A geochemical multi-proxy approach for anthropogenic processes in a Middle–Upper Pleistocene endokarstic deposit

Deciphering human activities in archaeological sites is a priority issue in archaeological studies, nevertheless its geochemical fingerprints on sediments are poorly known. In sites belonging to the recent prehistory these geochemical signals have been taken into account, but in oldest sites this subject has not been studied sufficiently.The aim of this paper consists on tracking geochemical proxies that can be attributed to anthropogenic processes in endokarstic Pleistocene deposits. Recognize these elements can be a key factor in order to explore the potential of non-excavated archeological levels and find out activities performed in those sediments more accurately. For that purpose a Middle–Upper Pleistocene endokarstic deposit (Cueva del Ángel) belonging to the Iberian Peninsula has been chosen. This site provides numerous evidences of human activities, as butchering and cooking of predated animals or the habitual use of fire throughout its main stratigraphic sequence.This geochemical/archaeological approach highlights that the upper units consist of anthropogenic influenced sediments, while the lower unit shows a greater percentage of geogenic inputs. Based on P and Zn–Cu–Sr, several levels with higher anthropogenic inputs have been identified. These two attributes can be suggested as proxies of human activities for this site. High values of P appear to be linked with “butchering highly occupied” levels, and high levels of Zn–Cu–Sr seem to be related with fires. This geochemical information has been compared and tested with previous archeological information.