Deposits of the Calvero de la Higuera or Pinilla del Valle
Sites La Cueva del Camino, El Abrigo de Navalmaíllo, La Cueva de la Buena Pinta, El Abrigo del Ocelado and La Cueva Des-Cubierta
Deposits of the Calvero de la Higuera or Pinilla del Valle
Works for a road in 1979 revealed the Cueva del Camino, located on the Calvero de la Higuera promontory. In the year 2002 the investigations of this cave were resumed under the perspective of an interdisciplinary project thanks to which four more enclaves have been located: Coat of Navalmaíllo, Cave of the Good Paint, Cave Uncovered and Shelter of the Ocelado. The Pinilla del Valle deposits constitute a unique enclave to know the ways of life and the relationship with the natural environment of Homo neanderthalensis during a broad span of the Upper Pleistocene.
The deposits of Pinilla del Valle are associated with the cavities and shelters of the small promontory called Calvero de la Higuera, which originated on one of the slopes that is slightly inclined towards the Lozoya River.
In 1979, the completion of a service road of the Canal de Isabel II affected some fossiliferous landfills on the right bank of the Pinilla reservoir, revealing the Cueva del Camino deposit. The first interventions in this archaeological site took place in the year of 1981, under the direction of Professor Alférez, and took place throughout the 80 years.
After a period of abandonment, 2002 resumed research on this enclave with a new interdisciplinary project, under the direction of Juan Luis Arsuaga, Enrique Baquedano and Alfredo Pérez-González.
Since then, in addition to the well-known Cueva del Camino, four other sites have been located called Abrigo de Navalmaíllo, Cueva de la Buena Pinta, Abrigo del Ocelado and Des-Cubierta Cave. Although both in the known sites and in the surroundings there is evidence of archaeological levels ascribable to the Middle Pleistocene, they are, until now, the most recent occupations, of the Upper Pleistocene, those of greater importance.
The Pinilla del Valle deposits constitute a unique enclave to know the ways of life and the relationship with the natural environment of Homo neanderthalensis during a broad span of the Upper Pleistocene. The concentration in a hill of some 3 hectares of five archaeological sites with different occupation models, give this set a unique uniqueness.
The open-air deposits, so abundant in the terraces of the rivers of Madrid, do not allow, with a few exceptions, to make excessive precisions regarding the occupation of the spaces. However, this calcareous promontory preserves in its interior cavities and shelters that were occupied with different intensity by both hominids and carnivores over time, preserving rich sets in stratigraphy.
The Cave of the Way It is an old dismantled cavity whose fossiliferous fillings have been preserved. An important group of fauna of the interglacial period MIS 5 has been recovered. In addition it has been possible to establish a dating for the 5 level, from which most of the fossils come, of about 90.000 years. On the other hand, in the 80 years, the excavation of this deposit allowed to recover two molars of the species Homo neanderthalensis, although the fossils recovered in these fillings were deposited by the spotted hyena, without having been able to observe any evidence of human occupation in this site until now.
The Ocellated Shelter It is a small gallery located south of the Cave of the Good Pinta that was excavated during the 2006 campaign. Apparently it is a small hyena hut, with no documented human presence of any kind.
The Cave Uncovered 2009 year was located after a prospecting campaign. It is a large gallery whose roof had disappeared due to erosion. Its fillings belong to the Middle Pleistocene and Upper Pleistocene. Those of the Middle Pleistocene contain at least one den of hyenas. At the levels belonging to the Upper Pleistocene, human infant remains belonging, once again, to the species have been recovered Homo neanderthalensis. The study of this deposit is still in an initial phase.
The Coat of Navalmaíllo, located in 2002, is a large shelter of about 300 m² with collapsed cornices. It stands out for the richness and good state of conservation of its archaeological and paleontological record. It was a place of habitation in which the Homo neanderthalensis He carried out domestic tasks, among which the lithic stature stands out, having recovered a Mousterian group made mostly of quartz, and a few pieces of flint and other rocks such as quartzite. As it happens in different European sites of similar chronology, the industry of the Shelter of Navalmaíllo shows a marked tendency to microlitism. It is also remarkable the consumption of meat. Faunal remains, mainly herbivores, show abundant cutting marks and fresh fractures. The studies of fingerprints confirm the use of tools in these tasks of cutting, as well as in others related to the work of wood or skin.
The main occupation of the shelter corresponds to the level F, for which we have dates around the 70.000 years. At this level, the presence of homes and concentrations of remains indicate the existence of a certain structuring of space and confirm the intensity of human occupation.
The Cave of the Good Painting It is a cavity of phreatic origin, partially dismantled to the outside, discovered in the year 2003. This cave consists of several fossiliferous fillings. The superior belongs to the Holocene and, at least four lower levels, to the Upper Pleistocene. Thermoluminescence dating allows dating the Upper Pleistocene levels in about 60.000 years. The Cave of the Good Pinta also has dental remains from Homo neanderthalensis. It seems that hominids visited the cavity sporadically, locating the lithic remains mainly in the outer zone of the cavity. However, there is no evidence of homes, and the presence of industry is much less than in the Navalmaíllo shelter. Human occupations probably occurred at times when the cavity had the largest vestibule. Later, when the fillings reduced the size of the cave, it was used repeatedly as a den for carnivores, mainly hyenas, this being the main occupation of the cave.
Image gallery
Cave of the Good Painting
View of the excavation (Photo EIPV)
Uncovered Cave
View of the excavation (Photo EIPV)
Coat of Navalmaíllo
Detail of a home
Lithic industry of level F of the Shelter of Navalmaíllo:
to. Centripetal chert core;
b. Core
centripetal quartzite;
cy Denticulates of rock crystal and quartz;
and. Hammer / hammer
of quartzite;
F. Quartz multipolar core
(Photos EIPV).
Spotted hyena skull (Crocuta crocuta)
From the Cave of the Way (Photo EIPV)
Archaeological performance
The Arqueológico de Calvero de la Higuera Park was inaugurated in 2015 with the aim of becoming the meeting point for those interested in our most remote past, as well as in promoting the economy of the Valley. The situation of Calvero de la Higuera just 80 km from the city of Madrid and within the area of influence of the Sierra de Guadarrama National Park is an added incentive to add to its cultural importance.
Since its inauguration, guided tours have been organized for both schools and the general public. The visits begin in the town itself and the visitor can also know information related to the geomorphology of the valley, vegetation or the current protected fauna.
The study of new localized deposits and those to be discovered in caves with an archaeo-paleontological record of the same Calvero de la Higuera and other contiguous promontories will allow us to expand the knowledge we have of occupations and relationship with the environment. Homo neanderthalensis.
Archives
pinilla_del_valle_web.pdf (8.45 MB)