Hominin multiple occupations in the Early and Middle Pleistocene sequence of Vallparadís...

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Hominin multiple occupations in the Early and Middle Pleistocenesequence of Vallparadís (Barcelona, Spain)

Kenneth Martínez a,b, Joan Garcia a,b,*, Eudald Carbonell a,b,c

a IPHES, Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES), C/Marcel$lí Domingo s/n, Campus Sescelades URV, Edifici W3, 43007 Tarragona,SpainbURV, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Àrea de Prehistòria, Avinguda de Catalunya 35, 43002 Tarragona, Spainc Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of Beijing (IVPP), China

a r t i c l e i n f o

Article history:Available online 25 October 2013

a b s t r a c t

The archaeological site at Vallparadís (Barcelona, Spain) contains a continuous archaeostratigraphicsequence that extends from the upper limit of the Jaramillo subchron (0.98 Ma) to the first half of theMiddle Pleistocene (c. 0.6 Ma). Evidence of human occupation (lithic tools and cut-marks) has beenidentified in this sequence in the levels with reverse polarity from the Early Pleistocene (EVT7/4) and inthe levels with normal polarity from the Middle Pleistocene (EVT3/2). In contrast to unit EVT7, which wasexcavated using an extensive archaeological methodology, the other levels were a rescue excavation. Thelatter yielded a reduced lithic assemblage, providing evidence of a multiple occupation sequence byhominins at Vallparadís. This evidence call into question the proposal that there was a gap in thehominin settlement before the appearance of Mode 2 technology in Europe, a hypothesis that is based onstratigraphic sequences such as Gran Dolina (Atapuerca, Spain) and the mid Loire region (Massif Central,France). Regarding the Early Pleistocene lithic tools from unit EVT7 at Vallparadís, the upper phase of thesequence (EVT4/2) shows longer chaînes opératoires, an increase in size of the lithic artefacts and theselection of better quality raw materials, which in turn indicate changes in the source areas from whichthey were selected.

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1. Introduction

The first occurrence of Mode 2 is documented in East Africa, inthe Konso-Gardula and Kokiselei 4 sites (1.7e1.5 Ma; Asfaw et al.,1992; Lepre et al., 2011) and this technology, both in Africa andEurasia, is related to different forms of hominins. In Europe, Mode2 is associated to Homo heidelbergensis, a species that evolvedoutside Africa during the early Middle Pleistocene (Martinón-Torres et al., 2010; Manzi, 2011). The dispersion of Mode 2 fromAfrica to Eurasia took place over a long period of time. Mode 2with an age of 1 Ma has been documented on Atlantic coast ofMorocco (Raynal et al., 2002). In Israel, the earliest examples ofbifaces have been found at Ubeidiya and dated to 1.4 Ma, althoughthis technology is also only found alongside groups of cores andflakes until Mode 2 becomes generalized around 0.9 Ma in sitessuch as Gesher Benot Ya’aqov (Bar-Yosef and Goren-Inbar, 1993;

Bar-Yosef, 1994; Goren-Inbar et al., 2000). In Europe, except for thecontroversial presence of bifaces in the Iberian Peninsula (Scottand Gibert, 2009; Jiménez-Arenas et al., 2011), Mode 2 is notrecorded until c. 0.65 Ma in either Mediterranean or northern sitessuch as Nortarchirico, Caune de l’Arago, La Noira or Boxgrove(Piperno, 1999; Roberts and Parfitt, 1999; Barsky and de Lumley,2010; Despriée et al., 2011). Hand-axes appear suddenly in thearchaeological record and the record is still too scant to determinewhether this was the result of a foreign technology associated withthe appearance of H. heidelbergensis (Mosquera et al., 2013) or atechnological evolution among the European Mode 1 populationsand therefore a possible example of technological convergence(Barsky et al., 2013).

The appearance of Mode 2 and the forms of H. heidelbergensiscoincide with the end of the Villafranchian and Epivillafranchianfaunal turnovers and the definitive consolidation of Galerian fauna(Kalhke et al., 2011). With the extinction of the large predators andscavengers of the Early Pleistocene, the apex of the food chain wasoccupied by Panthera leo and Canis lupus, as pack hunters, andCrocuta crocuta as a scavenger, in addition to the genus Homo,which incontrovertibly acted as a large predator (Antón et al.,2002). This EarlyeMiddle Pleistocene transition period coincides

* Corresponding author. IPHES, Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evo-lució Social (IPHES), C/Marcel$lí Domingo s/n, Campus Sescelades URV, Edifici W3,43007 Tarragona, Spain.

E-mail address: [email protected] (J. Garcia).

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Quaternary International 316 (2013) 115e122


with a period of significant and rapid climatic fluctuations. The“EarlyeMiddle Pleistocene Revolution” meant a great loss of phy-todiversity through the extinction of the Neogene thermophilespecies, even in the refuge zones of Italy and the Iberian Peninsula(Carrión et al., 2011). Consequently, these data indicate a period ofclimatic stress and ecological competition that would have fosteredbiological evolution and technological and organizational innova-tion, with bottlenecks and interbreeding/substitution due to suc-cessive exchanges between Eurasian populations (Dennell andRoebroeks, 2005; Dennell et al., 2011).

The evidence from Vallparadís site helps to shed new light onthis debate. A stratigraphic sequence 14 m deep was excavated atthe site and dated to between the late Early Pleistocene and theearly Middle Pleistocene, c. 0.98e0.6 Ma (Figs. 1 and 2). Practicallyall of the stratigraphic units have yielded lithic objects and faunalremains, although given that it was a rescue excavation only unitEVT7 (archaeological levels 10 and 10c) was excavated followingan extensive archaeological methodology (Martínez et al., 2010;Duval et al., 2011, 2012). In the other units, archaeological con-trol and monitoring was carried out during the construction workin order to collect lithic and/or faunal remains from levels theyappeared in. Consequently, apart from EVT7, the other levelsyielded an archaeological sample that is fairly meagre but whichnevertheless confirms a hominin multiple occupation sequence atVallparadís. The aim of this article is to describe the archaeologicalrecord (lithic artefacts, palynology and micro- and macromammalrecord) from the stratigraphic units EVT6/2 and to discuss thealleged population gap prior to the appearance of Mode 2 inwestern Europe.

2. Field-work methodology and archaeostratigraphicalsequence

The Vallparadís site is located on the left bank of the Vallparadísstream as it passes through the city of Terrassa (Barcelona, north-eastern Spain). The site was discovered in 2005, and duringalmost three years of continuous excavations the entire stratigraphicsequence was explored. The excavation covered an area of almost6000m2 andwent to a depth of some 14m. The excavation dug intoQuaternary deposits from the Middle and Early Pleistocene that

Fig. 1. Geographic setting, key stratigraphic column and magnetostratigraphy of Vallparadís site: (1) organic material and fossil wood remains, (2) root marks, (3) gastropod re-mains, (4) CaCO3 remains, (5) units bearing archaeological, macrofaunal and microfaunal remains, (6) clays and muds with gastropods, (7) paleo-floor, (8) levels 10 and 10c, and (9)conglomerates.

Fig. 2. Upper stratigraphical section (EVT4/1) from Vallparadís.

K. Martínez et al. / Quaternary International 316 (2013) 115e122116


form part of an alluvial fan, which overlies a marked Miocenepaleorelief. The deposit was made up of 12 geological units, almostall of which contained lithic and/or faunal remains. This sedimen-tary sequence is arranged in two sedimentary sections distributedunevenly over a significant 2 m deep package of conglomerates(EVT5). This unit was deposited by gravitational processes such asdebris flow and occasional episodes of water transport, whicheroded the lower stratigraphic units. The sedimentary sequence isformed bya series of interspersed layers of fluvial and alluvial origin.The fluvial layers are lutites deposited within the flood plain, weakdeveloped river bars and travertine formations; the alluvial layersare lutites and alluvial/colluvial conglomerates. There is also a lake-marsh layer rich in macromammals and fossil wood remains (at thebottom of EVT4; Martínez et al., 2010; Madurell-Malapeira et al.,2010).

The lower section of the sequence (EVT12/6) is made up of clast-supported, rounded, polymictic and poorly sorted conglomeratebeds that hardly attain 1 m of thickness. The conglomerates areintercalated with massive red mudstones with root-marks (EVT6).In this lower section, there is the main archaeological unit EVT7(archaeological levels 10 and 10c), a 1.5e2 m-thick formed bygreen-gray clay and silt with angular millimetric clasts depositedwithout vertical sorting in a mud-supported fabric and containingabundant root marks. The upper section (EVT5/1) begins withpoorly sorted conglomerates and breccias with an erosional lowercontact (EVT5). Over this unit, there are massive brownish mud-stones with paleosols, root-marks and freshwater gastropods(EVT4/2). In this upper section, there are also well-sorted con-glomerates and sandstones with cross-lamination. The upper partof the conglomerates (EVT5) and the lower part of the brownishmudstones (EVT4) are characterized by a black color level withpolyspecific mammal bone accumulations and fossil wood frag-ments. This black level (bottom EVT4) is approximately 1 m-thick,displays irregular boundaries and is probably related to a localpalustrine environment (Madurell-Malapeira et al., 2010). The firstunit is 1 m-thick, its fabric is clast-supported and laterally it passesinto mudstones, and corresponds to an Upper Pleistocene terrace(EVT1).

Plans to build a railway station at the Vallparadís streamprompted the organization of a rescue excavation. It was decided tofollow a methodology of excavation that consisted of monitoringand controlling the sediments as there was removed with abackhoe to check for the possible appearance of faunal remainsand/or lithic industry. The sediments were removed one layer at atime with the aim of prevent sediments from different levelsbecoming mixed. This process successively removed the upperlevels of the sequence (units EVT6/2), with work stopping everytime fossil or lithic object appeared. When this occurred, thebackhoe was withdrawn so that the team could manually excavatethe remains and record the level they had been found in. Throughthis methodology, the point of contact between units EVT6 andEVT7 was reached. At this point in the stratigraphic sequence, aconcentration of fossil remains and small lithic objects of quartzassociated were found, and so it was decided to withdraw thebackhoe and continue the excavation manually following anextensive archaeological methodology. The whole surface of thisunit was excavated using a grid system, which amounted to 780 m2

and an average depth of 1.5e2 m. This excavation yielded morethan 90% of the fossil remains and practically all of the lithic objectsrecovered from the site (Martínez et al., 2010).

2.1. Early and Middle Pleistocene levels

The combination of chronological data allows us to divide thesequence excavated at Vallparadís into three parts: 1) the lower

units EVT12/8, with an age of 1.07e0.99 Ma, correspond to thenormal-polarity Jaramillo episode (N1), 2) the middle units EVT7 tothe bottom of EVT3, with an age of 0.99e0.78Ma, correspond to thereverse-polarity episode between the Jaramillo subchron and theMatuyamaeBruhnes boundary (R1). Moreover, an average age of0.83 � 0.13 Ma has been obtained for EVT7 on the basis of ESReU/series dating of two equine molars and OSL dating of four samplesof quartz grains taken from the top of the stratigraphic unit EVT8,directly below the archaeological unit EVT7 (Martínez et al., 2010;Duval et al., 2011), and 3) the units from EVT3 to the top of thestratigraphic sequence, with an age of c. 0.6 Ma, correspond to thenormal polarity of the Middle Pleistocene (N2). The bio-chronological micromammal data in EVT3 shows the presence ofArvicola mosbachensis, relating this unit to the Early Toringian stage(Minwer-Barakat et al., 2011).

Of the faunal remains recovered from the site, only 4% corre-spond to units other than EVT7 and 3% of them to the marsh levelfrom the bottom of EVT4 (Madurell-Malapaira et al., 2010). In themarsh levels were located antlers of Cervus elaphus and remains oftwo species of equids (Equus cf. ferus and Equus cf. hydruntinus;Aurell-Garrido et al., 2010), besides remains of Elephas antiquus atall these levels (Madurell-Malapeira et al., 2010). MicrommamalsfromMiddle Pleistocene levels have been identified in EVT3, whichcan be assigned to the Toringian on the basis of the occurrence ofA. mosbachensis (Minwer-Barakat et al., 2011). The existence oftransitional forms between Mimomys savinieA. mosbachensisidentified in the Italian locality of Isernia, which has been dated byradiometric methods at c. 0.6 Ma (Coltorti et al., 2005; Maul andParfitt, 2010) involves an age more recent than 0.6 Ma for EVT3.Thus, this unit can be correlatedwith other Middle Pleistocene sitescontaining A. mosbachensis, such as Boxgrove (Maul et al., 1998,2000, 2007) and Cúllar-Baza (Agustí et al., 2010), and the associa-tion of A. mosbachensiseMicrotus aff. arvalidens allows a correlationof EVT3 with localities as Mauer (Wagner et al., 2010; Minwer-Barakat et al., 2011).

For their part, the palynological analyses carried out at Vall-paradís have given results mainly for the marsh levels in the lowerpart of unit EVT4 (MatuyamaeBruhnes boundary). Unit EVT4 hasprovided pollen data that suggests that the landscape was coveredwith more than 60% AP dominated by Pinus, evergreen Quercus andCorylus. This would indicate a temperate climate (semi-cool andsemi-humid) that would favour coniferous forests (Pinus andCupressaceae) with smaller more humid areas that would favourdeciduous trees such as oaks (deciduous Quercus), willows (Salix),ash (Fraxinus) and hazel (Corylus). The landscape became poorer interms of diversity and Mediterranean taxa (e.g. Erica), although thecold periods were not strong enough to isolate Mediterranean taxasuch as Holm Oak and Kermes Oak (evergreen Quercus-type) andolive-tree (Olea/Phillyrea). Thermophilous species (e.g. OleaePhil-lyrea) coexist alongside steppic species (e.g. Ephedra). The fact thatthe largest percentage is made up of pines, Cupressaceae, HolmOak, Kermes Oak or Ephedra indicates a drier climate, although thisdoes not obviate the growth of hygrophyte (Cyperaceae, Typha/Sparganium) and aquatic taxa (Myriophyllum, Polygonum persi-caria-type) near rivers.

3. Early Middle Pleistocene lithic sample

Lithic artefacts have been recorded from the Early Pleistoceneunit EVT6/5, the MatuyamaeBrunhes boundary (EVT4) and theEarly Middle Pleistocene units (EVT3/2; dated at c. 0.6 Ma). The 21objects recovered from these levels (4 from EVT6, 2 from EVT5, 11from EVT4, 3 from EVT3 and one from EVT2) indicate homininmultiple occupation throughout the stratigraphic sequence exca-vated at Vallparadís (Table 1). The raw materials correspond to

K. Martínez et al. / Quaternary International 316 (2013) 115e122 117


quartz and, to a lesser extent, lydite and flint, just as in EVT7.However, the quartz objects have well developed cortical surfaces,which indicate that the raw materials were collected from fluvialterraces, in contrast to EVT7, where hominins preferred to useangular clasts from the sedimentary matrix (Figs. 3e5). Likewise,the flint objects have different microcrystalline tones and varietiesfrom the clasts in EVT7, and are also not found in the conglomeratelevels of the site. Furthermore, the Middle Pleistocene units (EVT4/2) are flood plain deposits that do not contain these lithic resources.The outcrops sources of these raw materials are Palaeozoic for-mations and Palaeogene evaporate formations from the Pre-CoastalRange some 6 km to the north of the site and were transported bythe fluvial network. Consequently, it can be deduced that duringthe Early Middle Pleistocene hominins changed their strategies andlocations regarding the collection of raw materials and started toselect better quality raw materials from fluvial deposits locatedaway from the Vallparadís stream.

Analysis of the cores reveals different knapping methods,among which bipolar on an anvil is the most represented (4 cores).One of these bipolar on an anvil cores (the large lydite core fromEVT4) shows a cylindrical morphology with removals of long flakesby means of consecutive radial extractions (Fig. 3.3). This core wasreduced by abrupt extractions on a flat cortical striking plainperpendicular to the knapped surface, which coincides with thelargest axis of the core. In two other cases (a lydite core from EVT6and the quartz core from EVT4), the striking plain is cortical, takingadvantage of the thickness of small pebbles and natural fragmentsof cubic and irregular morphologies to obtain small flakes. Finally,the small quartz core from EVT2, show a cubic/polyhedralmorphology generated during the bipolar reduction process withorthogonal removals (Fig. 3.1).

Hominins knapped the cores by applying orthogonal strikes toflat cortical surfaces. Consequently, the exploitation process isaimed at producing series of flakes, rotating the removals orthog-onally during the reduction sequences. This analysis of the coresreveals the same technical principles as in the Early Pleistocene unitEVT7 (Martínez et al., 2010; Garcia et al., 2012, 2013). Three of thecores reveal the application of hand held methods, as is the casewith a lydite core from EVT6 and a flint core from EVT4, whichweredirectly struck on the cortical surface in a unifacial unipolar manner(Fig. 3.4). This is also the case with the other flint core from EVT4,which shows evidence of unipolar bifacial extractions (Fig. 3.2).Likewise, the flakes also suggest bipolar on an anvil methods, asdemonstrated by a quartz flake from EVT5, a flint flake from EVT3and two other quartz flakes from EVT4 (all of which have doubleopposite butts; Fig. 4.5 and 4.8). Also documented are flakes

extracted using hand held methods (one quartz flake in EVT6, twoquartz flakes and the two quartz denticulated supports in EVT4 andone flint flake in EVT3), which present large, mostly cortical, buttsurfaces (Figs. 4.1, 4.4, 4.7, 4.9 and 5). Some of the flakes (one ofquartz in EVT5 and one other of quartz in EVT4) also seem toprovide evidence of centripetal knapping, whereas they are hardlypresent in EVT7 (Fig. 4.4 and 4.7). These objects show singlestriking platforms and non-cortical dorsal faces with removals thatreveal previous centripetal extractions.

This Middle Pleistocene assemblage of artefacts differs from theone documented in EVT7. In this regard, the lydite core from EVT4 isthe largest to have been recovered from the whole site, wasknapped on an anvil and is accompanied by larger flakes andretouched tools (Fig. 3.3). Although we have found only tworetouched tools (both in EVT4), the modified edges show regularand continuous retouched series (Fig. 5). It occurs in the form oftwo denticulates elaborated on quartz flakes obtained by hand heldmethods and differs with regard to the retouched tools in EVT7,which are flakes and fragments from bipolar on an anvil cores.However, certain patterns survive, such as: 1) the continued use ofbipolar knapping on an anvil technique (Fig. 3), 2) the rawmaterialsare the same as those of EVT7 (quartz, flint and lydite), whichmeans that hominins continued to use local rocks but collectedfrom another outcrops away from the Vallparadís stream, and 3)the retouching tools in form of denticulates, although retouching ismore continuous and regular than the denticulates of EVT7 (Fig. 5).

4. Discussion

The assemblage of 21 lithic objects recovered from the strati-graphic units EVT6/2 has been dated using macro- and micro-mammal biochronology and palaeomagnetism and indicatesmultiple occupations at the site throughout the MatuyamaeBruhnes boundary until c. 0.6 Ma. In the lower part of EVT4, in theblack marsh levels the lithic assemblage changes to larger flakesand longer knapping sequences involving more flake removals onthe dorsal face. This level also yielded antlers of C. elaphus, a MiddlePleistocene species that is absent from the levels with reverse po-larity. The palaeomagnetic reversal is documented in the upper partof EVT4 and from EVT3 onwards the units show normal polarity.Consequently, the pieces from EVT4 belong to the MatuyamaeBruhnes boundary (c. 0.78 Ma) up to c. 0.6 Ma of EVT3, as indicatedby the presence in the latter of the rodent A. mosbachensis.

Although the lithic record from EVT4/3 differs from those ofprevious units due to the increase in size, they show technologicalcontinuity. Hominins continued to exploit the same raw materialsand in the same proportions, preferably quartz and to a lesserextent lydite and flint. However, the quartz objects have welldeveloped cortical surfaces and flint objects have microcrystallinevarieties different from those seen in EVT7. This seems to suggestthat the materials were collected from away the deposits excavatedat the Vallparadís site. Consequently, it can be deduced that hom-inins were selecting for knapping better quality rawmaterials fromnew sources. At the same time, hominins continued to use the bi-polar on an anvil method for knapping both large and small cores(Figs. 3.1, 3.3 and 3.4). The two retouched artefacts show denticu-late retouches, these being also the most commonly retouched toolfrom the Early Pleistocene (EVT7; Fig. 4). The technological char-acteristics of the lithic assemblage in EVT7 allow us to conclude,albeit tentatively given the scarce sample, that during the EarlyMiddle Pleistocene there was continuity in terms of the raw ma-terials exploited, the knapping methods used and the retouchedtools. Although there were also differences such as the larger size ofthe tools, the chaînes opératoires became longer and the sourceareas of the raw materials were expanded.

Table 1Quantification of the types of lithic objects from the upper stratigraphic units ofVallparadís (EVT6/2).

Cores Flakes Retouched tools

Unit EVT6Quartz e 2 e

Lydite 2 e e

Unit EVT5Quartz e 2 e

Unit EVT4Quartz 1 4 2Flint 2 2 e

Lydite 1 e e

Unit EVT3Flint e 2 e

Unit EVT2Quartz 1 e e



The upper stratigraphic units (EVT6/2) have yielded a muchpoorer archaeological and paleontological record than that of unitEVT7. This difference is due to both the low resolution of thesedimentation process in these levels and the excavation method-ology. The sediments from the marsh level (bottom of EVT4) andfrom EVT5 mainly correspond to high-energy colluvial/alluvialmaterials. It must therefore be concluded that the lithic artefactsrecovered from these levels are in a secondary position. In contrast,the sediments from units EVT6 and EVT4/2 correspond to massivemudstones with paleosols and root-marks formed in a flood plaincontext, with some less intense episodes of low-energy watertransport. In this instance, it is impossible to tell with any certaintywhether the lithic artefacts were abandoned in a primary positionin one of the sedimentary interruptions. In contrast to these units,the large archaeological record found in unit EVT7 was recoveredfrom a deposit formed by successive alluvial mud-flows.

The excavation methodology used in this part of the sequenceconsisted of controlling and monitoring the sediments extractedwith a backhoe until faunal and/or associated lithic remainsappeared. These remains were then excavated manually andrecorded according to the level inwhich they had been found. Thus,the lithic objects are in stratigraphic context and allow us toinvestigate questions regarding the continuity of hominin occu-pations in the stratigraphic sequence (Garcia et al., 2011, 2012). Thismethodology had to be used because it was a rescue excavation,although evidently it is not the best method for locating small re-mains, particularly in the case of lithic objects. The use of this

methodology may also partly explain the meagre presence of lithicartefacts and faunal remains in these levels compared to EVT7, thewhole of which was excavated systematically following anarchaeological methodology using a grid system. Likewise, the lownumber of lithic and faunal remains compared with the abundantrecord recovered from unit EVT7 does not necessarily indicate alow hominin or mammal population density. Therefore, becausethe record is biased by these two factors, it is not possible toaccurately determine whether the human occupations in theselevels are sporadic, given the fact that in archaeology interpretingabsences is always a complicated process (MacDonald et al., 2012).

The current record available for the Early Middle Pleistocene inEurope indicates that the first sites with Mode 2 date to c. 0.65 Ma(Caune de l’Arago’s “P” levels, Nortarchirico, Boxgrove and La Noira;Piperno, 1999; Barsky and de Lumley, 2010; Roberts and Parfitt,1999; Despriée et al., 2011), whereas that the Mode 1 of GranDolina TD6 is dated to 0.77 Ma by ESReU/series (Duval et al., 2012)and 0.88e0.8 Ma by ESR-OB (Moreno-García, 2011). The existenceof an archaeological gap has been proposed for the sites fromAtapuerca and Central France, which would prove a generaldepopulation that would in turn have facilitated the arrival of newpopulations with Mode 2 technology (Mosquera et al., 2013). GranDolina sequence has no archaeological remains between levels TD6(c. 0.8 Ma) and TD10 (c. 0.4 Ma; Mosquera et al., 2013) and in theterraces of the mid Loire (Central France) the levels with Mode 1(1.1 Ma) are immediately superseded by levels with Mode 2 (c.0.65 Ma; Despriée et al., 2011). However, the latest dates available

Fig. 3. Cores recovered from the upper part of the Vallparadís sequence: (1) knapping on an anvil cubical quartz core (EVT2), (2) hand held bifacial unipolar flint core (EVT4), (3)bipolar on an anvil circular lydite core (EVT4), and (4) hand held unifacial unipolar flint core (EVT4).



Fig. 4. Flakes from units EVT6/3 from Vallparadís: (1 and 3) hand held (1) and bipolar on an anvil (3) flint flakes (EVT3), (2 and 4) bipolar on an anvil (2) and hand held centripetal(4) quartz flakes (EVT5), (5 and 7e9) bipolar on an anvil (5 and 8) and hand held (7 and 9) centripetal (7) quartz flakes (EVT4), and (6) bipolar on an anvil quartz flake (EVT6).

Fig. 5. Retouched tools from EVT4 from Vallparadís: (1) distal and (2) lateral denticulate tools on quartz flakes.



for Mauer and Nortarchirico sites give these sites ages of c. 0.65 Ma(Wagner et al., 2010). Likewise, Caune de l’Arago’s “P” levels(France) have been dated to a similar age, as have Isernia la Pineta(Italy) and the sites of the Cromer-Forest Bed Formation (England),these being Happisburgh 3 (c. 0.8 Ma), Pakefield (c. 0.7 Ma) andLakenheath (c. 0.6 Ma; Parfitt et al., 2005, 2010; Hosfield, 2011). Allof these sites are chronologically very close to Gran Dolina TD6, thatcontains Mode 1 industry and associated fossil remains of Homoantecessor. As at Cúllar-Baza 1 in the Guádix-Baza basin (Spain; Toroet al., 2011), this gap seems not to be present at Vallparadís, as thearchaeological record from units EVT6/2 cover the entire chrono-logical sequence between the late Early Pleistocene and the earlyMiddle Pleistocene.

If Europe and the Iberian Peninsula were not depopulated whenMode 2 appeared, we need to ask whether this technology wasintroduced by new migratory waves, as proposed by Martínez-Navarro et al. (2007), or whether there was cultural dissemina-tion or technological convergence among the populations settled inEurope (Barsky et al., 2013). The development of Mode 2 from0.65 Ma onwards must have been gradual if it involved groups ofhominins who had been established in Europe since the EarlyPleistocene. The gap between the appearance of Mode 2 assem-blages in East Africa, North Africa, the Levant and Europe, couldsuggest ecological competition between technologically andculturally distinct groups (Carbonell et al., 2010; Bar-Yosef andBelmaker, 2011).

5. Conclusions

The presence of lithic tools in units EVT7/2 leads us to proposethe existence of a multiple occupation sequence of hominins atVallparadís from the late Early Pleistocene (c. 0.98 Ma in EVT7) tothe early Middle Pleistocene (c. 0.6 Ma in EVT3). The presence ofarchaeological remains in the upper units offers newdata regardingthe human population when Mode 2 first appeared in Europe. Thelow quantity of remains recovered is due to the low resolution ofthe sediments excavated and the excavation methodology used,and not to a low hominin or mammal population density. Despitethe small quantity of lithic objects recovered, we can identify thesame knapping and retouching methods as those used during theEarly Pleistocene Mode 1 of EVT7, such as bipolar knapping on ananvil and denticulate tools (Garcia et al., 2013). Heavy duty tools orlarge and thin flakes characteristic of a Mode 2 assemblage have notbeen documented. Future finds should increase our record andallow us to test these hypotheses regarding the appearance ofMode2 in Europe. The presence of sediments belonging to the Early andMiddle Pleistocene at Vallparadís provides a sound scientific basison which to expand research in the area and thus contribute newinformation to the debate.

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Hominin multiple occupations in the Early and Middle Pleistocene sequence of Vallparadís...

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