Santander, February 19th-22nd 2008 - Aranzadi

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JORGE MARTÍNEZ-MORENO, RAFAEL MORA & JOEL CASANOVA
2. A “CULTURAL LANDSCAPE" IN THE NORTH
IBERIAN MESOLITHIC?
In this article we discuss the hypothesis that a
“cultural landscape” was consolidated in the northeast
of the Iberian Peninsula during the
Mesolithic in which artefacts, ideas and possibly
people circulated (Barandiarán y Cava 1992). This
notion has been explored by various authors, who
have considered that the choice of Columbella
rustica is a key attribute (Alday 2002, Cava 2004,
Arias 2007).
In a similar vein, Álvarez-Fernández examines
the importance of selecting this gastropod. His
detailed catalogue shows that this ornament is frequent
in Mesolithic settlements of the Ebro Valley, in
contrast to the Cantabrian area where Trivia sp. is
more common (Álvarez-Fernández 2006, 2007).
Three clusters of settlements appear in the biogeographic
region around the Ebro Valley; one located
in the Upper Ebro Valley or Ribera Alavesa (Fuente
Hoz, Mendandia, Atxoste, Kampanoste,
Kampanoste Goikoa), other located on the southern
slopes of the Western Pyrenees (Zatoya,
Aizpea, Padre Areso, Peña 14, Legunova, Forcas
II) and the last one located in Lower Ebro (Baños
de Ariño, Ángel 1, Ángel 2, Botiqueria de los
Moros, Costalena, Pontet and Margineda) (see
postscript and appendix I). In 18 settlements included
in this study, there are only two in which this
gastropod has not been found, while this species
has been documented in only one site belonging to
the Cantabrian "cultural" area (Berroberria) (fig. 1).
A total of 116 marine shells have been recorded
from the sites in the Ebro Valley, of which
Columbella accounts for more than 60%. The
assemblages are generally not very numerous
(fewer than 5 items) and more than 10 are only
recovered in a few cases. In practically all the
sites, it is either the only species represented or is
the most abundant, associated with other gastropods,
bivalves and scaphopods, although these
are always very scarce (Álvarez-Fernández 2006).
The only sites in which Columbella has not appeared
are Kampanoste and Mendandia, in the Upper
Figure 1. Location of the Mesolithic settlements clusters in the Ebro Basin analysed by Álvarez-Fernández (2006) (), those discussed in this article (), and
Berroberia () (the only “Atlantic” site with Columbella).
MUNIBE Suplemento - Gehigarria 31, 2010
S.C. Aranzadi. Z.E. Donostia/San Sebastián