Asier García-Escárzaga
Biographic Data
| ID | 107724 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Asier García-Escárzaga |
| GIVEN NAMES | Asier |
| FAMILY NAME | García-Escárzaga |
| SIGNATURE | GARCÍA-ESCÁRZAGA A |
| AFFILIATIONS | Universitat Autonòma de Barcelona |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-3625-0824 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 19 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 59 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 19 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2015 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Vegetation and plant resource exploitation during the 8.2 ka event: The mesolithic shell-midden of El Mazo (Asturias, northern Iberia)
El Mazo rock shelter (Asturias, northern Iberia) contains a Mesolithic shell-midden with a high chronological resolution, which offers great possibilities as an empirical scenario to develop palaeoenvironmental research. This study aims to approach vegetation dynamics and the exploitation of plant resources during the Early Holocene in the Cantabrian region and to assess the regional effects of the 8.2 ka cal BP abrupt climate change event. The r…
Shellfish procurement and seasonal scheduling across the Mesolithic–Neolithic transition at Zacatín rock shelter (Gualchos-Castell de Ferro, Granada, southern Iberia)
This study investigates the intertidal shellfish exploitation by the last hunter-gatherers and the first farmers, and their role within broader subsistence strategies during the Mesolithic–Neolithic transition on the Mediterranean coast of the Alboran Sea. We conducted taxonomic, biometric, and stable oxygen isotope ratio (δ 18 O) analyses of Patella caerulea Linnaeus, 1758, shells recovered from the Zacatín rock shelter (Granada, southern Iberia…
Hunter-fisher-gatherers by the Cantabrian seashore: Mesolithic shellfishing and logistical mobility in northern Iberia from an ethnographic and ethnohistorical perspective
Multidisciplinary investigations of archaeological assemblages from the Cantabrian region (coastal area in northern Iberian Peninsula) have been crucial in expanding our insight into the lifeways of the last foragers who inhabited the Atlantic façade of Europe. Despite recent methodological advances that have improved our understanding of Mesolithic littoral groups and shellfishing strategies, the archaeological record still limits a comprehensiv…
New Evidence for Late Glacial Shellfishing Seasonality and Coastal Environments in Atlantic Europe from Shell δ 18 O values
[EN] In recent decades, the role of marine resources in prehistoric hunter-gatherer diets has been widely debated. While some scholars propose that shellfish served as an emergency food supply during resource scarcity, others highlight their broader nutritional benefits. This paper applies δ18O analyses to Patella vulgata Linnaeus, 1758 shells from Cuevona de Ardines and El Cierro caves (Asturias, Spain) to determine seasonal patterns in shellfis…
Shells in the Pits: Invertebrates at the Early Neolithic Site of Lapiás das Lameiras (Sintra, Portugal)
[EN] Negative structures (pits), dated to the second half of the sixth millennium cal BC, have been documented at Lapiás das Lameiras (Sintra, Estremadura, Portugal), an open-air settlement in the Estremadura limestone area. Their sedimentary fill contains a large number of archaeological remains, of both biotic and abiotic origins. This paper presents the complete study of the invertebrates documented in these structures. Marine invertebrates li…
Bayesian estimates of the marine radiocarbon reservoir effect during the Magdalenian in northern Iberia
Quantifying marine reservoir effects (MREs) across time and space is crucial for establishing accurate archaeological chronologies, including the activities of past hominines. Although the northern Iberian Peninsula shows a high density of Upper Paleolithic sites and marine shells are frequently found in these assemblages, quantification of MREs in this coastal region remains limited. We performed Bayesian modeling of radiocarbon measurements fro…
Where the Shells Come From? A New Methodology for Establishing Collection Areas Applied to Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Shell Middens From Northern Iberia
Shellfishing was a common activity among prehistoric hunter-gatherers living in coastal areas in Iberia. Interpreting shellfish collection strategies is crucial to understand the lifeways of these coastal hunter-gatherers. Among collection strategies, the estimation of collection areas is essential for interpretation of mobility and subsistence strategies. In this paper we present a new methodological procedure to identify mollusc collection area…
Changes in lithic raw material and technological management during the Mesolithic: A view from El Mazo (Northern Iberia)
This study investigates the lithic industry at the Mesolithic shell midden site of El Mazo (Andrín, Asturias), on the Asturian coastline in Northern Iberia, focusing on resource management, production strategies, and mobility patterns of the last hunter-gatherer-fishers. El Mazo provides a unique opportunity to examine lithic resource use across the Early-Middle Holocene transition, with a particular emphasis on the dynamic of the 8.2 ka climate …
Manufacturing and decorating cardial pottery: Shell tools at the Neolithic site of Cabecicos Negros (Vera, Almeria, Spain)
Traditional research approaches on pottery production based on typological and morphometric classifications have changed in favour of new lines of research. One of them is based on the study of the technological equipment used in ceramic manufacturing processes. For example, ethnographic evidence shows the use of shell tools as technological equipment in different phases of ceramic production. In this study, the methodology of use-wear analysis h…
Marine resource exploitation and human settlement patterns during the Neolithic in SW Europe: Stable oxygen isotope analyses (δ18O) on Phorcus lineatus (da Costa, 1778) from Campo de Hockey (San Ferna…
In recent decades, investigations in the southern Iberian Peninsula have increased our understanding of the socio-economic impact of the spread of the Neolithic in southwestern Europe, including changes in marine resources exploitation. Nevertheless, considerable uncertainty still exists around the seasonality of such subsistence systems and the putative role of marine fish and shellfish to the evolving agro-pastoral economies. Earlier studies on…
Seasonal exploitation of intertidal resources at El Mazo (N Iberia) reveals optimized human subsistence strategies during the Mesolithic in Atlantic Europe
Over the last few decades, research has significantly enhanced our understanding of the role played by shellfish in human subsistence during the Mesolithic period along the Atlantic coast of Europe. Instrumental to this advance has been the analysis of stable oxygen isotope measurements (δ 18 O) from mollusc shells, which offers valuable insights into the seasonality of shellfish exploitation. The δ 18 O values serve as reliable indicators of pas…
Virtual sampling: Archaeological implications of a new technique for elemental mapping of Mg/Ca ratios in marine mollusc shells
Living in the shore: Changes in coastal resource intensification during the Mesolithic in northern Iberia
Recent research on human exploitation of molluscs, echinoderms and crustaceans during the Mesolithic in the Cantabrian region (northern Iberia) has shown significant variability in the intensity of the use of coastal resources by the last hunter-fisher-gatherers throughout the ~ 4000-year expanse of the Mesolithic (10,700 - 6,700 cal BP). Previous studies have proposed hypotheses related to demographic changes to explain intensification events. I…
Mobility and the use of littoral resources in the Late Mesolithic of Northern Spain: The case of La Chora cave (Voto, Cantabria, N Spain)
Littoral resources have been consumed by humans since at least the Middle Palaeolithic. Examples of the use of molluscs have been documented along the shores of Europe during that period but it was not until many millennia later that European hunter-fisher-gatherer societies exploited those resources intensively-see the case of Nerja cave during the Younger Dryas. This economic activity caused the accumulation of shells at archaeological sites du…
The role of shellfish in human subsistence during the Mesolithic of Atlantic Europe: An approach from meat yield estimations
Stable oxygen isotope analysis of Phorcus lineatus (da Costa, 1778) as a proxy for foraging seasonality during the Mesolithic in northern Iberia
The Mesolithic period in the Cantabrian region, a coastal area located in northern Spain, is characterised by a marked increase in the human use of coastal resources in comparison with previous periods, resulting in the formation of so-called "shell middens". Archaeological investigations have provided insights into the formation processes of these shell middens, as well as long-term changes in human exploitation of different marine resources and…
Shells and Humans: Molluscs and Other Coastal Resources from the Earliest Human Occupations at the Mesolithic Shell Midden of El Mazo (Asturias, Northern Spain)
Human populations exploited coastal areas with intensity during the Mesolithic in Atlantic Europe, resulting in the accumulation of large shell middens. Northern Spain is one of the most prolific regions, and especially the so-called Asturian area. Large accumulations of shellfish led some scholars to propose the existence of intensification in the exploitation of coastal resources in the region during the Mesolithic. In this paper, shell remains…
Collection and consumption of echinoderms and crustaceans at the Mesolithic shell midden site of El Mazo (northern Iberia): Opportunistic behaviour or social strategy
Determination of sea surface temperatures using oxygen isotope ratios from Phorcus lineatus (Da Costa, 1778) in northern Spain: Implications for paleoclimate and archaeological studies
Changes in oxygen isotope ratios from shell carbonates are mainly dependent on sea surface temperature, which enables the estimation of temperatures during periods of shell growth and helps to determine the season of the year when the mollusk died. The marine topshell Phorcus lineatus (Da Costa, 1778) is commonly found in Holocene archaeological deposits of Atlantic Europe and is one of the most abundant subsistence resources utilized during the …
Stable oxygen isotope analysis of Phorcus lineatus (da Costa, 1778) as a proxy for foraging seasonality during the Mesolithic in northern Iberia
The Mesolithic period in the Cantabrian region, a coastal area located in northern Spain, is characterised by a marked increase in the human use of coastal resources in comparison with previous periods, resulting in the formation of so-called "shell middens". Archaeological investigations have provided insights into the formation processes of these shell middens, as well as long-term changes in human exploitation of different marine resources and…
The role of shellfish in human subsistence during the Mesolithic of Atlantic Europe: An approach from meat yield estimations
Determination of sea surface temperatures using oxygen isotope ratios from Phorcus lineatus (Da Costa, 1778) in northern Spain: Implications for paleoclimate and archaeological studies
Changes in oxygen isotope ratios from shell carbonates are mainly dependent on sea surface temperature, which enables the estimation of temperatures during periods of shell growth and helps to determine the season of the year when the mollusk died. The marine topshell Phorcus lineatus (Da Costa, 1778) is commonly found in Holocene archaeological deposits of Atlantic Europe and is one of the most abundant subsistence resources utilized during the …
Seasonal exploitation of intertidal resources at El Mazo (N Iberia) reveals optimized human subsistence strategies during the Mesolithic in Atlantic Europe
Over the last few decades, research has significantly enhanced our understanding of the role played by shellfish in human subsistence during the Mesolithic period along the Atlantic coast of Europe. Instrumental to this advance has been the analysis of stable oxygen isotope measurements (δ 18 O) from mollusc shells, which offers valuable insights into the seasonality of shellfish exploitation. The δ 18 O values serve as reliable indicators of pas…
Living in the shore: Changes in coastal resource intensification during the Mesolithic in northern Iberia
Recent research on human exploitation of molluscs, echinoderms and crustaceans during the Mesolithic in the Cantabrian region (northern Iberia) has shown significant variability in the intensity of the use of coastal resources by the last hunter-fisher-gatherers throughout the ~ 4000-year expanse of the Mesolithic (10,700 - 6,700 cal BP). Previous studies have proposed hypotheses related to demographic changes to explain intensification events. I…
Shells and Humans: Molluscs and Other Coastal Resources from the Earliest Human Occupations at the Mesolithic Shell Midden of El Mazo (Asturias, Northern Spain)
Human populations exploited coastal areas with intensity during the Mesolithic in Atlantic Europe, resulting in the accumulation of large shell middens. Northern Spain is one of the most prolific regions, and especially the so-called Asturian area. Large accumulations of shellfish led some scholars to propose the existence of intensification in the exploitation of coastal resources in the region during the Mesolithic. In this paper, shell remains…
Marine resource exploitation and human settlement patterns during the Neolithic in SW Europe: Stable oxygen isotope analyses (δ18O) on Phorcus lineatus (da Costa, 1778) from Campo de Hockey (San Ferna…
In recent decades, investigations in the southern Iberian Peninsula have increased our understanding of the socio-economic impact of the spread of the Neolithic in southwestern Europe, including changes in marine resources exploitation. Nevertheless, considerable uncertainty still exists around the seasonality of such subsistence systems and the putative role of marine fish and shellfish to the evolving agro-pastoral economies. Earlier studies on…
Virtual sampling: Archaeological implications of a new technique for elemental mapping of Mg/Ca ratios in marine mollusc shells
Mobility and the use of littoral resources in the Late Mesolithic of Northern Spain: The case of La Chora cave (Voto, Cantabria, N Spain)
Littoral resources have been consumed by humans since at least the Middle Palaeolithic. Examples of the use of molluscs have been documented along the shores of Europe during that period but it was not until many millennia later that European hunter-fisher-gatherer societies exploited those resources intensively-see the case of Nerja cave during the Younger Dryas. This economic activity caused the accumulation of shells at archaeological sites du…
Changes in lithic raw material and technological management during the Mesolithic: A view from El Mazo (Northern Iberia)
This study investigates the lithic industry at the Mesolithic shell midden site of El Mazo (Andrín, Asturias), on the Asturian coastline in Northern Iberia, focusing on resource management, production strategies, and mobility patterns of the last hunter-gatherer-fishers. El Mazo provides a unique opportunity to examine lithic resource use across the Early-Middle Holocene transition, with a particular emphasis on the dynamic of the 8.2 ka climate …
Determination of sea surface temperatures using oxygen isotope ratios from Phorcus lineatus (Da Costa, 1778) in northern Spain: Implications for paleoclimate and archaeological studies
Changes in oxygen isotope ratios from shell carbonates are mainly dependent on sea surface temperature, which enables the estimation of temperatures during periods of shell growth and helps to determine the season of the year when the mollusk died. The marine topshell Phorcus lineatus (Da Costa, 1778) is commonly found in Holocene archaeological deposits of Atlantic Europe and is one of the most abundant subsistence resources utilized during the …
Collection and consumption of echinoderms and crustaceans at the Mesolithic shell midden site of El Mazo (northern Iberia): Opportunistic behaviour or social strategy
Shells and Humans: Molluscs and Other Coastal Resources from the Earliest Human Occupations at the Mesolithic Shell Midden of El Mazo (Asturias, Northern Spain)
Human populations exploited coastal areas with intensity during the Mesolithic in Atlantic Europe, resulting in the accumulation of large shell middens. Northern Spain is one of the most prolific regions, and especially the so-called Asturian area. Large accumulations of shellfish led some scholars to propose the existence of intensification in the exploitation of coastal resources in the region during the Mesolithic. In this paper, shell remains…
Stable oxygen isotope analysis of Phorcus lineatus (da Costa, 1778) as a proxy for foraging seasonality during the Mesolithic in northern Iberia
The Mesolithic period in the Cantabrian region, a coastal area located in northern Spain, is characterised by a marked increase in the human use of coastal resources in comparison with previous periods, resulting in the formation of so-called "shell middens". Archaeological investigations have provided insights into the formation processes of these shell middens, as well as long-term changes in human exploitation of different marine resources and…
The role of shellfish in human subsistence during the Mesolithic of Atlantic Europe: An approach from meat yield estimations
Marine resource exploitation and human settlement patterns during the Neolithic in SW Europe: Stable oxygen isotope analyses (δ18O) on Phorcus lineatus (da Costa, 1778) from Campo de Hockey (San Ferna…
In recent decades, investigations in the southern Iberian Peninsula have increased our understanding of the socio-economic impact of the spread of the Neolithic in southwestern Europe, including changes in marine resources exploitation. Nevertheless, considerable uncertainty still exists around the seasonality of such subsistence systems and the putative role of marine fish and shellfish to the evolving agro-pastoral economies. Earlier studies on…
Seasonal exploitation of intertidal resources at El Mazo (N Iberia) reveals optimized human subsistence strategies during the Mesolithic in Atlantic Europe
Over the last few decades, research has significantly enhanced our understanding of the role played by shellfish in human subsistence during the Mesolithic period along the Atlantic coast of Europe. Instrumental to this advance has been the analysis of stable oxygen isotope measurements (δ 18 O) from mollusc shells, which offers valuable insights into the seasonality of shellfish exploitation. The δ 18 O values serve as reliable indicators of pas…
Virtual sampling: Archaeological implications of a new technique for elemental mapping of Mg/Ca ratios in marine mollusc shells
Living in the shore: Changes in coastal resource intensification during the Mesolithic in northern Iberia
Recent research on human exploitation of molluscs, echinoderms and crustaceans during the Mesolithic in the Cantabrian region (northern Iberia) has shown significant variability in the intensity of the use of coastal resources by the last hunter-fisher-gatherers throughout the ~ 4000-year expanse of the Mesolithic (10,700 - 6,700 cal BP). Previous studies have proposed hypotheses related to demographic changes to explain intensification events. I…
Mobility and the use of littoral resources in the Late Mesolithic of Northern Spain: The case of La Chora cave (Voto, Cantabria, N Spain)
Littoral resources have been consumed by humans since at least the Middle Palaeolithic. Examples of the use of molluscs have been documented along the shores of Europe during that period but it was not until many millennia later that European hunter-fisher-gatherer societies exploited those resources intensively-see the case of Nerja cave during the Younger Dryas. This economic activity caused the accumulation of shells at archaeological sites du…
New Evidence for Late Glacial Shellfishing Seasonality and Coastal Environments in Atlantic Europe from Shell δ 18 O values
[EN] In recent decades, the role of marine resources in prehistoric hunter-gatherer diets has been widely debated. While some scholars propose that shellfish served as an emergency food supply during resource scarcity, others highlight their broader nutritional benefits. This paper applies δ18O analyses to Patella vulgata Linnaeus, 1758 shells from Cuevona de Ardines and El Cierro caves (Asturias, Spain) to determine seasonal patterns in shellfis…
Shells in the Pits: Invertebrates at the Early Neolithic Site of Lapiás das Lameiras (Sintra, Portugal)
[EN] Negative structures (pits), dated to the second half of the sixth millennium cal BC, have been documented at Lapiás das Lameiras (Sintra, Estremadura, Portugal), an open-air settlement in the Estremadura limestone area. Their sedimentary fill contains a large number of archaeological remains, of both biotic and abiotic origins. This paper presents the complete study of the invertebrates documented in these structures. Marine invertebrates li…
Bayesian estimates of the marine radiocarbon reservoir effect during the Magdalenian in northern Iberia
Quantifying marine reservoir effects (MREs) across time and space is crucial for establishing accurate archaeological chronologies, including the activities of past hominines. Although the northern Iberian Peninsula shows a high density of Upper Paleolithic sites and marine shells are frequently found in these assemblages, quantification of MREs in this coastal region remains limited. We performed Bayesian modeling of radiocarbon measurements fro…
Where the Shells Come From? A New Methodology for Establishing Collection Areas Applied to Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Shell Middens From Northern Iberia
Shellfishing was a common activity among prehistoric hunter-gatherers living in coastal areas in Iberia. Interpreting shellfish collection strategies is crucial to understand the lifeways of these coastal hunter-gatherers. Among collection strategies, the estimation of collection areas is essential for interpretation of mobility and subsistence strategies. In this paper we present a new methodological procedure to identify mollusc collection area…
Changes in lithic raw material and technological management during the Mesolithic: A view from El Mazo (Northern Iberia)
This study investigates the lithic industry at the Mesolithic shell midden site of El Mazo (Andrín, Asturias), on the Asturian coastline in Northern Iberia, focusing on resource management, production strategies, and mobility patterns of the last hunter-gatherer-fishers. El Mazo provides a unique opportunity to examine lithic resource use across the Early-Middle Holocene transition, with a particular emphasis on the dynamic of the 8.2 ka climate …
Manufacturing and decorating cardial pottery: Shell tools at the Neolithic site of Cabecicos Negros (Vera, Almeria, Spain)
Traditional research approaches on pottery production based on typological and morphometric classifications have changed in favour of new lines of research. One of them is based on the study of the technological equipment used in ceramic manufacturing processes. For example, ethnographic evidence shows the use of shell tools as technological equipment in different phases of ceramic production. In this study, the methodology of use-wear analysis h…
Vegetation and plant resource exploitation during the 8.2 ka event: The mesolithic shell-midden of El Mazo (Asturias, northern Iberia)
El Mazo rock shelter (Asturias, northern Iberia) contains a Mesolithic shell-midden with a high chronological resolution, which offers great possibilities as an empirical scenario to develop palaeoenvironmental research. This study aims to approach vegetation dynamics and the exploitation of plant resources during the Early Holocene in the Cantabrian region and to assess the regional effects of the 8.2 ka cal BP abrupt climate change event. The r…
Shellfish procurement and seasonal scheduling across the Mesolithic–Neolithic transition at Zacatín rock shelter (Gualchos-Castell de Ferro, Granada, southern Iberia)
This study investigates the intertidal shellfish exploitation by the last hunter-gatherers and the first farmers, and their role within broader subsistence strategies during the Mesolithic–Neolithic transition on the Mediterranean coast of the Alboran Sea. We conducted taxonomic, biometric, and stable oxygen isotope ratio (δ 18 O) analyses of Patella caerulea Linnaeus, 1758, shells recovered from the Zacatín rock shelter (Granada, southern Iberia…
Hunter-fisher-gatherers by the Cantabrian seashore: Mesolithic shellfishing and logistical mobility in northern Iberia from an ethnographic and ethnohistorical perspective
Multidisciplinary investigations of archaeological assemblages from the Cantabrian region (coastal area in northern Iberian Peninsula) have been crucial in expanding our insight into the lifeways of the last foragers who inhabited the Atlantic façade of Europe. Despite recent methodological advances that have improved our understanding of Mesolithic littoral groups and shellfishing strategies, the archaeological record still limits a comprehensiv…
Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (15 works) · Archaeology (14 works) · Geography (14 works) · Mesolithic (14 works) · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology (14 works) · Biology (8 works) · Ecology (8 works) · Geology (7 works) · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research (7 works) · Archaeological and Geological Studies (6 works)