El Mirón Cave (Upper Magdalenian)
Basic information
Sample name: El Mirón Cave (Upper Magdalenian)
Reference: G. Cuenca-Bescós, A. B. Marín-Arroyo, I. Martínez, M. R. González-Morales, and L. G. Straus. 2012. Relationship between Magdalenian subsistence and environmental change: the mammalian evidence from El Mirón (Spain). Quaternary International 272:125-137 [ER 3786]
Geography
Country: Spain
State: Cantabria
Coordinate: 43° 14' 47" N, 3° 27' 4" W
Coordinate basis: stated in text
Time interval: Late Pleistocene
Section: 3786
Unit number: 3
Unit order: above to below
Max Ma: 0.013853
Min Ma: 0.01246
Age basis: radiocarbon (calibrated)
Geography comments: "El Mirón is a large cave in the upper Ason River Valley of the Cantabrian Cordillera of northern Spain".
The Upper Magdalenian levels of the site have been radiocarbon dated to between 13,853 and 12,460 cal. BP.
The Upper Magdalenian levels of the site have been radiocarbon dated to between 13,853 and 12,460 cal. BP.
Environment
Lithology: not described
Taphonomic context: cave,human accumulation
Archaeology: hearths,stone tools
Habitat comments: The cave was used fairly continuously by humans. The entire Magdalenian and Azilian cultural periods contain abundant lithic assemblages, associated with hearth remains. Humans were the principal bone accumulators of the large mammal assemblage, while birds of prey (owls) were likely responsible for the gathering of small mammal fauna.
Methods
Life forms: ungulates
Sampling methods: quarry,screenwash
Sample size: 932 specimens
Years: 1996 - 2000
Sampling comments: "Sediments were washed through a graded series of sieves, from 2 cm to 1 mm, and were water-screened through fine mesh for the recovery of small vertebrate remains. This produced a rich and species-diverse assemblage of mainly rodents and insectivores, though also small carnivores, bats, lagomorphs, fishes, amphibians, reptiles and birds".
"A total of 5200 ungulate remains were identified, taxonomically distributed across 7 species". These are the only identified remains with NISP data reported; the numerous remains of small mammals are only given as MNI, of which there are "a minimum of 1915 individuals across 22 species".
"A total of 5200 ungulate remains were identified, taxonomically distributed across 7 species". These are the only identified remains with NISP data reported; the numerous remains of small mammals are only given as MNI, of which there are "a minimum of 1915 individuals across 22 species".
Metadata
Sample number: 4111
Contributor: Benjamin Carter
Enterer: Benjamin Carter
Modifier no: John Alroy
Created: 2023-02-24 14:07:13
Modified: 2024-11-03 00:08:26
Abundance distribution
6 species
0 singletons
total count 932
geometric series index: 6.6
Fisher's α: 0.858
geometric series k: 0.3686
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.5610
Shannon's H: 0.9599
Good's u: 1.0000
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
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Register
| Equus ferus | 11 | 422 kg |
| "Equus caballus": not domesticated | ||
| Cervus elaphus | 430 | 104 kg |
| Capreolus capreolus | 11 | 22 kg browser |
| Sus scrofa | 3 | 54 kg herbivore |
| Capra pyrenaica | 441 | |
| Rupicapra rupicapra | 36 | 27 kg browser-grazer |