Un hito en la ruta del poblamiento paleolítico de la península: Lezetxiki (Arrasate, País Vasco).

Abstract

[EN] The archaeological deposit in Lezetxiki Cave has been excavated in two stages by teams directed first by José Miguel de Barandiarán (1956-1968) and then by Alvaro Arrizabalaga and María José Iriarte- Chiapusso (1996-2018). In the first stage, the deposit was found to cover a long period in the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic. A number of human fossils, remains of numerous animal species and a large assemblage of stone tools were documented. When the second stage of excavations began in 1996, the objectives were much more modest, but the research has repeatedly been overwhelmed by the complexity of the deposit and the abundant information it has provided. Bedrock was reached in summer 2016. Although some analytical studies have still not concluded, we now begin to glimpse the role played by the site in the articulation of human population in the Basque Country in the Middle Palaeolithic and Early Upper Palaeolithic. The main aim of the present paper is therefore to summarize almost seventy years’ research at the site.