La fauna del pleistoceno superior asociada a los restos humanos neandertales de la Galería Lateral 1 de la Cova del Gegant (Sitges, Barcelona)

Abstract

Cova del Gegant (Barcelona, NE Iberian peninsula) is an Upper Pleistocene site that presents carnivore occupations with some sporadic human activity characterized by hearth remains, stone tools and human fossils during Middle and Upper Palaeolithic. We report the combined application of zooarchaeological and taphonomic analyses to determine the nature of the Galería Lateral 1 assemblage, evaluating the biological actors and the geological processes involved. The GL1 deposits are ascribed to Marine Isotopic Stage (MIS) 4 and 3 and faunal remains are associated with Middle Paleolithic stone tools and for Neanderthal fossils. Signs of human activities have not been observed on the GL1 bones. The evidence suggests that Cova del Gegant’s GL1 was a carnivore den, mainly used by hyenas (Crocuta crocuta), which had been occasionally visited by humans as demonstrated by the stone tools and the Neanderthal fossils.