Upper paleolithic bone and antler projectiles in the Spanish Mediterranean Region: The Magdalenian period

Abstract

We have focused our study on the projectile points of Cova de Parpalló. The Magdalenian sequence in this archaeological site is one of the most complete in the Upper Paleolithic from the southwest of Europe. We have analyzed 334 pieces from an assemblage that includes well over 2000 finished objects, and consider these weapons as a representative sample from two well differentiated Magdalenian phases. The first period studied dates to the Badegoulian (layer 2.40–2.20 m), while the second is Upper Magdalenian (layer 0.80–1.00 m). The main aspects of this analysis are typological evaluation (hafting kinds or bases, sections, morphometry) and fracture patterns (position and kinds of fractures, distinguishing between use, post-depositional or recent fractures). These two assemblages are compared before the Upper Magdalenian of Parpalló is contextualized within the rest of the Upper Magdalenian from Mediterranean Iberian Peninsula. The assemblages from Cova de les Cendres and Cueva de Nerja lead us to establish a relationship between the studied sites and create a general vision of the geographic articulation of these cultures, including an evaluation of harpoons and gorges from these archaeological sites.