As above, so below: Deposition, modification, and reutilization of human remains at Marmoles cave (Cueva de los Marmoles: Southern Spain, 4000-1000 cal. BCE).
Journal
PloS one
ISSN: 1932-6203
Titre abrégé: PLoS One
Pays: United States
ID NLM: 101285081
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
2023
2023
Historique:
received:
27
06
2023
accepted:
22
08
2023
medline:
22
9
2023
pubmed:
20
9
2023
entrez:
20
9
2023
Statut:
epublish
Résumé
The deposition and manipulation of human remains in natural caves are well known for the Neolithic of Southern Iberia. The cultural meaning of these practices is however still largely unclear. Cueva de los Marmoles (CM, Priego-Córdoba) is one of the most important cave contexts from Southern Spain, which returned a large number of commingled skeletal remains suggesting its funerary use from the Neolithic to the Late Bronze Age. Here we discuss CM from a chronological and cultural perspective based on new radiocarbon, anthropological, and taphonomic analyses. These include the estimation of the minimum number of individuals, the exploration of fragmentation patterns characterizing different skeletal regions, and the macroscopic and microscopic analysis of modifications to the remains of possible anthropic origin. Radiocarbon data point to a funerary use of CM between the 5th -2nd millennium cal. BCE. MNI estimates reveal the presence of at least 12 individuals (seven adults and five nonadults). The low representation of elements from hands and feet suggests that individuals were placed in the cave while partially decomposed. Anthropic traces on the remains (e.g. fresh fractures, marrow canal modifications, and scraping marks) hint at their intentional fragmentation, cleaning from residual soft tissues, and in some cases reutilization. These practices are well-exemplified by the recovery of one "skull cup" and of two long bones used as tools. These data align with those from other cave contexts from the same geographic region, suggesting the presence, especially during the Neolithic period, of shared ideologies centered on the human body.
Identifiants
pubmed: 37729133
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0291152
pii: PONE-D-23-19999
pmc: PMC10511113
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
e0291152Informations de copyright
Copyright: © 2023 Laffranchi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts
The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Références
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2010 Jul;142(3):481-90
pubmed: 20310064
J Anthropol Sci. 2010;88:167-78
pubmed: 20834056
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2019 May;169(1):31-54
pubmed: 30802307
Am J Phys Anthropol. 1985 Sep;68(1):47-56
pubmed: 4061601
Int J Paleopathol. 2015 Dec;11:56-65
pubmed: 28802968
PLoS One. 2021 Jan 6;16(1):e0244139
pubmed: 33406086
Am J Phys Anthropol. 1985 Sep;68(1):15-28
pubmed: 4061599
Sci Rep. 2022 Jun 8;12(1):9431
pubmed: 35676396
Am J Phys Anthropol. 1985 Sep;68(1):57-66
pubmed: 4061602
Sci Rep. 2021 Nov 9;11(1):21918
pubmed: 34753994
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2016 Dec;161(4):722-743
pubmed: 27561127
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2018 Mar 27;115(13):3428-3433
pubmed: 29531053
PLoS One. 2011 Feb 16;6(2):e17026
pubmed: 21359211
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2019 Feb 26;116(9):3460-3465
pubmed: 30808740
PLoS One. 2020 Aug 13;15(8):e0236961
pubmed: 32790702
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2007 Jul;133(3):899-917
pubmed: 17492670