Jean Guilaine

Prehistoric Human Adaptations in Catalonia (Spain)

Abstract As part of an interdisciplinary project investigating postglacial human adaptations in Catalonia, Spain, a sequence of Epipaleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic, and Bronze Age sites has been excavated which provides insight into human exploitation of an upland area of the Llobregat valley. The study region is a set of plateaux (700–1,000 m. in elevation) situated at the current limit of Mediterranean and montane climatic regimes and vegetational associations. The late glacial wooded steppe was replaced by a deciduous oak association during the early Postglacial. The faunal association shows a corresponding shift from a mixture of montane species (ibex, chamois) and mixed forest animals (deer, boar) to one composed exclusively of the latter, although rabbit is always predominant. After 4,000 B.C. significant human impact upon the oak forest is marked by the extension of boxwood, and domestic sheep and goat replace the wild fauna.The Balma del Gai (8,000 B.C.) demonstrates an evolutionary relationship...