Lower Magdalenian secondary human burial in El Mir´on Cave, Cantabria, Spain Table 1. Tentative correlation of adjacent strata in the Corral & Burial areas at the rear of the El Mir´on Cave vestibule. Burial area between engraved block and rear cave wall Levels
14
C dates (BP)
500 501 502
502.1 503 503.1 504 (burial) Bedrock ledge
15 120+ −40 15 740+ −40
Corral area north and west of engraved block Levels
14
C dates (BP)
Cultural attribution
99 100 101 102 102.1 103–105 106 107 108
14 850–13 660
Upper Magdalenian Middle Magdalenian Lower/Middle Magdalenian
109 110 111–119 121–127 128 130
16 130+ −250 16 370–19 960 18 390–19 230 27 580+ −210 41 280+ −1120
Lower Magdalenian Initial/Lower Magdalenian Initial Magdalenian Solutrean Gravettian Mousterian
11 950+ −70 12 460+ −180
Disturbed surface fill Mesolithic (?) Mesolithic (?) Azilian (?) Final Magdalenian
recovered had a distinctly Magdalenian appearance, but the stratigraphy and logistics of digging here were complex due to the small size of the area, steep slope of the levels and isolated location vis a` vis total station (EDM) base locations in the cave. Thus the excavation was not renewed in this sector in 2002. It was not until 2010 that Straus suggested that it would be interesting to further pursue work in the narrow ‘behind-the-block’ area. Work was restarted in the northern half of square X7 (actually subsquare B and a very small area of A) on the irregular edge of the area disturbed by the ‘pothole’ to create a small, clean EW section across the middle of the square (Figure 4). Actually digging in the area were Straus and David Cuenca Solana. On 19 and 21 June 2010, while digging in rather loose sediments, first called Level 503, along the west face of the engraved block and upon removal of a 40 × 35 × 18cm rock (probably split off from the block) and a 15 × 10 × 6cm stone (both stained with red ochre), they uncovered two human hemi-mandibles, two loose lower molars, a tibia and other human bones. Following these discoveries, we proceeded to excavate the remainder of Levels 502, 502.1, 503 and 503.1 (all apparently intact—except limited disturbance of 503 by a rodent burrow at the eastern edge of the engraved block—and Azilian/Magdalenian in content appearance) in the southern half of X7 (subsquares C and D) recovering many more human bones. Level 503.1 corresponds to the base of a repeatedly used hearth (Feature 2010.1) with considerable ash and fire-cracked rocks. Charcoal from the bottom of this feature in X7D, 1156