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The intrusive nature of the Châtelperronian in the Iberian Peninsula

2022; Public Library of Science; Volume: 17; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1371/journal.pone.0265219

1932-6203

Joseba Ríos-Garaizar, Eneko Iriarte, Lee J. Arnold, Laura Sánchez‐Romero, Ana B. Marín‐Arroyo, Aixa San Emeterio Gómez, Asier Gómez‐Olivencia, Carflos Pérez-Garrido, Martina Demuro, Isidoro Campaña, Laurence Bourguignon, Alfonso Benito‐Calvo, María José Goñi Iriarte, Arantza Aranburu, Amaia Arranz-Otaegi, Diego Gárate Maidagán, María Silva‐Gago, Christelle Lahaye, Illuminada Ortega,

Archaeological and Geological Studies

Multiple factors have been proposed to explain the disappearance of Neandertals between ca. 50 and 40 kyr BP. Central to these discussions has been the identification of new techno-cultural complexes that overlap with the period of Neandertal demise in Europe. One such complex is the Châtelperronian, which extends from the Paris Basin to the Northern Iberian Peninsula between 43,760–39,220 BP. In this study we present the first open-air Châtelperronian site in the Northern Iberian Peninsula, Aranbaltza II. The technological features of its stone tool assemblage show no links with previous Middle Paleolithic technology in the region, and chronological modeling reveals a gap between the latest Middle Paleolithic and the Châtelperronian in this area. We interpret this as evidence of local Neandertal extinction and replacement by other Neandertal groups coming from southern France, illustrating how local extinction episodes could have played a role in the process of disappearance of Neandertals.