Recently the incorporation of artificial intelligence has allowed the development of valuable methodological advances in taphonomy. Some studies have achieved great precision in identifying the carnivore that produced tooth marks. Additionally, other works focused on human activity have managed to specify what type of tool or raw material was used in the filleting processes identified at the sites. Through the use of geometric morphometrics and machine learning techniques, the present study intends to analyze the cut marks of the Ulaca oppidum (Solosancho, Ávila, Spain) in order to identify the type of tools used during carcass modification. Although the Ulaca oppidum is an Iron Age site, the results suggest that most of the cut marks were produced with flint tools.

The Vettones were one of the most important Celtic peoples of the Late Iron Age in Western Iberia (between the Duero and Tagus Rivers). It is a period recognised from the spread of the cremation ritual in the cemeteries, the development of iron metallurgy, and the emergence of large fortified settlements—the characteristic oppida—that would finally be abandoned with the conquest of Hispania by Rome. Different types of evidence suggest that the Vetton economy was based on livestock. Palaeobotanical and carpological analyses reveal a major deforestation of the landscape, the conversion of large areas into pastures and cultivated fields, and the use of enclosures as cattle pens. The stone sculptures of bulls and pigs found throughout the mountainous areas of the region—the famous verracos—also reflect the value the Vettones placed on livestock. However, there have been very few studies devoted to the identification of faunal remains. In this text, we offer previously unpublished data on the animals found in the oppidum of Ulaca (Solosancho, Ávila, Spain), one of the largest in Celtic Iberia (third–first centuries BC), which we relate to other evidence from neighbouring sites. Thus, the state of the research into Vetton zooarchaeology is offered in the broader context of the Iberian Peninsula.

Prehistoric societies may be studied from a variety of perspectives and areas. Material culture can be indicative of social, symbolic, economic or religious aspects, among others, embedding the main elements in a society. Different techniques inform about chronology or the palaeoenvironmental conditions of the time. This article discusses some socioeconomic activities of the societies settled in the Tajo middle basin during the Iron Age, through the zooarchaeological study of seven unpublished sites.