Technological variability in El Castillo cave during MIS 4

Abstract

The variability in Neanderthal behaviour is one of the key debates in Middle Palaeolithic archaeology. Here we present the analysis of the lithic industry from a unit at one of Europe’s main Palaeolithic sites: El Castillo Cave. Unit XXf1.1, dated to the beginning of MIS 4, is an example of human occupation during a period of population decrease. In this assemblage, the technology is organised with the aim of obtaining the largest possible blanks in an environment in which small-sized raw materials predominate, with the presence of imported tools and clear differences in the management of different raw materials. This assemblage is characterized by the predominance of centripetal exploitation methods, and there is only a small number of blanks with laminar tendency, and cleavers. From all this we can observe how Neanderthals were able to find ways to achieve their specific objectives, planning their behaviour to overcome the limitations imposed by the environment.