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Article . 2006
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The Mousterian complex in Portugal

Authors: Cardoso, Jo?o Lu?s;

The Mousterian complex in Portugal

Abstract

[PR] RESUMO: O Mustierense ? o ?nico tecno-complexo do Paleol?tico M?dio reconhecido e caracterizado em Portugal. Alguns dos conjuntos industriais referidos neste trabalho foram, contudo, inclu?dos na designa??o mais gen?rica de Paleol?tico M?dio, por falta de elementos de pormenor. As esta??es de ar livre referenciadas parecem corporizar, nuns casos, face ? enorme quantidade de vest?gios, estacionamentos intensivos e prolongados, de tipo residencial, favorecidos pela abund?ncia de mat?rias-primais dispon?veis. ? o caso das esta??es dos arredores de Lisboa e das existentes na margem esquerda do estu?rio do Tejo. Nenhuma foi objecto de escava??es em extens?o, impossibilitando a confirma??o desta situa??o, por um lado e, por outro, o conhecimento da organiza??o interna do espa?o habitado. Outras esta??es de ar livre, implantadas em terra?os fluviais, ocupam ?reas menores e configuram actividades cineg?ticas especializadas, talvez de car?cter sazonal: ? o caso de Santo Ant?o do Tojal, onde provavelmente se capturou o elefante, da Foz do Enxarrique, especializada na ca?a ao veado e de Vilas Ruivas, onde os restos faun?sticos n?o se conservaram. Naquela ?ltima esta??o, foram identificadas estruturas habitacionais, atribu?das a p?ra-ventos (wind-breaks), ou a tapumes de ca?a (hunting-blinds), associadas a lareiras e a poss?veis buracos de poste; estes testemunhos juntam-se ?s lareiras identificadas na Gruta da Buraca Escura e no s?tio de ar livre de Santa Cita. As grutas revelam por vezes estratigrafias extensas, denunciando perman?ncias prolongadas e recorrentes, o que configura a situa??o de corresponderem a s?tios de tipo residencial, sem preju?zo de tamb?m se conhecerem grutas com ocupa??es epis?dicas, relacionadas com actividades cineg?ticas ou de explora??o de recursos geol?gicos. A Gruta da Oliveira e a Gruta Nova da Columbeira est?o no primeiro caso. Evidencia-se a altern?ncia da sua ocupa??o por carn?voros e pelo homem. A variedade dos recursos cineg?ticos identificados mostra uma economia de subsist?ncia n?o especializada, capturando-se presas de grande, m?dio e pequeno porte. Entre as ?ltimas encontra-se o coelho, esp?cie end?mica, ent?o muito abundante, cuja ca?a era acompanhada pela da tartaruga terrestre, a qual atinge express?o significativa na Gruta Nova da Columbeira. Os recursos aqu?ticos constitu?am parte significativa da dieta em grutas pr?ximo do litoral, como a Gruta de Ibn Amar, sobre o estu?rio actual do rio Arade e a Gruta da Figueira Brava. Nesta ?ltima, a import?ncia desse contributo alimentar ? evidenciada pela diversidade e abund?ncia das esp?cies de moluscos identificados, acompanhados de crust?ceos e at? de mam?feros marinhos, como a foca e o golfinho. O facto de a componente de pesca e recolec??o n?o se ter reconhecido em grutas fora da linha de costa actual evidencia a ?rea relativamente limitada de capta??o de recursos inerente a cada gruta, sem preju?zo de os seus habitantes, dentro dos respectivos territ?rios, conhecerem um alto grau de mobilidade, o qual ? sublinhado pela diversidade de recursos explorados. Esta situa??o tamb?m se aplica ? utiliza??o dos recursos geol?gicos. Com efeito, nota-se que as mat?rias-primas mais utilizadas, s?o o quartzo, o quartzito e o s?lex, em percentagens vari?veis consoante a sua pr?pria disponibilidade na envolv?ncia imediata das grutas, n?o ultrapassando um raio superior a 10 km. Noutros casos, como na Gruta da Figueira Brava e na Gruta do Escoural, observou-se uma incid?ncia muito forte na utiliza??o do quartzo filoneano, apesar da sua m? qualidade, em virtude de ser a rocha dispon?vel no territ?rio adjacente. Do ponto de vista tecnol?gico e tipol?gico, os tr?s conjuntos reconhecidamente datados do Mustierense Final do territ?rio portugu?s mais importantes: Gruta da Oliveira; Gruta Nova da Columbeira e Gruta da Figueira Brava, n?o evidenciam qualquer ind?cio de evolu??o para ind?strias do Paleol?tico Superior notando-se, ao contr?rio, um refor?o das suas caracter?sticas mustierenses. Os mais antigos materiais mustierenses estratigrafados prov?m da Gruta da Furninha, datados de ca. 80 Ka calBP, encontrando-se associados a hiena raiada (Hyaena hyaena prisca). Trata-se de esp?cie de clima quente, j? ent?o uma rel?quia a n?vel europeu, compat?vel com a ocorr?ncia, no cord?o conglomer?tico formado ao longo do litoral da serra da Arr?bida a 5-8 m de altitude, contempor?neo daquele dep?sito, de Patella safiana, esp?cie de ?guas quentes, que actualmente n?o ultrapassa a latitude do litoral atl?ntico marroquino, acompanhada de Pectunculus bimaculatus, de distribui??o mediterr?nea. Desconhece-se a evolu??o paleoclim?tica entre a ?poca de forma??o do dep?sito fossil?fero da Furninha e cerca de 45 Ka calBP. Tal ? a cronologia obtida pelo radiocarbono para as jazidas de interesse paleontol?gico de Vale de Janela, no litoral da Estremadura e de S?o Torpes, no litoral alentejano. Apesar de existirem em ambas as jazidas esp?cies de clima temperado mais fresco e h?mido que o mediterr?nico, ? de salientar a manuten??o do g?nero Myrica, de caracter?sticas term?filas. Com efeito, a tend?ncia para um clima temperado fresco ? compat?vel, para a referida ?poca, com a presen?a de cabra mont?s nos n?veis mustierenses inferiores da Gruta da Oliveira, anteriores a 43/42 Ka calBP. A partir desta ?poca o clima parece tormar-se progressivamente mais quente, assumindo caracter?sticas mediterr?neas: tal ? indicado pelo desaparecimento da cabra mont?s na Gruta da Oliveira, acompanhada (N?vel 8) de associa??o de roedores de caracter?sticas mediterr?neas datada de ca. 38/37 Ka calBP, compat?vel com a presen?a de Cepaea nemoralis na Lapa dos Furos, ca. de 40 Ka calBP. A partir de 36 Ka calBP as condi??es clim?ticas parecem modificar-se progressivamente no sentido do arrefecimento: a cabra mont?s reaparece nas cadeias montanhosas atl?nticas de baixa altitude (Gruta Nova da Columbeira e Gruta da Figueira Brava); o arrefecimento clim?tico, corresponde a condi??es um pouco mais frias que as existentes actualmente na zona, mas compar?veis ?s do litoral cant?brico, ? comprovado pelo conjunto de indicadores dispon?veis na Gruta da Figueira Brava, o mais completo at? ao presente reunido. Mas a presen?a, at? ca. 34-31 Ka calBP, na Gruta Nova da Columbeira, da tartaruga terrestre, esp?cie ali abundante, que requeria temperaturas da ordem dos 20 a 30 graus cent?grados ao longo do Ver?o, para a incuba??o dos ovos, indica que o arrefecimento clum?tico n?o poderia ter sido muito acentuado. Por outro lado, a microfauna do N?vel K da gruta do Caldeir?o, com Allocricetus bursae, demonstra a progress?o at? ao ocidente peninsular das condi??es est?picas cerca de 35 Ka calBP. Tais condi??es prevaleciam aquando do surgimento na regi?o, talvez ca. 35-34 Ka calBP, das primeiras ind?strias do Paleol?tico Superior, pertencentes j? a um est?dio evolu?do do Aurignacense. ? neste quadro paleoclim?tico particular ao ocidente e sudoeste peninsular que se devem entender sobreviv?ncias tardias de certas esp?cies, como o elefante antigo, presente na Foz do Enxarrique cerca de 33,6 Ka calBP o qual, oferecendo condi??es geogr?ficas favor?veis, favoreceu tamb?m a tardia presen?a dos ?ltimos Neandertais e, com eles, do Mustierense Final no territ?rio portugu?s.

[EN] Considering the available data, the Mousterian period is the only techno-complex from the Middle Paleolithic identified and characterized in Portugal. However, some of the sites referred in this work should be simply attributed to the Middle Paleolithic due to the lack of detailed elements. The site of Vale do Forno 8 probably represents the transition between the final Upper Paleolithic and the early Middle Paleolithic. The open-air sites such as the ones in the outskirts of Lisbon and on the left margin of the Tagus estuary, where vestiges are extremely abundant and the permanence for long periods correspond to sites of residential character. None of these sites were subject to extensive excavations in order to confirm this type of settlement and further knowledge of the social organization of the inhabited spaces. Other open-air sites located in fluvial terraces present smaller areas of occupation and were probably related to game activities, maybe seasonal in nature. This was the case of Santo Ant?o do Tojal, were elephants and horses were eventually captured, of Foz do Enxarrique were red deer was almost exclusive and of Vilas Ruivas, were faunal remains were not preserved but remains of wind-breaks or hunting blind structures were found associated with fireplaces and post-holes. Fireplaces were also found in Gruta da Buraca Escura and on the open-air site of Santa Cita. Caves such as Gruta da Oliveira and the Gruta Nova da Columbeira show long stratigraphic sequences and prolonged settlements, of residential type, though a few other caves also show temporary settlements related to game activities or the exploitation of geological resources. In most cases, there is an alternance of the cave occupation by humans and large carnivores. Food subsistence of humans was non-specialized, capturing large, mid and also small preys such as the rabbit, an abundant endemic species. The terrestrial turtle was also captured, especially in Gruta Nova da Columbeira. Aquatic resources were a significative part of the food supply in caves close to the coast such as Ibn Amar over the Arade estuary and Gruta da Figueira Brava, over the sea, where a lot of different species of mollucs, crustaceans and sea mammals such as seal and dolphin were present. In the caves some few kilometers from the coast, like Gruta Nova da Columbeira, recollection or fishing activities were not present. It means that the resource exploitation areas around the settlements were small. The same reasoning is applicable to the geological resources, in which the raw materials such as quartz, quartzite and flint were used in quantities according to their availability in the surrounding cave area, never more than in a 10 km around the settlements. In some cases e.g. Gruta da Figueira Brava and Gruta do Escoural, filonean quartz was extensively used in spite of its bad quality because of its abundance in the cave surroundings. In Lisbon region, where the distance between sites did not surpasse 30 km, there is also a strong relationship between the types of materials used and their availability, indicating the opportunistic and local origin of the production, even if mobility was high within each the exploited area. From both technical and typological points of view, the Final Mousterian represented by the assemblages of Gruta da Oliveira, Gruta Nova da Columbeira and Gruta da Figueira Brava, showed no evidence of transition to the Upper Paleolithic but rather a ?mousterianisation? of the lithic industry was observed. The food supplies used and the species captured reflected the paleoclimatic conditions that took place. The eldest materials dated Mousterian were collected in Gruta da Furninha, from ca. 80 Ka calBP, and are related to the stripped hyaena (Hyaena hyaena prisca), a species of warm climate coexisting with the warmwater species Patella safiana and Pectunculus bimaculatus which existed in the 5-8 m a.s.l. marine conglomerate level observed in Forte da Baralha, in the littoral of the Arr?bida Ridge. Presently these species do not occur at latitudes higher than the Mediterranean or the Atlantic Moroccan coast. After the formation of the fossil deposits of Gruta da Furninha, the palaeoclimatic evolution is not known until ca. 45 Ka calBP, represented by the palaeontological sites of Vale de Janela in the Estremadura littoral and S?o Torpes in the Alentejo littoral. In both sites there were found species related to a cool and wet temperate climate, but Myrica also occurs, a termophilic genus. A climate cooler than the Mediterranean is in agreement with the presence of the mountain goat in the upper Mousterian levels of gruta da Oliveira dating before 43/42 Ka calBP. Afterwards, the climate became progressively warmer and Mediterranean-type: the mountain goat disappeared from Gruta da Oliveira and Mediterranean rodents are present in the Level 8 of that cave, dating from 38/37 Ka calBP, while Cepaea nemoralis appeared in Lapa dos Furos, dating from 40 Ka calBP. From 36 Ka calBP on, there was a climatic cooling and the mountain goat reappears in low altitude mountain ranges (Gruta Nova da Columbeira and Gruta da Figueira Brava). In fact, the weather conditions were probably cooler than in the present and comparable to those in the cantabrian region, as suggested by the findings in Gruta da Figueira Brava. But the presence of the land turtle, which was abundant in Gruta Nova da Columbeira (up to 34-31 Ka calBP) demands summer temperatures ca. 20-30 ?C for egg hatching. On the other hand, the microfauna from Level K in Gruta do Caldeir?o, including Allocricetus bursae, shows how steppic conditions migrated to the western part of the Iberian Peninsula and prevailed when the first industries of the Upper Paleolithic occurred, an evolved phase of the Aurignacian, about probably 35-34 Ka calBP. Within this particular paleoclimatic framework of the western and southwestern parts of the Peninsula, it is possible to accept the survival of population remains of some species including the ancient elephant which is present in Foz do Enxarrique about 33.6 Ka calBP, and also the last Neanderthals and their Late Mousterian industry.

Country
Spain
Related Organizations
Keywords

Arqueolog?a, Archaeology, Prehistory, Prehistoria, CC1-960, Arqueología

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