Hunting and fishing weapons, land and marine resources, technology and ways of life in the Neolithic sites of the Strait of Gibraltar region

Abstract

This chapter presents the interdisciplinary study (involving research on prehistoric archaeology, terrestrial fauna and marine fauna by the Universities of Cadiz, Córdoba, Cantabria and CSIC-Barcelona) of hunting and fishing implements from various periods of prehistory in the region around the Strait of Gibraltar, including along both European and North African shores. Recently excavated Neolithic sites include Benzú Cave (Ceuta) in North Africa, Campo de Hockey (San Fernando, Cádiz), La Esparragosa (Chiclana de la Frontera, Cádiz) and SET Parralejos (Vejer de la Frontera, Cádiz), on the Spanish coast. Using carbon dating, these sites have been dated to the 6th-4th millennium BC. The economies of these sites were largely agriculture based, but the hunting and fishing instruments are of special interest owing to proximity of the coast. This study investigates a wide range of issues, from the archaeobotanical, terrestrial and marine fauna records to lithic technology and functionality studies. Together with hunting, the exploitation of marine resources (fish and shellfish) was important for people’s diet in this Atlantic–Mediterranean region.