title: Earliest known use of marine resources by Neanderthals.
abstract: Numerous studies along the northern Mediterranean borderland have documented the use of shellfish by Neanderthals but none of these finds are prior to Marine Isotopic Stage 3 (MIS 3). In this paper we present evidence that gathering and consumption of mollusks can now be traced back to the lowest level of the archaeological sequence at Bajondillo Cave (Málaga, Spain), dated during the MIS 6. The paper describes the taxonomical and taphonomical features of the mollusk assemblages from this level Bj(19) and briefly touches upon those retrieved in levels Bj(18) (MIS 5) and Bj(17) (MIS 4), evidencing a continuity of the shellfishing activity that reaches to MIS 3. This evidence is substantiated on 29 datings through radiocarbon, thermoluminescence and U series methods. Obtained dates and paleoenvironmental records from the cave include isotopic, pollen, lithostratigraphic and sedimentological analyses and they are fully coherent with paleoclimate conditions expected for the different stages. We conclude that described use of shellfish resources by Neanderthals (H. neanderthalensis) in Southern Spain started ∼150 ka and were almost contemporaneous to Pinnacle Point (South Africa), when shellfishing is first documented in archaic modern humans.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Prehistoria y Arqueología, Facultad de Geografía e Historia, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain.
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cortés-Sánchez
authors.forename: Arturo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morales-Muñiz
authors.forename: María D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Simón-Vallejo
authors.forename: María C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Lozano-Francisco
authors.forename: José L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Vera-Peláez
authors.forename: Clive
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Finlayson
authors.forename: Joaquín
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Vidal
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Delgado-Huertas
authors.forename: Francisco J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Jiménez-Espejo
authors.forename: Francisca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Martínez-Ruiz
authors.forename: M Aranzazu
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Martínez-Aguirre
authors.forename: Arturo J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Pascual-Granged
authors.forename: M Mercè
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Bergadà-Zapata
authors.forename: Juan F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Gibaja-Bao
authors.forename: José A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Riquelme-Cantal
authors.forename: J Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: López-Sáez
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rodrigo-Gámiz
authors.forename: Saburo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sakai
authors.forename: Saiko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sugisaki
authors.forename: Geraldine
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Finlayson
authors.forename: Darren A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Fa
authors.forename: Nuno F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Bicho
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001106:Archaeology / Q000379:methods; D019015:Geologic Sediments; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D008974:Mollusca; D059125:Neanderthals / Q000502:physiology*; D011058:Pollen; D055110:Radiometric Dating; D012758:Shellfish; D013030:Spain