WHAT NEANDERTHALS HAVE IN THE POCKET Morales, J. I. , Menéndez, L. , Chacón, M. G. , Gómez de Soler, B. , Soto, M. , Blasco, R. , Rodríguez-Hidalgo, A. , Cebrià, A. , Rosell, J. 1,2 1,2 1,2,4 1,2 1,2 1,2 1,2 3 1,2 1 2 3 4 IPHES, Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social, C/Escorxador s/n, 43003 Tarragona, Spain; Area de Prehistoria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Avinguda de Catalunya 35, 43002 Tarragona, Spain; SERP. Seminari d'Estudis i Recerques Prehistòriques. Dept. de Prehistòria, Història Antiga i Arqueologia. Universitat de Barcelona, UMR7194 - Département de Préhistoire. Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle. 1, rue René Panhard 75013 Paris (France) e-mail: jignacio.morales@gmail.com; letimg@prehistoria.urv.cat; gchacon@iphes.cat; bgomez@iphes.cat; msoto@iphes.cat; rblasco@iphes.cat; arodriguez@iphes.cat; arturcebria@gmail.com; jordi.rosell@urv.cat Av Bo Bo1, Cb Cb1 Co Co1 Cr1 Cr2 , Avenco; , Boix; Boix 1; , Can Brull; , Can Brull 1; , Can Oller, , Can Oller 1, , Can Rovira 1; , Can Rovira 2; , Can Rovira Cr3 Legend: raw materials in primary position Cova de les Teixoneres site The study of outcrops shows a : Most of them would not exceed 15 km away from the archaeological site. In this area, we have discribed outcrops in secondary (0-5 km) as in primary position (10-15 km). local area of lithic procurement All materials, except chert and agate, were collected in secondary outcrops . Therefore, both materials are markers to define territorial mobility of the Neanderthals from Teixoneres Cave. lithological According to prospections, the source areas that contain material similar to that documented in the site are assigned to five different geological periods: - , located in the Southeast, has limestones, quartzites, sandstones, quartz and basanites. , which are located in the South and East (Montseny Mountains) provide the porphyrs. - epresented by the Triassic , t and outh, , agate , quartz, sandstone and limestone . - , predominantly Paleogene, located around the site, presents sandstones, limestones and chert. - , streams, where hornefels and all the territorial lithological variability are represented with hornfels. The major outcrops observed correspond to Triassic formations and flows near Teixoneres Cave. conducted mainly r situated at Eas S has chert s s s Paleozoic - Posthercinianas intrusive rocks Cenozoic Quaternary formations Mesozoic, HOLFERN: “Levallois type” flakes, which present multifaceted and non cortical butts. The flakes are of large format and thin, mostly with circular or cuadrangular morphologies. Backed flakes, probably the result of the preparation of the flaking surfaces. They are exhausted Levallois cores, presenting peripherical preparation on the striking platform. One of them is very alterated but seems to represent a preferential removal on the flaking surface. One of the main characteristics of flakes are the presence of Cores are present only in two cases: Retouched flakes are rare, being mostly scrapers. Level III from Teixoneres Cave presents an occupational pattern where carnivores and hominids are using the same place at different moments. The lithic assemblage recovered until now exceeds 1500 pieces. Most of them are made on quartz, holfern and flint while other raw materials as limestone or quartzite are also present in a lower percentage. The technological features depends on the raw materials used and provide information about the occupation pattern at this Mousterian site: CHERT: flakes related to the volume preparation. No preferential products seem to be present. Non cortical and faceted butts characterize these thin flakes. The rest of the flakes would be the result of other types of knapping methods. Two of them are Levallois cores in the final stage of the knapping process presenting residual cortex on the lower surface. A core on flake is also identified in this level. “Levallois type” flakes are also represented as well as backed Cores are present in four cases. Retouched tools are rarely present, the convergent scrapers the main type. are OTHER RAW MATERIALS The knapping sequences are not complete and the principal structural categories are final knapping products (essentially flakes) and some unworked nodules (hammerstones, cores exhausted and large cutting tools). The other raw materials used are mainly quartzite, slate, limestone and sandstone. Levallois predeterminate products Recurrent levallois flakes Bifacial scraper Predeterminant flakes derived from Levallois core maintenance Convergent scrapers - End products Studies about raw material distances and availability, as well as technological characteristics of the lithic remains inform us about the mobility and the occupational pattern developed by these human groups. QUARTZ is knapped . The procurement areas are located in the surroundings of the occupation. All the phases of the are represented at the site. CHERT comes from longer distances and it would be transported to the site previously knapped at the procurement areas. In this sense, cores and retouched tools are rare. Cortical products from the first phases of the knapping process are not represented. HOLFERN procurement areas are not clearly located until now. However a previous knapping in the procurement areas and the transport of certain elements to the site are evident. OTHER RAW MATERIALS come from relatively close distances and seems to be very specific events. Neanderthals are transporting a specific toolkit during their displacements in the territory. Stones with the best quality, as chert or holfern, are like ready-to-knapp cores, knapping products or retouched tools. These elements were again saved for future necessities. Other raw materials, locally available, are however knapped and discarded at the site. All these characteristics, together with faunal information, allow us to understand the presence of a short term occupation, oriented to a rapid utilization of the available subsistence resources. in situ chaine operatoire inside their pockets CONCLUSIONS Legend: raw materials in secondary position raw materials in primary position Cova de les Teixoneres site Different types of quartz are identified according to the grain Cores are numerous and show orthogonal exploitation strategies Their supports are normally backed or triangular flakes. size and the color. All the moments of the reduction sequence are present at the site and the knapping products are the principal structural category. The characteristics of flakes are diverse and depend on the moment of the reduction sequence that they come from (ex. complete cortical, backed cortical, backed, resharpening and regular flakes). , especially at the beginning of the reduction sequence with the fracturation of cobbles that produce complete cortical flakes and cortical backed flakes ( . They are exhausted and at the end of the sequence show a centripetal tendency. Some flakes show removals on the ventral face with also a centripetal direction. The retouched artifacts are abundant and most of them are denticulates and scrapers. tranche de saucisson) QUARTZ Limestone large cutting tool