Early use of marine resources by Middle/Upper Pleistocene human societies: The case of Benzú rockshelter (northern Africa)

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• 作者：José ; Ramos-Muñ ; oz^a ; ^{jose.ramos@uca.es" class="auth_mail" title="E-mail the corresponding author} ; Juan Jesú ; s Cantillo-Duarte^a ; Darí ; o Bernal-Casasola^a ; Antonio Barrena-Tocino^a ; Salvador Domí ; nguez-Bella^b ; Eduardo Vijande-Vila^a ; Ignacio Clemente-Conte^c ; Igor Gutié ; rrez-Zugasti^d ; Mila Soriguer-Escofet^e ; Sergio Almisas-Cruz^a
• 关键词：Benzú ; Historical region ; Straits of Gibraltar ; Pleistocene ; Marine resources
• 刊名：Quaternary International
• 出版年：2016
• 出版时间：8 July 2016
• 年：2016
• 卷：407
• 期：part_PB
• 页码：6-15
• 全文大小：2195 K

文摘

This article examines the role played by marine resources for hunter-gatherer groups of the Middle/Upper Pleistocene in the geohistorical region around the Straits of Gibraltar, on the basis of new evidence collected at the rock shelter of Benzú (North Africa). The stratigraphic sequence at Benzú has been dated to between 254 and 70 ka. The excavations have revealed the exploitation of marine gastropods and bivalves, alongside fish. The most common taxon in the sequence is the genus Patella. The analysis of the molluscs and their spatial distribution shows that these animals were purposely collected by humans, probably as a food source. In order to contribute to the debate about the origins and scale of the exploitation of marine resources during the Middle and Upper Pleistocene, the evidence collected at Benzú is interpreted within the broader context of North Africa and southern Europe. The similarity of groups of Homo sapiens sapiens in North Africa and Homo sapiens neanderthalensis in southern Europe in terms of lifestyle and subsistence strategies is interpreted as reflecting equally similar social and economic practices, in spite of the diversity of anthropological perspectives on the relationship between humans and the environment currently in vogue.