Nobody’s land? The oldest evidence of early Upper Paleolithic settlements in inland Iberia

The Iberian Peninsula is a key region for unravelling human settlement histories of Eurasia during the period spanning the decline of Neandertals and emergence of anatomically modern humans (AMH). There is no evidence of human occupation in central Iberia after the disappearance of Neandertals ca. 42,000 years ago until approximately 26,000 years ago, rendering the region “nobody’s land” during the Aurignacian period. Here we document the first AMH settlement of the central Iberian Peninsula region corresponding to the Aurignacian technocomplex. The Abrigo de la Malia, provides irrefutable evidence of human settlements dating back to 36,200 – 31,760 cal. BP. This site also records additional levels of occupation around 32,420 – 26,260 cal. BP, suggesting repeated settlement of this territory. Our multiproxy examination identifies a change in climate trending towards colder and more arid conditions. However, this climatic deterioration does not appear to have affected AMH subsistence strategies or their capacity to inhabit the inland region. These findings reveal the ability for AMH groups to colonize regions hitherto considered uninhabitable, thereby reopening the debate on early Upper Paleolithic population dynamics of southwestern Europe.

Early Upper Palaeolithic. Multiproxy approach. Climate changes. Paleoecology.