The Use of Rock Shelters During the Early Neolithic in the North of Alicante (Spain). The Site of Penya Roja de Catamarruc (Alicante, Spain) as a Case Study

Bibliographic Data

ID21239631
AuthorsGabriel García Atiénzar (0000-0001-9390-8111, University of Alicante, corresponding author), Silvia Martínez Amorós (0000-0002-5099-2189, University of Alicante), Laura María Sirvent Cañada
Year2021
Volume7
Issue1
Pages765-778
Publication date2021-07-30
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueOpen Archaeology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2300-6560 • E-ISSN: 2300-6560
PublisherWalter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1515/opar-2020-0165
OpenAlexW3192819672
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited17

The first Neolithic communities settled in the East of the Iberian Peninsula developed a complex strategy of land occupation. These strategies evolved as their social, demographic, and economic bases were transformed. In this paper, we focus on the analysis of archaeological sites located under rock shelters, which were recurrently occupied throughout the Early Neolithic. To deepen this analysis, we reviewed the archaeological record of Penya Roja de Catamarruc (Planes, Alicante), as well as other sites of similar characteristics. This information, combined with different spatial analyses – prominence, visibility, and capacity of use of the soils – allowed us to define a series of patterns of occupation and exploitation of the territory of the first Neolithic communities. This study highlights the importance of the forest as a resource related not only to hunting and gathering as traditionally seen, but also to shepherding

Archaeology · Geography · Peninsula · Archaeological and Geological Studies · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology

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