Archaeological implications of human-derived manganese coatings: a study of blackened bones in El Mirón Cave,Cantabrian Spain |
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| Authors: | AB Marín Arroyo MD Landete Ruiz G Vidal Bernabeu R Seva Román MR González Morales LG Straus |
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| Institution: | 1. Dpto. de Geografía, Prehistoria y Arqueología, Universidad del País Vasco (UPV/EHU), C/Tomas y Valiente, s/n, E-01006 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain;2. Unidad de Arqueometría, Universidad de Alicante, Facultad de Ciencias II, E-03080 Alicante, Spain;3. Instituto Internacional de Investigaciones Prehistóricas, Universidad de Cantabria, E-39005 Santander, Spain;4. Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA |
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| Abstract: | The main interest in the study of taphonomic processes lies, from the archaeological point of view, in being able to draw conclusions about human behaviour from them. This paper analyzes the causes of a specific taphonomic alteration: the differential appearance across levels and among site areas of a black stain on bones from the Magdalenian levels in El Mirón Cave. From an understanding of these taphonomic agents, we aim to achieve a better comprehension of aspects of human use of the cave toward the end of the Late Glacial period. By determining the processes that stained many of the bones with manganese in the rear part of the cave vestibule, we are able to suggest some characteristics of the human occupation of the cave and its possible seasonal use. |
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| Keywords: | Manganese Organic matter Biolixiviation Blackened bones Late-Glacial period El Miró n Cave Cantabrian Spain Magdalenian |
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