Between October 22 and 25 our colleague David Cuenca Solana traveled to the Autonomous University of Madrid, to develop, together with Laura Manca (National Museum of Natural History of Paris) and Francesca Romagnoli (Autonomous University of Madrid) various activities related to the execution of the ArchaeoENHANCE project (Archeomalacology research: Effects of Natural and Human Agents in Contexts). The project aims to conduct a 4-year experimental protocol with the objective of determining and documenting the impact of different taphonomic processes on archaeological shells, especially those that have been used as tools by human groups during Prehistory. The project is funded by the international research network IRN-TAPHEN.

Some members of Palaeoshells presented their work at the 6th Scientific Meeting of Archeomalacology of the Iberian Peninsula, held on November 7 and 8, 2019 in Palma de Mallorca. David Cuenca Solana presented the communication entitled “Marine molluscs in the mountains: the case of the Upper Paleolithic of the El Mirón cave (Cantabria, Spain)”, in which other members of the project, such as Igor Gutiérrez Zugasti and Renata Martínez Cuesta, also participate. David presented the evidence identified at a site such as El Mirón, which is located in a mountainous area away from the coast, to propose the importance that the shell resources had for the populations of that period. On the other hand, Asier García Escárzaga presented the communication entitled “Sclerochronological study of Patella depressa (Pennant, 1777): implications for the reconstruction of paleoclimatic conditions and seasonality in the exploitation of the marine environment in the Cantabrian Region (N. Spain)”, In this work, Asier presented the isotopic calibration of the limpet P. depressa using modern specimens. The results showed the great potential of this method for the reconstruction of past seawater temperatures.

On September 3 our colleague David Cuenca-Solana gave a talk in the cycle “The Piece of the Month” organised by the Museum of Prehistory and Archeology of Cantabria. In his talk, entitled “Use after eating? The shell instruments of Fuente del Salín cave (Muñorrodero, Val de San Vicente)”, David reviewed the most relevant results of the use-wear analysis on shells (mostly limpets Patella vulgata) from the Cave of Fuente del Salín, one of the most interesting sites for the study of the Initial Upper Palaeolithic in the Cantabrian region.

The results showed the presence of borers made on shell fragments, and the use of the shells to crush the ochre used to paint the hand stencils found on the walls of the cavity.

Complete talk is available in the following link: David Cuenca_Use after eating?_Mupac talk

During the months of June, July and August, our colleague David Cuenca-Solana has been working in the National Museum and Research Center of Altamira to analyse the shells of the Magdalenian site of El Juyo (Cantabria, Spain) from a functional perspective. The detailed analysis of the use-wear in Patella vulgata specimens from the Lower Magdalenian levels was crucial to identify a good number of shells used in productive activities related to the subsistence strategies of the hunter-fisher- gatherer groups of the region.

The results of the analysis showed the use of the shells for different activities, such as processing plant, animal and mineral materials.