Inferring Upper Palaeolithic human mobility strategies in the Pyrenees

Abstract

The use of geochemistry to characterize chert tools recovered at hunter-gatherer sites is particularly interesting for inferring the territorial behavior of past societies and their mobility routes. In western Europe, the Pyrenean mountain range is one of these areas where analysing past human mobility is especially challenging. This mountain chain was believed to have been a barrier for Palaeolithic communities; however, recent studies have demonstrated that it was frequented and crossed by human groups almost throughout the last glaciation. To infer Upper Palaeolithic human mobility strategies in the Pyrenees, lithic artefacts recovered at Cova del Parco and Montlleó open-air site (Lleida, Spain) and Caune de Belvis (Aude, France) have been analysed using geochemical tools: energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF), and laser-ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). The results have shown that geochemistry is a useful tool for establishing differences between sources and for connecting archaeological cherts with specific formations.