From under the bulldozer's claws: the EE15 Late Gravettian occupation surface of the Lagar Velho rock-shelter

Abstract

Between 2000 and 2004, field seasons at the Lagar Velho rock-shelter (Lapedo valley, Leiria, Portugal) were dedicated to the excavation of strata preserved from the destruction that had affected the site prior to the discovery of its archaeological potential in December 1998. Those years of excavation confirmed that several archaeological contexts were spared, some with limited post-depositional disturbance and excellent preservation of the original spatial organization of the settlement. This paper presents preliminary results of the ongoing analysis of a short-term Gravettian occupation of the shelter, Geoarcheological Field Unit EE15, dated to c. 22,500 bp. A medium-scale overview of settlement organization is given.