What is going on at the Molí del Salt site? A zooarchaeological approach to the last hunter-gatherers from South Catalonia

Abstract

Small game seems to have increased during the Upper Palaeolithic to the detriment of large game on the Iberian Peninsula. The economical and socio-cultural factors associated with this ecological shift represent a widely discussed topic. The present work attempts to elucidate the subsistence strategies occurring through the Late Pleistocene in Iberia using the example of the Molí del Salt (Tarragona, Spain), an archaeological site located in the NE of the Iberian Peninsula. The taphonomical analysis of faunal remains shows a high incidence of human activity on different taxonomical groups, although the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) stands out. This taxon presents cut-marks related to various processing activities (e.g. skinning and defleshing) and intentional bone breakage to access marrow. The abundance of specimens with human-induced damage enables us to make inferences regarding the procurement strategies and the occupational patterns at the site, where long and stable occupations seem to have occurred.

Keywords:

• European rabbit
• humans
• Molí del Salt
• Upper Paleolithic
• Mesolithic
• subsistence strategies

Acknowledgements

The Molí del Salt excavations are also supported by the Ajuntament de Vimbodí i Poblet and the Consell Comarcal de la Conca de Barberà. Anna Rufà is a beneficiary of a pre-doctoral grant from the Spanish Ministry of Culture, Science and Sports, under Grant FPU12/00238. This research has the sponsorship of CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya. We are very grateful to the two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments that helped to improve the manuscript.