Neanderthal lithic procurement and mobility patterns through a multi-level study in the Abric Romani site (Capellades, Spain)

This study represents the first integrated approach to the lithic raw materials exploited by the Neanderthals that occupied the Abric Romani site (NE Iberia). Focusing on chert as the most abundant raw material (>80% of the assemblages), we determine the potential procurement areas and the mobility patterns. Geo-archaeological surveys within a radius of 30 km from the site documented 32 primary locations with silicifications. The chert abundance ratio, a quantitative approach to the raw material availability, together with macroscopic and petrographic analyses, confirm the underexploitation of the local raw materials (<10 km). The main procurement areas are located between 16 km (Sant Marti de Tous chert) and 24 km (Panadella chert), indicating different procurement strategies and mobility patterns. Stone tool assemblages from levels M and Oa fall within a foraging radius, whereas level P, in part, suggests a logistical radius, demonstrating a complex scenario of extensive knowledge and intensive exploitation of the landscape among Neanderthals. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.