More Than 100 Individuals Lived at the Entrance of the Tito Bustillo Cave 12,000 Years Ago

Excavations led by Rodrigo de Balbín are underway in the area where the prehistoric people lived. Researchers have found tools, buried bones and two large trash pits.

The excavations undertaken this year in the Ribadesella Cave of Tito Bustillo have been concerned with the area where the prehistoric population lived 12,000 years ago. Results confirm the hypotheses put forward by Professor of prehistory Rodrigo de Balbín, responsible for the works in the cavern, that within the entrance to the cave a community numbering approximately 100 individuals lived. They lived and worked in a space approximately 50 m long by 50 m wide.

The archaeological site is a large space just to the side of the old entrance to the cave. It was buried under an avalanche, and was not discovered until 2004 by the cave explorer Julio Sarasola, and mapped by Professor Alberto Foyo. It is only scant meters away from the cave's famous painting, and researchers have been working hard to discover its secrets. Numerous tracks and trails show that this was the area chosen by the Magdaleniense people of the late Paleolithic as their home. In addition to sewing needles and bones buried in a manner typical for this time period, researchers are most excited about finding two trash pits. These contain the remains of animals that were eaten, from which the researchers have been able to confirm the high number of inhabitants of the cave.

Highly Organized

More study is needed to confirm the exact number and location of the inhabitants. "This is shown us that the groups were larger than we initially thought. We are not dealing with small tribes or groups but rather much more extensive populations," explained Rodrigo de Balbín. Their immediate living area may have extended to the entire zone of the hillside bluffs of Ardines, that overlook the sella River. "We are becoming ever more certain that they had a high level of organization, that their were relationships between groups, perhaps of a commercial nature." To confirm this, a multiple disciplinary group has arrived to begin a study of the colors used to paint the Tito Bustillo cave, and compare them with the colors used in other case in eastern Asturias, in particular those located near the Sella River. "In collaboration with other teams we have collected samples from the caves of La Güelga and El Buxu, and the highlands of the Sella," explained De Bilbín. As part of this study they have also taken many infrared photos of the caves to compare to one another.

"With this we will be able to determine if the origin of the dyes is the same, if they shared resources, or it came from different locations. This should help us learn more about the relationships between the groups." De Balbín for his part is sure that the entire zone functioned as a single unit and that the populations maintained regular contacts and relationships. "One would assume that they also shared tools, pieces of flint, and other items."

Spanish language source: http://www.elcomerciodigital.com/gijon/20070928/oriente/individuos-vivian-vestibulo-cueva-20070928.html