Similitudes y diferencias en el proceso de evolución tipológica del Musteriense al auriñaciense en la cueva de Gatzarria (País Vasco)

Abstract

Regarding the debate on the position of Castelperronian during the transformation process from Middle to Upper Palaeolithic, the Cjn 3 level of Gatzarria, despite to the extended opinion making this industrial complex a terminal episode of Middle Palaeolithic, establishes the basic typological collection of the Aurignacian phyletic sequence of this important Pyrenean site. In fact, the different statistical analysis applied to the various typological structures of the whole stratigraphic series and, more specifically, of the techno­complexes most involved in this process of change, continuously manifest the direct link of the Castelperronian series and the ancient Protoaurignacian of Cjn 2 and, through it, with the general development of Aurignacoide leptholitic phyletic process, as well as its evident discontinuity with the Mousterian repertoire of Cj. Therefore, in the case of Gatzarria, it would seem more convenient to talk about break rather than transition in the process of typological evolution between Mousteroid and Aurignacoid industrial complexes.