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. 2021 Jul 26;11(1):15161.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-94408-w.

First modern human settlement recorded in the Iberian hinterland occurred during Heinrich Stadial 2 within harsh environmental conditions

M Alcaraz-Castaño  1 , J J Alcolea-González  2 , M de Andrés-Herrero  2 , S Castillo-Jiménez  2 , F Cuartero  3 , G Cuenca-Bescós  4 , M Kehl  5 , J A López-Sáez  6 , L Luque  2 , S Pérez-Díaz  7 , R Piqué  8 , M Ruiz-Alonso  6 , G-C Weniger  9 , J Yravedra  10
Affiliations

First modern human settlement recorded in the Iberian hinterland occurred during Heinrich Stadial 2 within harsh environmental conditions

M Alcaraz-Castaño et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

As the south-westernmost region of Europe, the Iberian Peninsula stands as a key area for understanding the process of modern human dispersal into Eurasia. However, the precise timing, ecological setting and cultural context of this process remains controversial concerning its spatiotemporal distribution within the different regions of the peninsula. While traditional models assumed that the whole Iberian hinterland was avoided by modern humans due to ecological factors until the retreat of the Last Glacial Maximum, recent research has demonstrated that hunter-gatherers entered the Iberian interior at least during Solutrean times. We provide a multi-proxy geoarchaeological, chronometric and paleoecological study on human-environment interactions based on the key site of Peña Capón (Guadalajara, Spain). Results show (1) that this site hosts the oldest modern human presence recorded to date in central Iberia, associated to pre-Solutrean cultural traditions around 26,000 years ago, and (2) that this presence occurred during Heinrich Stadial 2 within harsh environmental conditions. These findings demonstrate that this area of the Iberian hinterland was recurrently occupied regardless of climate and environmental variability, thus challenging the widely accepted hypothesis that ecological risk hampered the human settlement of the Iberian interior highlands since the first arrival of modern humans to Southwest Europe.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Process of peopling of the Iberian Peninsula by modern humans during the Upper Paleolithic. A: 42 – 38 ka cal BP, B: 38 – 30 ka cal BP, C: 30–25 ka cal BP, D: 25–20 ka cal BP (see Supplementary Text S3 for discussion and Supplementary Datasets 1–4 for full data). Maps generated with ArcGIS (ArcMap 10.3.1.) (https://www.arcgis.com/index.html) using ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model V0032019, distributed by NASA EOSDIS Land Processes DAAC, (10.5067/ASTER/ASTGTM.003).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Geological maps showing the location of the Peña Capón rock shelter in the Iberian Peninsula and the Tagus basin (Guadalajara, Spain) (A), the Sorbe River basin (B) and at the shore of the Beleña water reservoir (C). Maps generated using QGIS Open Source Geographic Information System v. 3.4 (Madeira) (https://www.qgis.org/en/site/about/index.html) combined with Digital Terrain Models and slope maps from the Spanish National Centre for Geographic Information (CNIG) (https://www.ign.es/web/ign/portal/qsm-cnig) and geological maps from the Spanish Geological Survey (IGME) (https://www.igme.es/zaragoza/ingles/inicio.htm).
Figure 3
Figure 3
(A) Geomorphological map of the study area showing the position of Peña Capon at the foot of a dolomite cretaceous relief, and the distribution of the Quaternary deposits located in the area. (B) General view of the site from above. Map generated as explained in Fig. 2.
Figure 4
Figure 4
(A) Stratigraphic units defined in the Peña Capón site. Note that the main differences between layers are due to variations in organic matter and secondary carbonate content. (B) Stratigraphic sequence recorded in the western profile of square 2B showing sample location for micromorphology (B1–B5) and sedimentology (dashed-lines rectangles). (C) Views of the excavation profiles at Peña Capón showing the different distribution and geometry of the stratigraphic units defined in the site.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Flatbed scans (1200 dpi) of selected thin sections from the sediment sequence at Peña Capón. (A) Erosional contact between level R1 (LR1) characterized by strong compaction and a platy microstructure and level 1 (L1) showing less compaction and a channel microstructure. At the interface, a sediment lens rich in charcoal and bone is present (thin section PCPN 1.2). The dashed line is the boundary between the two levels. (B) Thin section PCPN 6.1 with the interface between levels L1 and L2a. At the sampling location, the upper part of L2a consists of a 2 cm thick band rich in charcoal and bone fragments. (C) Thin section PNCP 3.2 showing the gradual transition between levels 2a and 2b. (D) Same as C but captured under XPL. Note abundant calcite hypocoatings around biopores. (E) Thin section PNCP 4.1 from level L2b with several large biopores partly refilled with granules. (F) The interface between levels L3 and L4, which is delineated by a thin layer of fine gravel. The light-colored L3 shows diffuse impregnation with secondary calcite. (G) Same as E, but captured under XPL. Secondary carbonate is indicated by high birefringence. (H) Thin section PNCP 3.2 showing the transition from level 4 to level 5.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Bayesian Final Model (2) for the Peña Capón sequence showing Probability Distribution Functions (PDFs) for all radiocarbon determinations and boundaries between archaeological levels. Results are plotted against the δ18O record of the NGRIP ice core, indicating Greenland Interstadials 3 and 2 (GI 2 & GI 3), Greenland Stadial 3 (GS 3), and the chronology of Heinrich Stadial 2 (blue bar). 14C dates are shown in parentheses, and Agreement indexes and Outliers’ prior and posterior probabilities are shown in square brackets. Calibration of dates and Bayesian modeling were calculated using OxCal 4.4 online software (https://c14.arch.ox.ac.uk/oxcal.html).
Figure 7
Figure 7
Percentage pollen diagram from the Peña Capón sequence.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Photographs of the occlusal surface of molars from selected species of small mammals collected at Peña Capón levels 1–6. (a) left m1, m2 of Microtus arvalis (level 1); (b) M1, M2 of Microtus arvalis-M. agrestis (level 2a); (c) upper M1 of Arvicolinae (level 2a); (d) right m1, m2 of Microtus agrestis (level 2a); (e) right m1, m2 of Microtus agrestis (level 2a); (f) m1d of Microtus arvalis (level 2a); (g) m1d of Microtus agrestis, juvenile (level 2a); (h) Microtus arvalis (level 2b); (i) Microtus arvalis (level 3); (j)–(n) lower molars of lagomorphs (j–l level 1; m level 3; n level 5).
Figure 9
Figure 9
Solutrean lithic assemblages. Level 1: 1–3. Level 2a: 4–6. Level 2b: 7–9. Level 3: 10–12.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Pre-Solutrean lithic assemblages. Level 4: 1–3. Level 5: 4–5. Level 6: 6–7.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Global and regional Iberian climatic/environmental proxies from ∼35 to 12.5 ka cal BP (modified from [: fig. 1] and [: fig. 3] in relation to the modeled sequence of human occupation recorded at Peña Capón. A: δ18O record of the NGRIP ice core, with numbers and grey bars referring to Greenland Stadials, and indication of the LGM and HS2 chronology,. B: Sea Surface Temperature reconstructions of marine drilling core MD95-2043 (Alborán Sea), and Heinrich Events detected in the same core. C: Percentage of temperate forest pollen in core MD95-2043. D: Sea Surface Temperature reconstructions of marine cores MD95-2042 and SU81-18 (Atlantic) and Heinrich Events detected in the same cores. E: Percentage of temperate forest pollen in cores MD95-2042 and SU81-18. F: Main loess deposition periods and their sedimentation rates recorded in the Upper Tagus Basin (ochre bars) and Maximum extension stages of glaciers recorded in the Iberian Central System Range (blue bars). G: Estimated duration of the human occupation recorded at Peña Capón, based on the Bayesian Model 2 (Fig. 6) as calculated by the ‘date’ command in Oxcal.
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