An investigation published in the scientific journal International Journal of Osteoarchaeology indicates that hunters about 15,000 years ago adjusted their hunting practices to the natural cycles of the ibex.
The researchers involved came from the University Institutes for Environmental Sciences (IUCA) and Heritage and Humanities (IPH) of the University of Zaragoza, located in Spain. They collaborated with scientists from the University of Pisa and the National Museum of Natural History of France.
The research focused on ibex remains found at a settlement site from the Magdalenian period, which corresponds to one of the final phases of the Upper Paleolithic. These remains were excavated in the 1980s and 1990s by Pilar Utrilla.
Rafael Domingo, a researcher at IPH and coordinator of the work carried out in Chaves, clarified that the cave continues to provide high-quality data. Among this information is the record that, just over 15,000 years ago, a group of hunters frequently used this location to hunt ibex, taking advantage of its proximity to the rocky areas of the Serra de Guara.
The findings demonstrate that hunting was not the result of accidental encounters with the animals, but rather a planned and repetitive activity, carried out at specific times of the animals' annual cycle.
To reach these conclusions, the team conducted a combination of analyses: they studied the age of the animals and examined the isotopes preserved in the dental enamel. Alejandro Sierra, a researcher from the University of Pisa and responsible for the study of dental enamel, explained that teeth function as a 'natural archive' because they record environmental and dietary information during their formation.
These indicators allowed for the identification of seasonality, reproductive patterns, and the probable movements of the herds. The data revealed distinctly seasonal reproduction, with births concentrated in certain periods of the year, and pointed to regular movements of the ibex within the Serra de Guara, likely linked to resource availability in each season.
Sierra emphasized that the signs found in the teeth are consistent with recurring hunting episodes that coincide with these moments in the annual cycle. Furthermore, the study assessed the position of the Chaves cave in the landscape, concluding that its location favored the connection between different sectors of the mountain range and provided an ideal environment for monitoring and exploiting animal movements.
In summary, the investigation described communities that possessed a deep knowledge of the mountainous environment and employed an adaptive strategy to utilize available resources.