6533b872fe1ef96bd12d3b0f
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Early evidence of fire in south-western Europe: the Acheulean site of Gruta da Aroeira (Torres Novas, Portugal)
Ernestina BadalFilipa RodriguesPedro SoutoJoão ZilhãoJoão ZilhãoJoão ZilhãoJoan DauraJoan DauraMontserrat SanzMontserrat SanzDan CabanesNatalia ÉGüezÁNgel Carranchosubject
010506 paleontologyPleistoceneOccupancyPrehistoric peopleslcsh:MedicinePlistocèContext (language use)01 natural sciencesArticleArqueologíaMarine Isotope Stage 11Homínids fòssilsCave0601 history and archaeologyFossil hominidsCharcoallcsh:Science0105 earth and related environmental sciencesgeography060101 anthropologyMultidisciplinarygeography.geographical_feature_categorylcsh:RPrehistoriaPaleontological excavations06 humanities and the artsArchaeologyPleistoceneArchaeologyvisual_artWestern europevisual_art.visual_art_mediumlcsh:QJaciments paleontològicsAcheuleandescription
The site of Gruta da Aroeira (Torres Novas, Portugal), with evidence of human occupancy dating to ca. 400 ka (Marine Isotope Stage 11), is one of the very few Middle Pleistocene localities to have provided a fossil hominin cranium associated with Acheulean bifaces in a cave context. The multi-analytic study reported here of the by-products of burning recorded in layer X suggests the presence of anthropogenic fires at the site, among the oldest such evidence in south-western Europe. The burnt material consists of bone, charcoal and, possibly, quartzite cobbles. These finds were made in a small area of the cave and in two separate occupation horizons. Our results add to our still-limited knowledge about the controlled use of fire in the Lower Palaeolithic and contribute to ongoing debates on the behavioural complexity of the Acheulean of Europe.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-07-01 |