..Cantillo J.J. niomnsascae ihcvsadrcsetr.Wl nw xmlsinclude China examples Zhoudoudian, known 1997), Forti Well & rockshelters. (Hill Africa and South an Makapansgat, caves Cave, defining Limeworks with of one associated basically environments is breccia concrete. regarded may resembles in be that thus may deposit and excavating a and occupation, of in flow, human sequence water problem after archaeological of form The result to a artefacts. continue as can contain form caves They typically limestone colluvium. breccias of lithified Sedimentary talus as 2001). the Mescher on & cemented and Loucks rock within of 1999; fragments (Loucks angular matrix of a consisting in material consolidated densely a is Breccia Introduction Dom S. Benz the at developed methods new breccia: in Excavating Keywords: 3 2 1 ANTIQUITY C niut ulctosLtd. Publications Antiquity rci ie r eaieyaudn ntewrd(ahm19) curn nkarst in occurring 1999), (Latham world the in abundant relatively are sites Breccia A,Crayl e Vall del Cerdanyola UAB, aaah /,Pet el C Real, Puerto s/n, Saharauhi G rad rhsoi,Fcla eFilosof de Facultat Prehistoria, de Area C de Universidad Ciencias, de Facultad Tierra, la de Ciencias eatet eHsoi,Geograf Historia, de Departmento mzUl,sn C s/n, Ulla, omez ´ 6(02:16–18http://antiquity.ac.uk/ant/086/ant0861167.htm 1167–1178 (2012): 86 ´ ınguez-Bella ot fia et,Benz´ Ceuta, Africa, North 2 ,A.Cabral dz101 Spain 11001, adiz ´ ´ e,Breoa013 Spain 08193, Barcelona ees, 1 dz150 pi Ato o orsodne mi:[email protected]) email: correspondence, for (Author Spain 11510, adiz ´ .Ramos J. , 2 ´ ayFilosof y ıa ,M.P ´ aiLers nvria Aut Universitat Lletras, i ıa okhle,Plelti,ecvto ehd breccia method, excavation Palaeolithic, rockshelter, u ´ a autdd Filosof de Facultad ıa, erez ´ 2 .Bernal D. , 1167 3 .Barrena A. & rbe,isslto;t vr eri,its terrain, every every to to variety: method. solution; infinite its of problem, exercise excavation an archaeological all that is It show shells. to and bones goes tools, stone in of harvest developed huge a gathered tools they result, a small using As palaeontology. laboratory, into finds the their breccia from in freed then the they quarry which cut blocks, used and to and days, techniques acids earlier hammers, of the explosives aside put inventive authors Our occupation. Palaeolithic of witness early only the sometimes finds are deposits Nevertheless extracting such concrete. to of akin material prospect a from are the with deposits faced breccia examining Excavators rockshelter u ´ dz apsRoSnPdo v Republica Av. Pedro, San Rio Campus adiz, ´ nm eBreoa dfiiBCmu ela de Campus B Edifici Barcelona, de onoma ` 2 ´ ayLta,Uiesddd C de Universidad Letras, y ıa .Vijande E. , 2 2 , dz v Dr. Av. adiz, ´
Method Excavating in breccia
Figure 1. View of Benzu´ rockshelter and cave. (Wu & Dong 1985) and Red Barns, Portchester, Hampshire, UK (Wenban-Smith et al. 2000). At Grotta di Porto Infreschi, Camerota (Italy), a series of marine conglomerates con- taining Spondylus (probably of the Tyrrhenian geological stage) was succeeded by alternating levels of red clay, breccias, pyroclasts and stalagmitic crusts, sealed at the top by colluvial deposits and rock falls with a Mousterian industry (Bachechi 1989–1990). Examples from the Iberian peninsula include Gibraltar-Beefsteak Cave (Giles et al. 2007), Rosia Bay breccia (White 1913; Finlayson et al. 2006), Tajo de Dona˜ Ana, Alfarnatejo (Ramos et al. 1995– 1996) and Cueva del Angel,´ Lucena, Cordoba´ (Barroso et al. 2011), in Andaluc´ıa, and Figueira Brava Cave (Portugal), a rockshelter of the Middle Palaeolithic (Upper Mousterian), dated to between 30 and 31 ka (Antunes 1990–91; Antunes & Cardoso 1992). Excavators have been obliged to work round the densely cemented breccias, or attack them with heavy machinery and even with low-power explosives. In such cases, the recovery of archaeological material has naturally been poor. In this paper, we describe a new approach to the problem, developed during research at the rockshelter of Benzu.´
The Benzu´ rockshelter The archaeological site of Benzu´ is situated on the coast of North Africa, on the south side of the Strait of Gibraltar in the autonomous Spanish city of Ceuta. It is located about 230m from the present shoreline (Figure 1). The Palaeolithic rockshelter, discovered in 2001 (Bernal C Antiquity Publications Ltd.
1168 omo oeIIMutra npe tn nuty ihcrnlge agn from ranging chronologies with the industry, took stone This (Dur occupation. knapped ka human III-Mousterian 70–250 early Mode for a evidence into (Dur contain of resolved 7 sedimentation form subsequently to the 1 and of levels 2), studies stratigraphic (Figure Geological that section 1). (Table calcareous and levels consolidated plan highly stratified in of ten deposit defined a was is This dolomite Triassic breccias. of wall rock the to Adhering elwti h rci Fgr 3). (Figure breccia the within well (Ramos exploitation rmtenrh )vria eto ftebecalvl nBI-VIDI qae,se rmtees;C rdpa fthe of plan grid C) east; (B). and the (A) from in seen shown squares, are BVII-CVII-DVII profiles in Vertical shaded). levels are breccia sections the excavated of (the section breccia rockshelter vertical B) north; the from onc uigteQaenr (Dur Quaternary (Abad the occupation during human Isotopecornice before any high erosion and through a formed 9 of was breccia, shelter Stage The limestone hardness. of and consisting compactness of mostly degree deposit archaeological an contains 2001), Benz at Excavations 2. Figure n20;Ramos 2004; an ´ tal. et :A ceai eto ftebecafot etclscino VICI-VIsurs seen squares, BVII-CVII-DVII of section vertical front, breccia the of section schematic A) u: ´ 01.Ltis nmlbn n hls(aaoan)alsurvive all (malacofauna) shells and bone animal Lithics, 2011). .Dom S. tal. et n20;Rms&Bra 06 Ramos 2006; Bernal & Ramos 2003; an ´ 08,adicueidctoso aieresource marine of indications include and 2008), ´ nuzBlae al. et ınguez-Bella 1169 tal et 07.I a aels t overhanging its lost have may It 2007). . C niut ulctosLtd. Publications Antiquity n20)show 2003) an ´ tal. et 2008).
Method Excavating in breccia
Table 1. Stratigraphic sequence, types of sediments and chronology of the Benzu´ rockshelter (after Ramos et al. 2008). Strata Type of sediment Chronology Observations
10 Upper speleothem (Th/U) IGM: −+70 ka Seals the whole sequence 9 Breccia with clasts 8Micrite 7 Breccia cemented with dolomite blocks 6Micriticmud 5 Breccia of sands and muds (OSL) Shfd020136: OSL datation of the 168−+11 ka upper part of the strata 4 Breccia of clast and muds 3b Speleothem (Th/U) IGM: 173−+10 ka Thin speleothem 3Micriticmud 2 Breccia of clast and muds (OSL) Shfd 020135: OSL datation of the 254−+17 ka upper part of the strata 1 Breccia 0 Rock (dolomite)
Figure 3. Aspect of the lithic industry and faunal remains in the breccia (B = bone; R = radiolarite; F = flint; S = sandstone; RF = rock fragments; M = malacofauna).