Looking for the “Asturian” dwelling areas: New data from El Alloru and Sierra Plana de la Borbolla (Asturias, Spain)

Abstract

[EN]The ‘Asturian culture’ is an archaeological techno-complex characteristic of the coastal areas of central and eastern Asturias and western Cantabria in northern Spain. Despite a long tradition of research on this archaeological phenomenon, little information has been acquired about domestic structures. Even locations of living areas have been poorly understood. Dealing with this problem in northern Spain has been one of the main aims of COASTTRAN, a research project that has investigated the transition from the Late Mesolithic to the Neolithic on the Atlantic coast of south-western Europe. This paper presents the results of the programme that systematically investigated this issue. The programme included a detailed geomorphological assessment of the most promising areas, magnetometry survey, sedimentological cores, and archaeological test pits in two selected open-air sites: El Alloru and Sierra Plana de la Borbolla. The preliminary results of this research are presented here, and implications for the study of the Mesolithic of northern Iberia are discussed.