Redefining shared symbolic networks during the Gravettian in Western Europe: New data from the rock art findings in Aitzbitarte caves (Northern Spain)

Abstract

The renewal of the archaeological record, mainly through the discovery of unpublished sites, provides information that sometimes qualifies or even reformulates previous approaches. One of the latter cases is represented by the three new decorated caves found in 2015 in Aitzbitarte Hill. Their exhaustive study shows the presence of engraved animals, mainly bison, with formal characteristics unknown so far in the Palaeolithic art of the northern Iberian Peninsula. However, parallels are located in caves in southern France such as Gargas, Cussac, Roucadour or Cosquer. All of them share very specific graphic conventions that correspond to human occupations assigned basically to the Gravettian cultural complex. The new discovery implies the need to reformulate the iconographic exchange networks currently accepted, as well as their correspondence with other elements of the material culture at the same sites. Thus, we have carried out a multiproxy approach based in statistical analysis. The updated data reveals a greater complexity in artistic expression during the Gravettian that had not been considered so far, and also challenges the traditional isolation that had been granted to Cantabrian symbolic expressions during pre-Magdalenian times.

Fig 1. Decorated caves in Eastern Cantabrian Region (from Nervión to Bidasoa) and the Western Pyrenees (from Bidasoa to the Gaves de l’Adour) (base map: https://maps-for-free.com): Black discovered during the 20th century; red found in the 21st century; circle for pre-Magdalenian ensembles; triangle for Magdalenian ones; square for complex ensembles (pre-Magdalenian and Magdalenian).

Fig 2. Cross-section though Aitzbitarte hill showing the main speleological phenomena.

The decorated sectors are indicated with a red circle (Felix Ugarte Elkartea).

Fig 3. Working conditions in the decorated passage in Aitzbitarte Cave III: a) Access to the sink-hole leading to the passage; b) descent to the decorated area; c) archaeological recording process of the engraved walls (S. Laburu).

Fig 4. Plan of Aitzbitarte Caves III and IX.

The decorated areas are indicated (after a survey by the Felix Ugarte Elkartea group).

Fig 5. Plan of the decorated side-passage in Aitzbitarte Cave III.

The decorated areas are indicated (J. Busselo).

Fig 6. Photograph and tracing of horse B.II.1, engraved on the right-hand wall in Aitzbitarte Cave III (O. Rivero and D. Garate).

Fig 7. Photograph and tracing on panel B.VII at the bottom of the ramp in Aitzbitarte III: Indeterminate animal B.VII.1; bovid horns B.VII.2; and horse fore-quarters B.VII.3 (O. Rivero and D. Garate).

Fig 8. Engravings in the A panel of Aitzbitarte III.

Top: Tracing of the panel formed by the bird A.II.2 and the bison A.II.1, engraved on the left wall. Bottom left: Detail of the bird’s head. Bottom right: Detail of the bison (O. Rivero and D. Garate).

Fig 9. Tracing and detailed photograph of the front legs of the aurochs A.IV.1, engraved at the end of the left-hand wall in Aitzbitarte III (O. Rivero and D. Garate).

Fig 10. Plan of Aitzbitarte Cave V.

The decorated areas are indicated (J. Busselo).

Fig 11. Photograph and tracing of bison A.I.1 and A.II.2, engraved in Sector A in Aitzbitarte Cave V (O. Rivero and D. Garate).

Fig 12. Plan of Aitzbitarte IX.

The decorated area is indicated (J. Busselo).

Fig 13. The engravings from Aitzbitarte IX.

Top: Collapsed passage in Aitzbitarte IX with the decorated panel on the left. Bottom: Photograph and tracing of the engraved bison head A.I.4 in Aitzbitarte IX (O. Rivero and D. Garate).

Fig 14. Different conventions to represent the space between the horns in bovids: Aitzbitarte V, IX, Isturitz [15], Cosquer [14], Gargas [12], Trois Frères [66], Cussac [13].

Fig 15. FCA multivariate plot of the studied corpus of 11x11 criteria in the main factorial plane [1,2].

The two-colored groups are generated by ascending hierarchical clustering (MED: Mediterranean, QUE: Quercy, PER: Perigord, CPR: Central Pyrenees, WPR: Western Pyrenees).

Fig 16. Different conventions to represent the connection between the two fore- or hind-limbs of herbivores: Aitzbitarte III [2], Isturitz [15], Cosquer [14], Gargas [12], Abri Laraux [67], Pech Merle [68], Parpalló [69], Roucadour [70].

Fig 17. FCA multivariate plot of the studied corpus of 26x26 criteria in the main factorial plane [1,2].

The two-coloured groups are generated by ascending hierarchical clustering (MED: Mediterranean, QUE: Quercy, PER: Perigord, CPR: Central Pyrenees, WPR: Western Pyrenees).

Fig 18. Sites with graphic units in parietal ensembles (circle), on portable objects (triangle) or both (square) (base map: https://maps-for-free.com): 1. Abri Laraux; 2. Abri Labattut; 3. Abri Pataud; 4 Cussac; 5. Roucadour; 6. Pergouset; 7. Pech Merle; 8. Cosquer; 9. Le Portel; 10. Trois-Frères; 11. Gargas; 12. Brassempouy; 13. Erberua; 14. Isturitz; 15. Alkerdi 2; 16. Aitzbitarte V; 17. Aitzbitarte III; 18. Aitzbitarte IX; 19. El Pendo; 20. Parpalló.

Sites with Noailles burins (black circle). Sites with Isturitz-type points (icon of a point) (I. Intxaurbe).