Shellfish procurement and seasonal scheduling across the Mesolithic–Neolithic transition at Zacatín rock shelter (Gualchos-Castell de Ferro, Granada, southern Iberia)

2026/07/25 by A. Aguirre-Uribesalgo, Asier García-Escárzaga, A. García-Escárzaga +7 · 1 voice
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · Social Sciences · #Archaeology and ancient environmental studies #Herding #Herring #Intertidal zone #Marine Bivalve and Aquaculture Studies #Mediterranean climate #Mesolithic #Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology #Shellfish #Stockpile #Subsistence agriculture

paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2026.105957

published in Journal of Archaeological Science Reports 74, 105957 (Elsevier BV)

openalex publication_date 2026/07/25 · openalex created_date 2026/07/26 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30

Abstract

This study investigates the intertidal shellfish exploitation by the last hunter-gatherers and the first farmers, and their role within broader subsistence strategies during the Mesolithic–Neolithic transition on the Mediterranean coast of the Alboran Sea. We conducted taxonomic, biometric, and stable oxygen isotope ratio (δ 18 O) analyses of Patella caerulea Linnaeus, 1758, shells recovered from the Zacatín rock shelter (Granada, southern Iberia). Shell δ 18 O values indicate that shellfish harvesting did not occur uniformly throughout the year but was concentrated in colder months, suggesting seasonal visits to the coast. Comparable seasonal patterns are observed in both Mesolithic and Early Neolithic levels, pointing to continuity in the timing of intertidal resource use despite the introduction of farming and herding practices. This marked seasonal collection is discussed in relation to taxonomic diversity and shell size variations observed at the site, as well as to different approaches to environmental availability and subsistence organisation within broader economic strategies.

Citations

• MOLLUSC SHELL SIZES IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONTEXTS IN NORTHERN SPAIN (13 200 TO 2600 CAL BC): NEW DATA FROM LA GARMA A AND LOS GITANOS (CANTABRIA)
• Increased seasonality in the Western Mediterranean during the last glacial from limpet shell geochemistry
• Morphological and molecular tools in identifying the Mediterranean limpets Patella caerulea, Patella aspera and Patella rustica

Discussions

• New open-access article exploring how the last foragers and first farmers seasonally exploited marine environments in southern Iberia, based on evidence from Zacatín Rockshelter (Granada). Study lead [bsky, 3 points, 0 comments]

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