Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jasrep Rebuilding the daily scenario of Neanderthal settlement Bargalló Amèlia a, ⁎ , Gabucio Maria Joana b , Gómez de Soler Bruno c,d , Chacón M. Gema c,d,e , Vaquero Manuel c,d a Institute of Archaeology, University College of London, Gordon Square 31-34, London WC1H0PY, UK b Independent Researcher c Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES), Zona Educacional 4, Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), Tarragona 43007, Spain d Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Àrea de Prehistòria, Avinguda Catalunya 35, Tarragona 43002, Spain e Histoire Naturelle de l’Homme Préhistorique – HNHP – UMR 7194, (CNRS - MNHN - UPVD - Sorbonne Université), Musée de l’Homme, 1 René Panhard, 17 Place du Trocadéro, Paris 75013-75016, France ARTICLE INFO Keywords: Lithic analysis Faunal analysis Refits Settlement dynamics Middle Palaeolithic Neanderthal ABSTRACT Isolating the various occupational events in the Palaeolithic record is hard work, because the remains from different occupations commonly overlap, creating archaeological palimpsests. We can differentiate two different types of palimpsest: vertical and horizontal ones. These two types are very important for identifying and defining short- or long-term human occupation. We present the different methods used in each case and their application in one of the archaeo-levels of the Abric Romaní rock shelter. After deconstructing the vertical palimpsest of level O through archaeostratigraphy and a meticulous lithic analysis of the Oa archaeo-level, we present a transdisciplinary study (lithic and faunal analysis, spatial pat- terning of structures, and faunal and lithic refits) of this archaeo-level. The Oa archaeo-level is characterised by clear habitat organisation, with combustion structures and faunal/lithic remains produced by domestic activ- ities. In this study, the lithic and faunal analyses allow us to interpret the habitation unit. We first discuss the static perspective, determined from the distribution of remains, and we then look at the dynamic perspective, obtained from lithic and faunal refits. Using the two approaches we identify which activities were carried out in this settlement and the movements of the Neanderthals in Abric Romani, at around 54 ka BP. Archaeo-level Oa was defined as a short occupation organised into six accumulations. We have identified the function of three ac- cumulations: “Accumulation A” results from a sleeping zone, while “Accumulation E” and “D” represent do- mestic areas. 1. Introduction Understanding what type of occupation existed at Pleistocene sites is a complex issue, especially if we take into account the fact that ar- chaeological level formation processes can mix up different occupa- tional events or make them indistinguishable (Bailey, 2007; Lucas, 2005). Nevertheless, some elements can help us define the main types of settlement, including evidence from knapping sequences and butchering activities, the volume of archaeological material in relation to the sedimentation rate, the extent of the occupied surface, the degree of carnivore intervention, species diversity and variety of procurement methods, as well as hearths, the spatial distribution, percentage of cores, presence of tool kits, and long-connection refits (Carbonell, 2002; Blasco et al. 2013; Vaquero et al., 2012). Short-term occupations are usually assumed when we document few archaeological remains, a reduced settlement area, remains grouped closely around hearths, carnivore activity, low taxonomic diversity, short-connection refits mainly with unidirectional connections, the presence of some tool kits, and a high percentage of retouched tools that were not produced in the settlements. The results of long-term occupation generally involve a high density of archaeological remains, a wide settlement area, high taxonomic diversity, low levels of carni- vore activity, high numbers of long-connection refits with bidirectional patterns, a high percentage of cores and a low percentage of retouched tools (Sullivan, 1992; Jones, 1993; Lourdeau, 2011; Lucas, 2005; Bailey, 2007; Vaquero et al 2001, 2007, 2019; Rosell et al 2012; Vallverdú et al 2005). However, approximating the length of human occupation from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2019.102139 Received 6 July 2019; Received in revised form 28 November 2019; Accepted 1 December 2019 ⁎ Corresponding author. E-mail address: ameliabarg@gmail.com (B. Amèlia). Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 29 (2020) 102139 2352-409X/ © 2019 Published by Elsevier Ltd. T