The exceptional finding of Locus 2 at Dehesilla Cave and the Middle Neolithic ritual funerary practices of the Iberian Peninsula

PLoS One. 2020 Aug 13;15(8):e0236961. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0236961. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

There is a significant number of funerary contexts for the Early Neolithic in the Iberian Peninsula, and the body of information is much larger for the Late Neolithic. In contrast, the archaeological information available for the period in between (ca. 4800-4400/4200 cal BC) is scarce. This period, generally called Middle Neolithic, is the least well-known of the peninsular Neolithic sequence, and at present there is no specific synthesis on this topic at the peninsular scale. In 2017, an exceptional funerary context was discovered at Dehesilla Cave (Sierra de Cádiz, Southern Iberian Peninsula), providing radiocarbon dates which place it at the beginning of this little-known Middle Neolithic period, specifically between ca. 4800-4550 cal BC. Locus 2 is a deposition constituted by two adult human skulls and the skeleton of a very young sheep/goat, associated with stone structures and a hearth, and a number of pots, stone and bone tools and charred plant remains. The objectives of this paper are, firstly, to present the new archaeological context documented at Dehesilla Cave, supported by a wide range of data provided by interdisciplinary methods. The dataset is diverse in nature: stratigraphic, osteological, isotopic, zoological, artifactual, botanical and radiocarbon results are presented together. Secondly, to place this finding within the general context of the contemporaneous sites known in the Iberian Peninsula through a systematic review of the available evidence. This enables not only the formulation of explanations of the singular new context, but also to infer the possible ritual funerary behaviours and practices in the 5th millennium cal BC in the Iberian Peninsula.

Publication types

  • Historical Article
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Archaeology
  • Caves
  • Ceremonial Behavior*
  • Fossils / anatomy & histology
  • Fossils / history
  • Funeral Rites / history*
  • History, Ancient
  • Humans
  • Portugal
  • Radiometric Dating
  • Skull / anatomy & histology
  • Spain

Grants and funding

This research was carried out within the project "High-resolution chronology and cultural evolution in the South of the Iberian Peninsula (circa 7000-4000 cal BC): a multiscalar approach" (PGC2018-096943-A-C22), funded by: FEDER/Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation - State Research Agency. The archaeological field season carried out during 2017 at Cueva de la Dehesilla received financial support from several entities and funding programs at the University of Seville (VI Plan Propio de Investigación y Transferencia, III Plan Propio de Docencia, Facultad de Geografía e Historia and Dpto. de Prehistoria y Arqueología), as well as from the Research Centre for Anthropology and Health, University of Coimbra. GPJ's work was supported by the postdoctoral contract IJCI-2015-25082 funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.