Microstratigraphic, lipid biomarker and stable isotope study of a middle Palaeolithic combustion feature from Axlor, Spain
Margarita Jambrina-Enríquez,
Carolina Mallol,
Antonio V. Herrera Herrera,
Jesús Gonzalez-Urquijo,
Talía Lazuen
Affiliations
Margarita Jambrina-Enríquez
Departamento de Biología Animal, Edafología y Geología, Unidad Departamental de Petrología y Geoquímica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain; Archaeological Micromorphology and Biomarker Research Lab (AMBI Lab), Instituto Universitario de Bio-Orgánica Antonio González, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain; Corresponding author
Carolina Mallol
Archaeological Micromorphology and Biomarker Research Lab (AMBI Lab), Instituto Universitario de Bio-Orgánica Antonio González, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain; Departamento de Geografía e Historia, Unidad Departamental de Prehistoria, Facultad de Humanidades, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain; ICArEHB - Interdisciplinary Center for Archaeology and the Evolution of Human Behaviour, Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
Antonio V. Herrera Herrera
Archaeological Micromorphology and Biomarker Research Lab (AMBI Lab), Instituto Universitario de Bio-Orgánica Antonio González, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain; Departamento de Química, Unidad Departamental de Química Analítica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
Jesús Gonzalez-Urquijo
Instituto Internacional de Investigaciones Prehistóricas de Cantabria-IIIPC (UC, Santander, Gobierno de Cantabria), Universidad de Cantabria, 39005 Santander, Spain
Talía Lazuen
Instituto Internacional de Investigaciones Prehistóricas de Cantabria-IIIPC (UC, Santander, Gobierno de Cantabria), Universidad de Cantabria, 39005 Santander, Spain; Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, MCC, UMR 5199 - PACEA, Pessac, France
Summary: Archaeological research has increasingly focused on studying combustion features as valuable sources of information regarding past technological and cultural aspects. The use of microstratigraphic and biomolecular techniques enables the identification of combustion residues and substrate components, and infer about past fire-related activities and the environments. Our study conducted on a combustion feature (Level N, ∼100 Ka) at the Axlor cave, a Middle Paleolithic site in northern Iberia, exemplifies the interdisciplinary approach to combustion features. Micromorphological features revealed depositional activities associated with occupations such as hearth rake-out and trampling. Through molecular (n-alkanes, n-alcohols, and n-fatty acids) and isotopic analysis (δ13C16:0 and δ13C18:0), we infer the good preservation of organic matter, the contributions of non-ruminant fats, and the dead-wood gathering strategies by Neanderthal groups. By combining microstratigraphic and biomolecular approaches, our study significantly contributes to the advancement of our current understanding of Neanderthal pyrotechnology.
