Spectroscopy and Geochemistry of chert. Reconstructing human mobility in the Pyrenees from the first Modern Humans to the last Pleistocene huntergatherers

Spectroscopy and Geochemistry of chert. Reconstructing human mobility in the Pyrenees from the first Modern Humans to the last Pleistocene huntergatherers (SPEGEOCHERT, ID: 101075451)

Program
Starting Grant from the European Research Council

Execution period
01/10/2023 – 30/09/2028

Budget
€1,500,000

Principal Investigator
Dr. Marta Sánchez de la Torre (UB)

ICRPC participants
Dr. Joaquim Soler

Description

What do we know about the mobility of hunter-gatherer groups that lived 11 000-35 000 years ago in western Europe? How did they interact with mountain areas during the last glacial episode? To answer these questions, the ERC-funded SPEGEOCHERT project will focus on the Pyrenean mountain chain. By studying the lithic tools and those made of chert, it will uncover the economic and adaptive strategies of Homo sapiens of the Upper Palaeolithic. The aim is to determine whether mobility between the two parts of the Pyrenees was only through the ends of the mountain range or whether it involved secondary routes. Results will broaden our knowledge of human adaptations to harsh conditions and change the archaeological approach to analysing lithic raw materials.