Two rich Upper Pleistocene archaeological caves in the middle valley of the Arlanza River (Burgos) are well known since the 1980s: Millán and La Ermita. Several archaeological excavations have yielded a large number of lithic elements and a smaller amount of bones. This assemblage has permitted the characterization of the “Quina Mousterian”. However, neither a study of the provisioning systems and lithic exploitation methods nor an analysis of the bone remains have ever been done to define the degree of human involvement in the formation of the sites. This paper analyzes these aspects, including unpublished archaeological material and focusing on the use of the biotic and abiotic resources. We compare the two sites and propose a functional interpretation linked to seasonality and the special treatment of hides and leather.

Trabajo enmarcado dentro del Proyecto BU01/04 de la Consejería de Educación de la Junta de Castilla y León. El Museo de los Dinosaurios de Salas de los Infantes, el Museo Provincial de Burgos y el Museo Arqueológico nacional nos permitieron analizar sus fondos arqueopaleontológicos. Marta Navazo es becaria de la Cátedra Atapuerca (Fundación Atapuerca-Fundación Duques de Soria.

Trabajo presentado en: XII Reunión Nacional de Cuaternario, Ávila, 2007