Elephants and humans in Iberia: a zooarchaeological approach

Abstract

Proboscidean remains in Iberian Pleistocene sites were first discovered many centuries ago. Some of them were recovered together with lithic tools, leading researchers to associate them with human activities. However, in recent decades, several ta- phonomic works have provided new perspectives based on more precise methods and analyses. El- ephant skeletal remains are common in open-air sites, where they appear in anatomical or semi-an- atomical connections. This is the case in the Early Pleistocene sites of Orce (Granada) and La Boella (Tarragona); the Middle Pleistocene sites of Tor- ralba and Ambrona (Soria), Áridos (Madrid) and Solana del Zamborino (Granada); and the early Late Pleistocene sites of the Manzanares terraces (Madrid). Nevertheless, several caves also show iso- lated remains of these very large animals, which are sometimes difficult to explain from a taphonomic point of view. Most of them appear in assemblag- es where anthropogenic activities were dominant, such as the case of Bolomor Cave (Valencia) during the Middle Pleistocene or the Abric Romaní and Teixoneres Caves (Barcelona) at the end of the Middle Palaeolithic. This study reviews the best- known cases with a special focus on the evolution of the relationship between elephants and humans in this specific geographic area.