Mediterranean monk seal hunting in the regional Epipalaeolithic of Southern Iberia. A study of the Nerja Cave site (Málaga, Spain)

• Published in: Quaternary international Vol. 515; pp. 80 - 91
• Main Authors: Morales-Pérez, J.V., Pérez Ripoll, M., Jordá Pardo, J.F., Álvarez-Fernández, E., Maestro González, A., Aura Tortosa, J.E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 10-05-2019
• Subjects: Late Glacial-Early Holocene Transition; Marine resources exploitation; Mediterranean monk seal; Paleoconomy; Southern Spain; Marine resources exploitation; Late Glacial-Early Holocene Transition; Southern Spain; Paleoconomy; Mediterranean monk seal
• ISSN: 1040-6182; 1873-4553
• DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2017.11.050

During the Late Glacial–Early Holocene transition Southern Iberia has an extensive record of Palaeolithic coastal sites, wich have been preserved due thanks to the morphology of the continental shelf. This is was a period with rapid palaeoclimatic oscillations and changes in sea level. However, the sites show an apparent continuity in technology and subsistence trends, although human groups made increasingly intense use of marine resources. In this paper we will focus on the study of Mediterranean seal remains from the Vestíbulo hall of Cueva de Nerja (Málaga, Spain), unit NV4, dated 12,990–11,360 cal. BP. The presence of these bones at the site are interpreted as direct exploitation of seals by humans, who processed different parts of the animal like the flesh, blubber and skin. These data allow us to assess the changing role of marine mammals in the regional Palaeolithic economy.