CAR Seminar series

A Country for Old Men: Lifeways of the last Neanderthals and first AMH in the Southeastern Prepyrenees (Lleida, Spain). The how, the where and the when of Neanderthals’ demise and AMH’s appearance in the archaeological record of Southern Europe is a hot topic in Palaeolithic and Paleoanthropological studies. This communication presents a case of study from the Southeastern Prepyrenees (La Noguera, Lleida), a region where several Neanderthal and AMH archaeological sites have been excavated. Beginning with a description of the different lithic and fauna assemblages documented in this region, this presentation will focus on the archaeological record from Cova Gran de Santa Linya (Lleida, Spain). The different pits excavated in this site yielded assemblages dated to the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic transition, as well as late Upper Palaeolithic (Magdalenian), Neolithic and Bronze Age periods. The faunal assemblages analysed in Cova Gran and some other neighbouring sites provide insights into the subsistence strategies of Neanderthals, AMH and first farmers in this region of the Iberian Peninsula.