CHRONOSTRATIGRAPHY OF THE PLEISTOCENE/HOLOCENE BOUNDARY: THE AZILIAN PROBLEM IN THE FRANCO-CANTABRIAN REGION Lawrence Guy Straus* ABSTRACT: The chrono-stratigraphic evidence for the Azilian of Vasco-Cantabrian Spain and France is reviewed and found to range from the Allerød to the Preboreal. A survey of the associated artifact and fauna assemblages indicates the transitional nature ofthe Azilian between the Magdalenian and the Mesolithic. The relationship between Azilian technology and supposedly abrupt adaptations to radically changed en­ vironmental conditions at the 10,000 B.P. boundary is not straightforward. KEYWORDS: Azilian, Franco-Cantabria, Magdalenian, Upper Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, Pleistocene/Ho­ locene boundary, chrono-stratigraphy, radiocarbon, pollen, sedimentology. 1. INTRODUCTION Holocene transition in the Franco-Cantabrian re­ gion (fig. 1). This article attempts to clarify the question of the As a result of his excavations in the cave of El precise age of a culture-stratigraphic unit long Pendo and other sites in the Province of San tander recognized as transitional between the classic Up­ ('Cantabria'), J. Carballo (1922; 1960) argued that per Palaeolithic and Mesolithic: the Azilian. It is the Cantabrian Azilian was locally derived from the clear that normative characterization of prehistoric Upper Magdalenian and, consequently, that it was 'cultures' to 'date' archaeological deposits to pa­ an early manifestation of this 'culture'. Carballo leoclimatic ph ases is a procedure based on circular thus placed the 'origins' of the Azilian in Canta­ reasoning. It is also obvious that it cannot be brian Spain, a tendency followed to this day by assumed a priori that all Azilian-type assemblages certain other regional prehistorians, notably his or fossil directors must date to the same (brief) disciple, J. Gonzalez Echegaray. In recent years a period. Specifically, the assumption that all Azilian number of sites with Azilian deposits (unfortuna­ deposits should have precisely the same age as those tely often only impoverished remnants) have been of the classic regions of south western France is excavated in the region and in the adjacent French fa llacious. Such normative assumptions are based Pyrenees. Most of these excavations have incor­ on a view of culture as a simultaneous ethnic style, porated paleoclimatic analyses and radiocarbon rather than the extrasomatic means of adaptation. dating. Although few are as yet adequately pu­ It is the proposition of this article to investigate the blished, a corpus of data is beginning to accumulate chronology of the Azilian as the culture-strati­ concerning the absolute age ofthe Azilian along the graphic unit which corresponds to the Pleistocene­ northern flank ofthe mountain chain formed by the Holocene transit ion by means of various chrono­ Pyrenees and Cantabrian Cordillera. metric methods: radiocarbon, sedimentology and The palynological data for the sites in Asturias palynology. These methods are independent of the and Santander have all been produced as a result of artifact assemblages per se, although each is sus­ analyses by Arlette Leroi-Gourhan and her disci­ ceptible to errors of interpretation. No single datum ple, Anais Boyer-Klein, at the Musee de l'Homme and no single site can be considered as conclusive; it (Paris). Based primarily on Leroi-Gourhan 's (1967) is the ensemble of various chronological indicators interpretation ofthe pollen record from the cave of from various sites which can provide the basis for the establishment of a reliable chronostratigraphy. This article prop oses to contribute to the objective *Department or Anthropology, University or New Mexico, elaboration of such a scheme for the Pleistocene- Albuquerque, N.Mex. 87131, U.S.A. 89 90 L.G.STRAUS At/antie Massif Oeean 22 Central 5 Cordille a 12 r 8 P 13 Yrel1 Sea j e es O 100 km Figure I. Major Azilian sites discussed in text: I. La Paloma, Cueva Oscura de Ania; 2. Los Azules; 3. La Riera; 4. El Pendo, Cueva Morin; 5. Arenaza; 6. Santimamifie;7. Urtiaga, Ekain, Erralla; 8. Zatoya, Abauntz; 9. Isturitz; IO. Duruthy, Dufaure; II. Poeymau; 12. Mas d'Azil; 13. La Vache, Rhodes II; 14. La Tourasse; 15. Gazel 16. Chinchon, La Salpetriere; 17. Saut du Loup; 18. Tete du Chien; 19. Pegourie, Graves Pielago, Rascano, El Otero; 20. Borie del Rey; 21. Faurelie; 22. Pont d'Ambon; 23. Chez Jugie; 24. Bois Ragot; 25. Jean Pierre I; 26. Thoys; 27. Abri Gay; 28. Les Douattes, Blame-de-Thuy; 29. Varennes-Ies-Måcon; 30. Rochedane; 31. Mannlefelsen. La Vache in the high Pyrenees of Ariege (South­ the Basque sites of Urtiaga, Arenaza, Ekain and central France), they invariably place Cantabrian Abauntz (as well as some possibie Azilian deposits Azilian deposits in the Allerød oscillation, which at Zatoya in Navarra) are all radiocarbon dated to would indeed give this culture-stratigraphic unit Dryas III and Preboreal. Palynological interpreta­ relative antiquity (c. 12,000-11,000 years B.P.). tions of deposits at Duruthy and Dufaure by M.M. Such an assignment has been given by these spe­ Paquereau (1978; n.d.) coincide with the sedimen­ cialists to Azilian deposits in Cueva Oscura de tological evidence and radiocarbon dates in placing Ania, La Riera, El Pendo, El Otero, Cueva Morin, the Azilian levels of these contiguous Gascon sites and Rascafio. This chronological assignment, ba­ in Dryas III-early Preboreal. sed on the interpretation of palynological evidence These data clearly point to the need for a re­ of sometimes relatively high AP (arboreal pollen) analysis of the age of the Vasco-Cantabrian Azi­ percentages including several thermophile taxa, is lian-is it indeed 'early' or 'Iate' vis il vis. the Azilian contradicted by radiocarbon and/o r sedimentolo­ elsewhere? Two recent doctoral theses, one on the gical evidence of a Dryas III age (c. 11,000-10,000 Azilian of Santander and Asturias by J.A. Fer­ B.P.) in the cases of La Riera, Rascafio, Morin and nandez-Tresguerres (1980) and the other on the El Pendo and a Preboreal age (c. 10,000-9,000 B.P.) Asturian ofthese two provinces by M.R. Gonzalez in that of Cueva Oscura de Ania. Reasonable cases Morales (1982), as well as a polemical article on for Dryas III age can be made at Pielago and for these two 'cultures' by L.G. Straus (1979), propose Preboreal age at Los Azules. The Azilian levels at the likelihood of a late date for the regional Azilian The Azilian problem in the Franco-Cantabrian region 91 and suggest its close temporal relationship (if not endscrapers an flakes and backed bladelets versus parti al overlap) with the specialized Asturian shell relatively low percentages af burins). Among the middens. other 'possible' Azilian deposits, the assemblage A systematic review af the question of Azilian from Poeymaii Level 'BS' is as yet undescribed and age should begin by a classification ofthe sites with is simply said to contain Azilian 'elements', so its chronometric information independent af subjec­ assignment is in same doubt. The assignment of tive judgements' af relative antiquity based an the Abauntz Level 'd' to the Azilian is based on the artifact assemblages themselves. (There are cer­ characteristics af its lithic assemblage and an its tainly toa few well-excavated Azilian sequences to stratigraphic position. La Riera Level 27 directly pro vide real bases for any pretence af 'seriation' ar underlies a level (28) with an Azilian harpoon, other relative chronological methods based on the overlies another (24) with a Magdalenian harpoon, artifacts (pace Garcia Guinea, 1975)). In the case af and contains 10.5% Azilian points and two ochre­ Vasco-Cantabrian Spain and the adjacent French stained cobbles, making its assignment to the Basque Country/Gascony, such a classification can Azilian 'possible' ar even 'probable', despite many be done as follows: similarities to underlying Magdalenian assembla­ l. Secure Azilian deposits dated directly by 14C: ges. These 'cases point out the inadequacy and Los Azules Level 3-upper; Cueva Oscura de Ania; circularity (but current inevitability) af normative Urtiaga Level C; Ekain Levels V, IV, III; Dufaure culture-stratigraphic schemes based an either fossil Level 3. director artifact types ar assemblage compositions 2. Secure Azilian deposits dated terminus ante described in terms af relative frequencies. and/or post quem by other levels dated by 14C: Los Same ofthe Vasco-Cantabrian deposits dated by Azules Level 3e & 2; La Riera Level 28; Morin Level 14C are als o dated geologicaIly and/or palynolo­ 1; Duruthy Level 2; Poeymau 'CPE'. gically, albeit with several cases of conflicting 3. PossibIe Azilian deposits dated directly by 14C: interpretations (as noted above), in which the La Riera Level 27; RascafioLevel 1;Arenaza Levels palynological assessment of age is invariably older III & II; Zatoya Levels 'III & II-Iower; Poeymaii than that of sedimentology and/or radiocarbon. 'BS'; Abauntz Level 'd'. Naturally, it should be noted that the data from all 4. Azilian deposits dated only geologicaIly and/or these sites are ofunequal quantity and quality. The palynologically: PieIago; El Pendo Level I; El Otero essential relevant facts from each site are presented Level 1(?). systematically in geographical arder, beginning in 5. Azilian deposit dated terminus post quem geo­ the west with the recently excavated Azilian sites of logicaIly or palynologically: La Palarna Level 2; Asturias and Santander. Isturitz. Deposits considered to be 'secure' in their Azilian 2. TRE SITES OF ASTURIAS AND SANTAN­ attribution are those which contain flat-section DER (CANTABR IA) harpoons and no cylindrical-section anes. In same cases (El Pendo, Marin, Dufaure, Rascafio), Azi­ 2. 1. Cueva Oscura de Ania (Las Regueras, As- lian harpoons were found in old excavations but turias) not in the recent anes from which the independent chronological data are derived. In these cases This site is located near the confluence of the Rios correlations af variable security can be made be­ Anda1l6n and Nal6n in Central Asturias, about 9 tween the relevant strata uncovered in the old and km WNW of Oviedo.