouse - Jean Jaurès (UT2J) Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication (MCC)-Institut national de recherches archéologiques préventives (Inrap)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) Universidad de Salamanca Universidad de Oviedo Oviedo ANR-18-CE27-0018,PaleoCet,L'exploitation des cétacés dans le Paléolithique de l'Europe atlantique(2018) |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Lefebvre, Alexandre Marín-Arroyo, Ana Belen Álvarez Fernández, Esteban de La Rasilla Vives, Marco Duarte Matías, Elsa Cueto, Marián Tapia, Jesus Berganza Gochi, Eduardo Pétillon, Jean-Marc |
author_facet |
Lefebvre, Alexandre Marín-Arroyo, Ana Belen Álvarez Fernández, Esteban de La Rasilla Vives, Marco Duarte Matías, Elsa Cueto, Marián Tapia, Jesus Berganza Gochi, Eduardo Pétillon, Jean-Marc |
author_sort |
Lefebvre, Alexandre |
title |
Interconnected Magdalenian societies as revealed by the circulation of whale bone artefacts in the Pyreneo-Cantabrian region |
title_short |
Interconnected Magdalenian societies as revealed by the circulation of whale bone artefacts in the Pyreneo-Cantabrian region |
title_full |
Interconnected Magdalenian societies as revealed by the circulation of whale bone artefacts in the Pyreneo-Cantabrian region |
title_fullStr |
Interconnected Magdalenian societies as revealed by the circulation of whale bone artefacts in the Pyreneo-Cantabrian region |
title_full_unstemmed |
Interconnected Magdalenian societies as revealed by the circulation of whale bone artefacts in the Pyreneo-Cantabrian region |
title_sort |
interconnected magdalenian societies as revealed by the circulation of whale bone artefacts in the pyreneo-cantabrian region |
publisher |
HAL CCSD |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://hal.science/hal-03104414 https://hal.science/hal-03104414/document https://hal.science/hal-03104414/file/QSR_whalebone_HAL.pdf https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106692 |
genre |
North Atlantic |
genre_facet |
North Atlantic |
op_source |
ISSN: 0277-3791 EISSN: 1873-457X Quaternary Science Reviews https://hal.science/hal-03104414 Quaternary Science Reviews, 2021, 251, pp.106692. ⟨10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106692⟩ |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106692 hal-03104414 https://hal.science/hal-03104414 https://hal.science/hal-03104414/document https://hal.science/hal-03104414/file/QSR_whalebone_HAL.pdf doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106692 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106692 |
container_title |
Quaternary Science Reviews |
container_volume |
251 |
container_start_page |
106692 |
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1802647505334173696 |