Breaking the waves: Human use of marine bivalves in a microtidal range coast during the Upper Pleistocene and the Early Holocene, Vestíbulo chamber, Nerja Cave (Málaga, southern Spain)

This paper presents the results obtained from the study of the bivalves recovered during the archaeological excavations in the Vestibulo chamber of Nerja Cave (Malaga, southern Spain) carried out by Professor Francisco Jorda Cerda between 1983 and 1987. These excavations recovered the archaeological record of the sequence from the Gravettian to the Neolithic. The mollusc remains from the Vestibulo chamber of Nerja Cave record constitute an extraordinary collection, composed of more than 136000 specimens which correspond to more than 78 kg. In this work, only marine bivalves were studied. The bivalve remains are more than 124000 specimens, corresponding to more than 65 kg from 31 taxa. More than 115000 of these specimens (59 kg) are derived from the shell midden dated to GS 1. The archaeological record of Nerja Cave is distinguished by the abundant presence of human-provided marine and continental molluscs with a high presence of bivalves. Marine bivalves increased clearly from the LGM to the mid-Holocene, and the human inhabitants of the cave accumulated an important shell midden in the contact between MIS 2 and MIS 1.