Numerous rock shelters or overhangs which line the base of Cingles del Capello, a cliff located in SE Barcelona Province, Spain, have been shown to contain stratified archaeological deposits. These are of interest for several reasons. First, they contain stratified materials which document the Neanderthal period in Europe and which probably continue into more recent times. Second, because sedimentation in this region appears to be rapid, clean separation between different occupations of these rockshelters is likely. Finally, the shelters contain layers of travertine the age of which can be determined by Uranium series dating. For these reasons Dr. Lawrence Straus will conduct a season of archaeological excavation at two cliff sites: Cova Anton and Els Pinyons. He will clean the face of previously excavated pits, remove overburden, and then conduct careful stratigraphic excavation to determine the nature of the cultural materials present. He will collect and analyze faunal and floral materials as well as lithic remains. In addition to travertines, organic materials will be submitted for absolute age determinations. Anatomically modern humans first appeared in Europe approximately 35,000 to 40,000 years ago. Before that time the human inhabitants were physically distinct and termed "Neanderthals." The associated culture is called "Mousterian." It is unclear what happened to the Neanderthals and not known whether they developed relatively rapidly into modern forms or whether they were replaced by other peoples. It is also unclear whether or not the succeeding "Upper Paleolithic" cultural tradition developed directly from the Mousterian or is intrusive from elsewhere. Because sites which are both datable and which cover this time period are so rare, it has been difficult to select between alternatives, and in this context El Pinyons and Cova Anton assume great significance. This research is important because it will shed light on the emergence of anatomically modern humans and associated culture in Europe.
