The Balma del Barranc de la Fontanella site (Vilafranca, Castelló) and its implications for understanding the Geometric Mesolithic of Mediterranean Iberia and the Ebro Valley

Abstract

In this article we report for the first time the human occupations of the Late Mesolithic period at the Balma del Barranc de la Fontanella site (Vilafranca, Castelló). Based on the analysis of the lithic industry, the fauna, the ornament and the sedimentology, the characteristics of this site are analyzed and contextualized both locally (Maestrat/Maestrazgo region) and within Mediterranean Iberia. In addition, comparing dates of this site with those from other Mediterranean sites we deepen in the debates over the time span of each of the phases and their relationship with both the Early Mesolithic and the arrival of the Neolithic in this high mountain area. From the data obtained, it can be concluded that La Fontanella was occupied in both phases of the Late Mesolithic and that it possibly functioned as a secondary settlement devoted to hunting, and that a part of game (the deer) would be transported to another place.