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International audience; The Bayesian statistical approach considers teeth as forming a developmental module, as opposed to a tooth-by-tooth analysis. This approach has been employed to analyze Upper Pleistocene hominins, including Neandertals and some anatomically modern humans, but never earlier populations. Here we show its application on five hominins from the TD6.2 level of the Gran Dolina site (Homo antecessor, Early Pleistocene) and the Sima de los Huesos site (Middle Pleistocene) of the Sierra de Atapuerca (Burgos, northern Spain). Our results show an advanced development of the third molars in both populations with respect to modern Homo sapiens. In addition, the Sima de los Huesos hominins differ from H. sapiens and H. antecessor in the relatively advanced development of their second molar. The relative mineralization of I1/M1 in H. antecessor appears to be similar to that of modern humans, as opposed to that of Neandertals, which appear to be unique. These observations, combined with reduced enamel formation times and the advanced development of the third molars, appear to indicate a shorter ontogenetic period in the hominins from Gran Dolina and Sima de los Huesos in comparison to modern human average.

En este trabajo presentamos el conjunto lítico de Base Menacho (Badajoz, España), documentado en un nivel sedimentario que cubre los depósitos aluviales de la terraza fluvial T3 +10-20 m sobre el cauce actual del río Zapatón, subafluente del río Guadiana en el sector de las Vegas Bajas (Badajoz, España). El conjunto se compone de 46 elementos líticos incluyendo lascas, núcleos y configurados. No se han identificado elementos líticos característicos que permitan una atribución firme a los tecnocomplejos de Modo 2 o 3. Ya que los elementos líticos fueron documentados en arenas finas y no muestran evidencias aparentes de marcas de abrasión, asumimos de forma preliminar la ausencia de transporte (o muy limitado). Estas observaciones sugieren que el conjunto se encuentra en posición primaria. La datación por Resonancia Paramagnética Electrónica (ESR) de una muestra de cuarzo procedente del nivel arqueológico proporciona una edad del enterramiento de 19,2 ± 1,7 ka (1σ). Teniendo en cuenta todas las fuentes de incertidumbre relativas al resultado, esta datación numérica permite: 1) correlacionar a Base Menacho con el Pleistoceno superior final y en particular con el estadio isotópico (MIS) 2; 2) establecer indirectamente la cronología de una industria lítica cuyas características poco resolutivas son similares a otros conjuntos relativamente poco estudiados documentados en contextos fluviales de la Península Ibérica; y 3) situar a Base Menacho en el Paleolítico superior, un período con escasas evidencias arqueológicas en el interior de la Península Ibérica. Aunque estos resultados preliminares prometedores demuestran el potencial interesante del conjunto lítico de Base Menacho, reconocemos también la necesidad de realizar una excavación arqueológica en un futuro próximo, para aumentar el tamaño del conjunto y obtener una mejor comprensión de su variabilidad y de los procesos de formación del yacimiento.

International audience; In Prehistory, Paleolithic stone toolkits are allotted to distinct cultural phases, explained through a periodization that has been adopted as a strategic reference by specialists in lithic studies, based on: 1) the categorization of morpho-types observed in the assemblages; 2) the dominant manufacture technologies and 3) temporal categorizations based on geo-archeological data. Significant changes in toolkits are observed through time, signaling variations in extinct hominin behavioral configurations. They characterize the denominative classifications of the techno-complexes, presently defined under consensus. Applying the Homogeneity, Variability, Diversity, Multiplicity (HVDM) paradigm as a conceptual scheme for understanding the structural evolution of human technologies, we define the Multiplicity phase, exploring the techno-social consequences of changes materialized in the Late Acheulian of Western Europe, presaging the Middle Paleolithic world of the Neandertals and the arrival on the scene of our own species; Homo sapiens. During this period, in Western Europe, Homo heidelbergensis was undergoing biological transformations, which appear to have fused into a range of hominin forms, raising questions of intra-species contacts and cultural exchange on a backdrop of branching evolutionary configurations. Beyond handaxe production, this period is marked by significant social and behavioral revolutions: changes in landscape use, high population mobility and inter-connectivity, tool-type diversity, technological innovations, as well as the expansion of distinct hominin clades throughout the Old World. We examine the impulses for these changes, in particular, the prominent role played by the mastery of fire in revolutionizing human socialization processes.

In this paper, we critically review the current paradigm, which places the origin of Homo sapiens in Africa as the result of the evolution of a Middle Pleistocene species. In the African fossil rec...

The study of audition in fossil hominins is of great interest given its relationship with intraspecific vocal communication. While the auditory capacities have been studied in early hominins and in the Middle Pleistocene Sima de los Huesos hominins, less is known about the hearing abilities of the Neanderthals. Here, we provide a detailed approach to their auditory capacities. Relying on computerized tomography scans and a comprehensive model from the field of auditory bioengineering, we have established sound power transmission through the outer and middle ear and calculated the occupied bandwidth in Neanderthals. The occupied bandwidth is directly related to the efficiency of the vocal communication system of a species. Our results show that the occupied bandwidth of Neanderthals was greater than the Sima de los Huesos hominins and similar to extant humans, implying that Neanderthals evolved the auditory capacities to support a vocal communication system as efficient as modern human speech.

The Abric Romaní rock-shelter (Capellades, Barcelona) is a key site for studying the use of fire among Neanderthal communities. The evidence of its use, including the identification of heated faunal remains, has led to infer the practice of some domestic activities in the site, such as cooking, use of bones as fuel, or habitat surface cleaning throughout the entire sequence. In the Qa level, dated ca. 58 ky BP, heated bones are characterized by the predominance of brown homogeneous surfaces, a different pattern from those described for the abovementioned activities. Here, an experiment is presented to clarify the domestic activities at the Qa level. We built hearth replicas and heated defleshed shaft fragments in fresh and dry. The recovered fragments were described according to their coloration and spatial relationship in the hearth. Following these parameters, a new classification method of heated bones from archeological sites is proposed: color and its distribution on the bone surface. We detected differences in color depending on whether they were buried or not and whether they were from the center or the peripheral areas. The brown bones with the color homogeneously distributed on their surface were exclusively found on buried heated bones. Compared with the remains from the Qa level, the results suggest that the post-depositional burning of the faunal remains was habitual, which could be related to the overlapping occupations at this level., Funding for fieldwork is provided by the Ajuntament de Capellades and Romanyà-Valls. We acknowledge the Catalonian Government for concession of the Quadrennial Project CLT009/18/00054. To the research group SGR2017-1040 and the research group SGR -2017-836. To the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación of Spanish Government project MCI EIN2020-112254. E. Téllez is beneficiary of a PEJ grant (PEJ2018-005210-A) funded by the Spanish National System of Garantía Juvenil and the European Social Fund. A. Pineda is supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the “Subprograma Juan de la Cierva-Formación” programme (FJC2019-040804-I). P.S., J.V. and M.G.CH. research is funded by CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya. This research was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the “María de Maeztu” excellence accreditation (CEX2019-000945-M).

Fuente Mudarra is on a gentle slope on the left bank of the Pico River, near Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos, Spain. A 12−m2 test pit was dug at this large open-air site between 2012 and 2017. Several upper Pleistocene archaeological levels were documented. Results from Fuente Mudarra confirm that Neanderthal groups, little represented at cave sites, occupied Sierra de Atapuerca from the end of the middle Pleistocene and during the upper Pleistocene. The site also provides insight into Neanderthal spatial organization in the Atapuerca area and whether they used the caves in an occasional, non-habitual way like the open-air sites.

The ability of early hominins to overcome the constraints imposed by the characteristics of raw materials used for stone tool production is a key topic on the discussion about the evolution of hominin cognitive capabilities and technical behaviours. Thus, technological variability has been the centrepiece on this debate. However, the variability of lithic assemblages cannot be correctly interpreted without understanding site occupational models and function and considering that individual tools represent specific discard moments in a continuous reduction process. In Europe, the earliest technological record is represented by the scarce and scattered Mode 1 technologies, often deriving from occasional occupations or restricted activity areas yielding unrepresentative assemblages. In this paper, we approach the technological behaviours exhibited by Lower Palaeolithic hominins from the subunit TD6.2 of the Gran Dolina site (Atapuerca, Burgos) by including the perspective of reduction intensity studies on the analysis of technological variability. Gran Dolina TD6.2 is a unique and extremely significant archaeological context, as it represents the oldest multi-layered unit of domestic hominin occupations in the Early Pleistocene of Europe. We use the Volumetric Reconstruction Method (VRM) to estimate the original volume of the blanks and quantify the reduction intensity of each core individually to characterise the reduction distribution patterns using Weibull probability distribution functions. Our results suggest differential raw material management in terms of reduction intensity, according to the characteristics of each lithology. This could reflect a solid understanding of raw material qualities and a certain degree of planning. Altogether, the continuity between knapping strategies through reduction denotes constant adaptation to raw material constraints as well as particular knapping conditions, rather than specific compartmentalised mental schemes. In conclusion, Homo antecessor toolmakers would have been situational knappers whose technological behaviour would be highly adaptive. This research constitutes the first reduction approach for the European Early Pleistocene assemblages that will lead to a referential framework for other European Early Pleistocene sites. Open access funding provided by Universitat Rovira i Virgili. This work has been carried out with the financial support of the Generalitat de Catalunya, AGAUR agency (2017SGR1040 Research Group), the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (2021PFR-URV-126), and the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICINN/FEDER project PGC2018-093925-B-C32). The Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA) has received financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the “María de Maeztu” programme for Units of Excellence (CEX2019-000945-M). JRR is a beneficiary of a Margarita Salas postdoctoral fellowship (MARSALAS21-22) funded by the European Union-Next Generation EU, the Spanish Ministry of Universities, and the University of Alicante. The research of J.I.M. was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the “María de Maeztu” excellence accreditation (CEX2019-000945-M).

This paper presents the limestone reduction sequences documented in levels M and Ob at Abric Romaní from a technological point of view. At level M, a recurrent knapping system has been identified, resulting in the frequency of pseudo-Levallois blanks. At archaeolevel Ob, the presence of Levallois methods are observed in association with this knapping system. In both cases, retouched tools are rare and dominated by notches and denticulates. Although it is not well-known the degree of similarity and difference between the two levels in relation to occupational patterns is not well understood, Neanderthals employed more opportunistic knapping strategies, investing less time and energy in the procurement of raw materials including for chert. In level Ob, although limestone is still collected in the local fluvial deposits, differences in raw material procurement have been identified for chert. Results show the plasticity and versality that Neanderthals had and how they took advantage of the different abiotic resources they had around them. In this paper, we discuss the limestone technology at Abric Romaní in the context of the Iberian Peninsula., Research carried out for this paper has benefited from the following: “Síntesis del Paleolitico medio y superior en Valencia y Murcia: aspectos cronológicos, paleoambientales, económicos y culturales” (HAR2017-85153-P/MICINN), “El pasado lejano: aproximación a la conducta y la ocupación del territorio en el paleolítico valenciano” (PROMETEO/2017/060), “Neanderthal behaviour and paleoecology in Mediterranean ecosystems” (PID2019-103987GB-C31), “Redefiniendo forma, uso y expresión cultural en el Paleolítico medio” (SI1/PJI/2019-00488) and the Research Group nº 2017 SGR 836 of the Catalan Government. The Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA) has received financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the ‘María de Maeztu’ programme for Units of Excellence (CEX2019-000945-M). The research by B.G.d.S, M.V., P.S., E.C., J.V. and M.G.CH is funded by CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya. A.E was supported by 2018 Leonardo Grant for Researchers and Cultural Creators, BBVA Foundation. A.B. is supported by a European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme Marie Sklodowska-Curie Action grant PREKARN n:702584 and Juan de la Cierva-Incorporación (IJCI-2019-041546-I). Excavations at the Abric Romaní were performed with the support of the Departament de Cultura (Servei d’Arqueologia i Patrimoni) of the Generalitat de Catalunya (CLT009/18/00054), Ajuntament de Capellades, Oficina Patrimoni Cultural- Diputació de Barcelona, ORROEL SL–Romanyà-VallsTallers Gràfics Romanyà-Valls, Bercontres-Centre de Gestió Medioambiental SL and the Constructora de Calaf SAU.

This study addresses the pollen record of Abric Romani archaeological site and the climate evolution of the last interglacial and glacial stadials in the Iberian Peninsula. The new pollen record spans the interval from 110,000 to 55,000 years ago. In general, the glacial/stadial vegetation is characterized by a steppe and herbaceous communities indicating dry and cold climatic conditions, whereas the vegetation optimum of past interglacials can be described as pine-oaks with mediterranean forest indicating milder and moister climatic conditions. During the first half of the MIS 5a and the MIS 5c, the region was warmer, which is characterized by temperate forests. However, the existence of Artemisia steppes during the second part of the MIS 5a indicates that the degree of continentality can be related to the low winter temperatures and precipitation. During MIS 4, a colder and dryer climate enabled the development of open vegetation (dominated by Artemisia with Poaceae and other Asteraceae) around the study site. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The affinity and the binding mode of two benzo[g]phthalazine compounds, functionalized with one or two 2-(imidazole-4-yl)-ethylamine groups, to DNA and RNA models have been evaluated by means of UV-Vis, fluorescence and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopies in combination with viscometry and molecular dynamics. Both organic molecules bind strongly to all nucleic acid models via the intercalation mode in the duplex structure, especially compound 1. Intriguingly, 1 exhibits different emission responses depending on the base composition of duplex DNA/RNAs, which points out the possibility of using it as a base selective nucleic acid probe. Moreover, the acid-base behaviour of both compounds has been studied by pH-metric titrations and UV-Vis and emission fluorescence techniques to investigate the unexplored basicity of this type of compound. 1 behaves as a triprotic base whilst 2 is a diprotic base with the protonation of the benzo[g]phthalazine moiety occurring in the physiological pH range., Financial support by the Spanish MINECO and FEDER funds from the European Union (Projects CONSOLIDER-INGENIO SUPRAMED CSD 2010-00065, CTQ2016-78499-C6-1-R and Unidad de Excelencia Marı´a de Maeztu MDM-15-0538) and Generalitat Valenciana (PROMETEO II 2015-002) is gratefully acknowledged. One of us, A. M.-C., wants to thank the Spanish Ministry of Science Culture and Sport for the PhD grant FPU14/05098. J. G.-G. is indebted to the University of Bordeaux for an IDex postdoctoral fellowship

The value of dirty DNA Environmental DNA can identify the presence of species, even from the distant past. Surveying three cave sites in western Europe and southern Siberia, Vernot et al. identified nuclear DNA and confirmed that it is from the close relatives of anatomically modern humans—Neanderthal and Denisovan individuals. A phylogenetic analysis and modeling show that the DNA in sediment samples from several layers corresponds to previously studied skeletal remains. These results demonstrate that environmental data can be applied to study the population genetics of the extinct Neanderthal and Denisovan lineages, identifying a turnover of Neanderthal populations ∼100,000 years ago. Science , this issue p. eabf1667

The TD6 unit of the Gran Dolina contains an assemblage of the Early Pleistocene, interpreted firstly as a home base. Morerecently has been proposed a transported origin of the remains according to the sedimentology. Following this model, the remainsshould be dragged or lagged in a predictable pattern related to their weight, density, shape, and size. Conversely, the debrisgenerated in an undisturbed residential camp should retain spatial relations of codependence caused by the depositional process,not related to inherent variables of materials. To check if the remains were recovered in their original depositional place(aggregated) or are the product of transportation (segregated or random spatial relation), we have evaluated different variables:the spatial arrangement between osteological and lithic tools; the integrity of the bones and their structural characters (shape andtissue composition); postdepositional modifications; and the specimen size distribution. The combined results indicate that thelayers that conform the TD6.2 subunit were undisturbed, while TD6.1 was affected by postdepositional processes, probablywater flows, resulting in a lagged assemblage. In conclusion, TD6.2 is best interpreted as a well-preserved home base and shouldplay a key role in studies of the behavior of the first European populations., The Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICINN-FEDER) of the Spanish Government financed the research, project no. PGC2018-093925-B-C32 and project no. FJCI-037447-I (Subprograma Juan de la Cierva) and, also, the AGAUR (project no. 2017 SGR-1040) and the URV (project no. 2018PFR-URV-B2-91). IPHES research is framed in CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya. The funding for fieldwork came from the Cultural and Tourism Council of Castilla y León and the Atapuerca Foundation. This research was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the “Maríade Maeztu” excellence accreditation (CEX2019-000945-M).

Magnetostratigraphy has proven to be a powerful and versatile method as well the first line of defence for dating sediments. When properly anchored to the Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale (GPTS), chron boundaries provide a basis for numerical dating by correlating the local magnetostratigraphy to the GPTS. A caveat and intrinsic limitation when anchoring magnetic stratigraphy to the GPTS is that we deal with essentially a binary code, a sequence of normal and reverse polarity zones. To overcome such limitation biostratigraphy or (ideally) numerical (absolute) age dating is required. Unfortunately, numerical dating of sediments is typically hampered by the lack of amenable minerals for the application of standard methods such as Ar-Ar, requiring thus the use of less conventional methods. Burial dating is possible using methods such as Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) on optically bleached quartz grains. Similar to luminescence, ESR is a paleodosimetric method that provides the time elapsed since the last exposure of quartz grains to natural sun light. Cave sediments are particularly amenable for paleodosimetric methods, as sediments are preserved in the dark and the ESR signal should survive over the geologic history of the deposits. On the down side, we date the moment when the quartz grain enters the karst system, not its deposition. If the transit time is too long, this might be an issue and we would be significantly overestimating the true burial age. Caves at Atapuerca (N Spain) hold the richest Quaternary paleontological record in Eurasia, including fossils and lithic tools. Sediments in these caves have been traditionally dated via magnetostratigraphy by identifying the Matuyama-Brunhes reversal (0.78 Ma) thus providing the Lower to Middle Pleistocene boundary. Nevertheless, the appearance of older sediments in the caves required the combination of paleomagnetism with methods such as ESR to interpret older intra-Matuyama Subchrons. In the deepest levels of the Gran Dolina cave, close to the floor of the cavity, a number of short intervals of normal polarity have been identified in the fluviatile sediments belonging to TD1 unit, which we interpret in terms of Subchrons using ESR ages of quartz grains. We will discuss both paleomagnetic data and interpret the magnetic polarity stratigraphy in the view of the ESR ages obtained from the Multiple Centre (MC) approach.

Paleoclimate and vegetation reconstruction of Abric Romani (Capellades, Spain) during MIS-3, 4, and MIS-5 (a-d)Demet Biltekin1,2, Francesc Burjachs1,3,4, Josep Vallverdú1,4, Warren D. Sharp5, Regina Mertz-Kraus6, M. Gema Chacón1,4, Palmira Saladié1,4, James L. Bischoff5, Eudald Carbonell1,4 1Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolucio Social (IPHES), Zona Educacional 4, Campus Sescelades URV, edifici W3, 43007 Tarragona, Spain.2Istanbul Technical University, Eurasia Institute of Earth Sciences, Ayazağa Campus, Maslak, Sarıyer, 34469, Istanbul/Turkey3ICREA, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.4URV, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Facultat de Lletres, Avinguda Catalunya, 35, 43002 Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain.5Berkeley Geochronology Center, Berkeley, CA 94709, United States.6Institute for Geosciences, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany. This new pollen data provides the vegetation and climate history during ca. 110 ka-55 ka BP from Abric Romaní archaeological site using pollen analysis of a 30 m-long sedimentary sequence. The beginning of the MIS 3 starts an abundance in steppes and herbs, indicating cold and dry climate in the region. However, this was replaced by a slight increase in deciduous Quercus and Mediterranean trees. During the MIS 4, the pollen records reflect a predominance of Artemisia steppes and herbaceous communities (Poaceae and Asteraceae families), indicating dry and cold conditions in Abric Romaní. The MIS 5 was well recorded with its substages, including 5a, 5b, 5c and 5d. The MIS 5d is characterized by Pinus and Artemisia steppes with herbaceous assemblages. The higher abundance of Artemisia during the second part of the MIS 5b, reflecting cold and dry climate, while temperate forest and Mediterranean trees decline. Mélisey II stadial was marked by an increase in Artemisia and herbs. This suggests that cold climatic conditions existed during this time period. The abundance of oaks during the MIS 5c indicate warmer and humid climate in the region. Other deciduous and broadleaved forest developed as well, including Ulmus, Viburnum, Juglans and Castanea. A short cooling Montaigu event was also recorded within this interstadial, which is dominated by a high percentage of Ericaceae with Artemisia. The first part of the MIS 5a is characterized by Corylus, Carpinus, Hedera, Ulmus, Betula, pointing to warmer climatic conditions. In contrast, the high amount of Artemisia steppes may indicate an enhanced degree of continentality during the second half of the MIS 5a in the north-eastern Iberian Peninsula.Keywords: paleovegetation, climate, pollen analysis, Late Pleistocene, Spain

En 2018 se cumplió el 150 aniversario de la publicación Descripción con planos de la llamada Cueva de Atapuerca. Este es el primer libro de carácter científico sobre la Sierra de Atapuerca. Desde entonces, varios yacimientos de este territorio burgalés comenzaron a formar parte de los inventarios arqueológicos de nuestro país. Sin embargo, hubo que esperar hasta 1978 para que un joven equipo de arqueólogos, biólogos y geólogos comenzaran a trabajar de forma sistemática en estos yacimientos. Desde entonces, 1.500 personas, entre estudiantes, profesores e investigadores, han participado, verano tras verano, en las diferentes campañas de excavación. Hasta la actualidad se ha intervenido en 15 yacimientos que permiten estudiar la evolución de los grupos humanos en Europa Occidental desde hace más de un millón de años hasta nuestros días. Este trabajo de campo se ha materializado en un millar de publicaciones científicas que ha situado al Equipo de Investigaciones de Atapuerca a la cabeza de los estudios sobre Evolución Humana a nivel mundial. Conocer la evolución de estas investigaciones nos permite analizar cómo ha evolucionado la Arqueología sobre nuestros orígenes en España.

Neanderthals are widely known to be a resilient human species that successfully faced constant and strong environmental fluctuations modifying the landscapes they inhabited and the availability of their potential resources. It has been traditionally assumed that environmental features could strongly affect human behaviour due to the stretch relationship between their potential prey and the availability of habitats. Environmental changes would produce a high variability in the settlement patterns of the Neanderthal groups. However, the preponderant influence of environmental conditions on these human groups has recently been strongly questioned. This is especially true for the Iberian Peninsula, where latitudinal position and orographic features supported the persistence of environmental conditions that allowed the permanence of a wide range of biotopes and animal and vegetal resources. In the present study, we reconstruct the Neanderthal settlement patterns (i.e. duration and season) from four archaeological sites located in the Mediterranean area of the Iberian Peninsula: Arbreda Cave (Serinyà, Girona), Teixoneres Cave (Moià, Barcelona), Abric Romaní (Capellades, Barcelona), and El Salt (Alcoy, Alicante). We focus on identifying whether they show a high variability in settlement patterns and check for the existence of local influences, such as the altitude. To reach these objectives, we designed a multi-proxy approach combining tooth wear and dental cementum analysis of the main Neanderthal preys: Cervus elaphus, Equus ferus, Equus hydruntinus, Bos primigenius and Capra pyrenaica. Our results first suggest that local features (i.e. orography, altitude, and environment) appear to be predominant factors determining the main feeding behaviour of the ungulates hunted by Neanderthals. Additionally, seasonal environmental variations seem to have influenced horse migratory behaviour, involving altitudinal movements in search of high-nutritive pastures. Neanderthal survival strategies and settlement patterns seem to have been less affected by environmental particularities and more linked to selective prey procurement based on the seasonal resource availability. Therefore, the duration and seasonality of their settlement patterns and their mobility throughout the landscape indicate they had a high level of knowledge on the territory they inhabited, as well as on the behaviour and availability of their potential preys., This work was supported by research grants from the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion (grant HAR2016-76760-C3-1-P), the Agencia de Gestio d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR 2017-SGR-836), and the French National Research Agency: Project CemeNTAA (ANR-14-CE31-0011) from the French Research Agency and the CEPAM laboratory (UMR 7264, CNRS, UCA). CSH is supported by a pre-doctoral grant (FPI) from the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion (BES-C-2014-0034). The CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya funds the research of CS, EC, GC, PS, JR, FR and JV. JRand RB develop their work within the Spanish AEI/FEDER projects CGL2015-65387-C3-1-P and CGL2015-68604-P. The research at Teixoneres Cave is supported by projects CLT009-18-00055 and2017 SGR 836 from the Generalitat de Catalunya, and Project HAR2016-76760-C3-1-P and PID2019-103987 GB-C31 from Spanish AEI. Project IþD HAR2015-68321-P (MEC-FEDER/UE) supported the El Salt shelter research. Excavations at Abric Romaní were performed with the support of the Departament de Cultura (Servei d’Arqueologia i Patrimoni) of the Generalitat de Catalunya (CLT009/18/00054), the Ajuntament de Capellades, the Oficina Patrimoni Cultural - Diputacio de Barcelona, ORROEL SL - Romanya-Valls, Bercontres-Centre de Gestio Medioambiental SL, and the Constructora de Calaf SAU.

Recurrent long- and short-term Neanderthal occupations occurred in the Abric Romaní rock shelter (Capellades, Barcelona, Spain) for more than 20,000 years. This provides an opportunity to enhance our understanding of the evolution of behavioral strategies of these human groups. The site has a long and high-resolution sequence with 17 levels completely excavated, 13 of which are presented in this work, from D to Q; ca. 40–60 ka. These levels have generated extensive research concerning Neanderthal hunting strategies, lithic production, and fire technology. Here is presented the evolution of palaeoenvironment under which these populations lived applying different methods of palaeoecological reconstruction based on small-mammal remains along the entire sequence. The study is completed with taphonomic analyses that locate the primary origin of their accumulation under the action of owls and describe a past humid fossiliferous microenvironment where intense human occupation occurred. Oxygen isotope analyses were performed on rodent incisors from the richest levels (D, E, N and O), in order to reconstruct the past air temperatures. The medium to low intra-level ranges of oxygen isotopic values indicate a period of preferential accumulation moment of small mammals, which is likely related to spring-summer predator activity. Throughout the sequence, the landscape evolution is marked by an extended forestall cover and abundant water resources, both integrated in a patchy landscape. Climatic conditions were globally cooler and slightly wetter than present, but rather stable across the sequence. The greater relative presence of mid-European small-mammal species and the estimated lower palaeotemperatures correspond to relatively cooler episodes, such as stadial events, in levels E and O. However, certain discrepancies in palaeotemperature estimations are detected between oxygen isotopic analyses and other methods based on species occurrence. Northeastern Iberia environmental conditions related to Mediterranean climate provide a favorable MIS 3 scenario compared to European higher latitudes. Indeed, the milder glacial fluctuations detected within the Abric Romaní site are coeval to other Iberian Middle Palaeolithic sites with long-term occupations and allow these human groups to incorporate this region for millennia in their migration routes., This research wassupported by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MINECO) of the Spanish Government, project HAR2016-76760-C3-1-P, and the Catalonian Government, project SGR 2017-836. The Departament de Cultura (Servei d’Arqueologia i Patrimoni) of the Generalitat de Catalunya (CLT009/18/00054), the Diputación de Barcelona, the Ajuntament de Capellades, and Arts Grafiques Romanya-Valls S.A. provided support for theexcavations. IPHES research is framed in CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya. M. Fernandez-García was beneficiary duringthis manuscript elaboration of a PhD scholarship funded under the Erasmus Mundus Programmee International Doctorate in Quaternary and Prehistory by the European Commission (2015-1611/001-001-EMJD). J.M. Lopez-García was supported by a Ramon y Cajal contract (RYC-2016-19386) with financial sponsorship from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.

A use-wear analysis was carried out on a specific mobile toolkit belonging to level M of the Middle Paleolithic site of Abric Romaní (Barcelona, Spain), which is dated to MIS 3, between 51 and 55 Ka BP. In an environment rich in local and regional chert sources and in a technological context marked by expedient behavior, a set of flakes, which also included debordant elements with asymmetric transversal sections, were introduced into the site having already been knapped. A combination of technological, refitting, and raw material unit analyses (RMU) have distinguished them from the rest of the chert artifacts knapped in situ. Given that the aim of the reduction sequences in level M, as in most of the stratigraphic sequence, is the production of small flakes of poor quality chert, the introduction of these finished tools indicates the existence of planned behavior in relation to raw material constraints and, to a major extent, with specific needs. The question is whether there is any functional difference between these flakes knapped outside and those produced on-site. A first step to solving this issue is the evaluation of the potential of these tools for use-wear analysis. Thirty-seven flakes were selected for this study prioritizing the state of surface preservation. To provide reliable data with which to compare the archeological traces, we have performed a specific experimental program using the main chert varieties identified in the archeological sample. Digital 3D, optical, and scanning electron microscopies were combined to characterize wear patterns in a mobile toolkit. Our preliminary results show that, despite the significant patination on some of the pieces, a limited array of tools have a good state of surface preservation and show use-wear evidence related to a variety of butchery activities., Funding for this research was provided by Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICINN) of the Spanish Government, projects n°HAR2016-76760-C3-1-P and n° PGC2018-093925-B-C32 and the Catalan Government, research group’s n° 2017 SGR 836, n° 2017 SGR1040, and the URV project 2018PFR-URV-B2-91. J-I.M.V. is beneficiary of a Ph.D. research fellowship AGAUR/FSE (2019 FI_B 00210). J-I.M.V., M.G.CH., A. O, B.G.S., M.V, P.S., J.V., and E.C. research is funded by CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya.

El yacimiento de Galería es uno los rellenos cársticos pleistocenos situados en la Trinchera del Ferrocarril de la Sierra de Atapuerca. El relleno sedimentario se divide en seis unidades estratigráficas (GI a GVI). La base de la sucesión estratigráfica corresponde al Pleistoceno Inferior y es estéril. Las unidades fosilíferas con evidencias de ocupación humana (GIT y GITT) son de la segunda mitad del Pleistoceno Medio. Las especies de mamíferos permanecen evolutivamente estables; solo se observan cambios menores en los roedores Iberomys breccensis, Microtus aff. arvalis y Arvicola sp. No obstante, se detectan variaciones en las frecuencias de micro- y macrovertebrados y en las comunidades de aves. La subunidad Glla se interpreta como formada durante una fase cálida.