SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Aug. 28 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The research team of the Archaeological Micromorphology and Biomarkers Laboratory (AMBI Lab) of the Antonio González University Institute of Bio-Orgáncia of the University of La Laguna, in collaboration with the Geoarchaeology Working Group of the University of Tübingen (Germany), has published a new research article in the magazine ‘Geoarchaeology’ about one of the most emblematic aboriginal sites on La Palma, the Cueva de Belmaco in the town of Mazo, which states that the aborigines dedicated themselves to livestock and dewormed the caves.
This research has applied microscopic and molecular techniques from geoarchaeology, organic chemistry, and inorganic chemistry to reconstruct the activities that the auarites carried out in the cave.
The combination of these high-resolution techniques such as soil micromorphology, the analysis of lipid biomarkers and even mineralogical and elemental analyzes such as X-ray diffraction and fluorescence, have made it possible to detect a stable deposit in the central area of the cave that was periodically burned for deworming and reuse for at least 600 years.
This type of archaeological deposit, which is known as a fumier in geoarchaeology jargon, has been documented numerous times in Neolithic and Bronze Age sites in the Iberian Peninsula, according to a note from the ULL.
In addition, it has been possible to determine the use of Canarian pine needles (Pinus canariensis) as fuel for carrying out said burns, as well as a very unusual combination of minerals as a consequence of the various contributions of organic matter in a volcanic cave such as Belmaco. .
The molecular and microscopic record has allowed researchers to approach the use of the environment and exploitation of forage resources by the natives of La Palma, which contributes to a better understanding of their pastoral activity, which was key to their subsistence on the island.
DOMESTIC OCCUPANCY IN THE NORTH AREA
In turn, this study has allowed us to corroborate the use of the Belmaco Cave as a sheepfold since prehistoric times, probably linked to a domestic occupation in the northern area of the cave, where a large amount of archaeological material was discovered by the archaeologist Luis Diego Cusco in the 60s of the last century.
The ULL also points out that it is probable that there was cohabitation by the aborigines and their livestock from the 9th century AD until the arrival of European colonizers in the 15th century AD.
This research has been financed by the CajaCanarias Foundation and ‘la Caixa’, within the framework of the project ‘Aboriginal paleoenvironmental contexts and their management. Some insular examples”, directed by Carolina Mallol, from the Department of Geography and History.
The main author of the article, Enrique Fernández-Palacios, whose thesis revolves around the study of aboriginal livestock activity on La Palma from geoarchaeology, is currently the beneficiary of a FPU pre-doctoral contract awarded by the Ministry of Universities.
