Interim report on a geoarchaeological project in thekarstic region of the Serrania de Cuenca (central Spain).

摘要

The Serrania de Cuenca (Iberian Chain, Central Spain) is dominated by calcareous plateaus andcanyons with abundant karstic landforms, such as caves and rock-shelters. These features contribute to givingthe Serrania de Cuenca great potential as a locality for research into the Palaeolithic. In 2008 we started ageoarchaeological project in this region, in order to investigate aspects of human settlement in Central Iberiaduring the Pleistocene. The first stages of the project sought to determine the karstic locations most likely toinclude archaeological sites, by making use of indexes and GIS map analysis. This approach produced digitalmaps and databases of potential locations that are now being used as a basis for follow-up field surveys. Thecombination of laboratory and field surveys has yielded interesting preliminary results, leading to the recognitionof large rock-shelters with thick Pleistocene deposits, whose archaeological potential will be tested in the nextstage of the project.