Se analizan tecno-tipológicamente las industrias líticas, mayoritariamente elaborada sobre cuarcitas, del yacimiento paleolítico al aire libre de Tarazona III (2.479 piezas líticas), formando parte de la Secuencia Paleolítica del Guadalquivir, que abarca el final del Pleistoceno Medio e inicios del Pleistoceno Superior (129 ka y <104 ka). Se identifican las cadenas operativas del yacimiento, desde la selección de materias primas hasta la fabricación de los útiles con percutor duro. Son cadenas dirigidas especialmente a la obtención de pequeñas lascas (<5 cm), lo que refuerza la selección del tamaño del canto rodado, con patrones de reducción de núcleos elementales, buena representación de los centrípetos y baja presencia del levallois. La serie de N3 es muy equilibrada y completa; y relativamente completas las de N1 y N2 lo que sugiere, o bien la preconfiguración de las cadenas operativa en otros lugares cercanos y el transporte de los productos de talla al yacimiento; o, en N1, el desplazamiento hidro-geomorfológico de las piezas de dimensiones más reducidas. La proporción útiles lasca/lasca es del 24% (N2) y 34,7% (N3), esto es, en los niveles posteriores a 104 ka BP. Esta proporción junto a la baja variabilidad de los tipos sobre lasca, la exigua o nula presencia de macroútiles, define la industria de Tarazona III, como uno de los yacimientos representativos del Paleolítico Medio Antiguo (PMA) del Valle del Guadalquivir.

The Spanish Merino is the most significant sheep breed globally due to its economic and cultural importance in human history. It has also had a substantial influence on the development of other Merino and Merino-derived breeds. Historical sources indicate that crossbreeding to produce finer, higher-quality wool was already taking place in the south of the Iberian Peninsula during the Roman era. This evidence suggests that individuals with a racial pattern very similar to that of the modern Merino may have already existed on the peninsula. The presence of the skeletal remains of these animals at various human settlements dated to the late fourth and third millennia BC could provide insights into the genomics of these ancestral sheep. This study analyses ancient DNA extracted from nine skeletal remains from three archaeological sites in Southern Iberia, dated to the third millennium BC. The samples were sequenced and aligned with the ovine genome. The genetic distances observed among the samples indicate a closer relationship between several animals from the Marinaleda (Seville) and Grañena Baja (Jaén) sites. The study of the slaughter/death age profiles identified at La Minilla (La Rambla, Córdoba) suggests an approach centred on meat exploitation, while the data from Marinaleda (Seville) and Grañena Baja (Jaén) indicate the potential exploitation of secondary resources. A review of the composition of these small ruminant herds could provide insights into the type of secondary resource exploitation that may have been prioritised. Our aim is to investigate the presence of distinct production systems, differentiating between those aimed primarily at meat use and those focused on secondary products. This is the first approach to exploring the genetic evidence for sheep livestock related to its productive use during this period and in this geographical area.

En este trabajo se presenta el estado de la cuestión y nuevos hallazgos sobre la constatación arqueológica de la presencia de dromedario, Camelus dromedarius L., en el sur de al-Andalus. De igual modo, se aborda el uso al que fueron destinados a partir del análisis de las noticias aportadas por las fuentes escritas, así como una primera aproximación a la significación simbólica de este animal. Por otra parte, se evidencia que la mayoría de las manipulaciones observadas en los restos óseos de dromedario analizados estaría relacionada con la fabricación de distintos utensilios de hueso. En cuanto a la distribución geográfica que alcanzaron estos animales en la península ibérica y su aumento o disminución en al-Andalus, concluimos que estuvieron presentes a lo largo del periodo islámico.

Context: The coast of Málaga is one of the core areas for the Neolithic in southern Iberia with the earliest occupations dating to the middle of the 8th millennium cal BP. From the outset, evidence shows a fully developed and highly diversified system of agriculture and animal husbandry. The palaeoenvironmental conditions during this period in the southern Iberian Peninsula reveal phases of aridity. Objectives: This study aims to understand how Neolithic communities adapted to these adverse environmental conditions. It also explores the role of wild resources and seasonal patterns in subsistence strategies. Methods: A multiproxy approach was applied, combining regional palaeoenvironmental data with archaeological, archaeofaunal, archaeobotanical and anthropological evidence. The analysis focuses on sites located near aquifer discharges. Results: Fully developed and highly diversified agriculture and herding practices are documented from the earliest Neolithic phases. The challenges posed by arid conditions appear to have been mitigated by settlement in areas linked to major aquifer outlets and by the cultivation of drought-resistant cereals. Multiple lines of evidence suggest a seasonal pattern of occupation, primarily from late autumn to early summer, when marine resources were likely exploited. Neolithic groups may have engaged in regular hunting and gathering activities or maintained interactions with local Epipalaeolithic–Mesolithic populations. Agricultural and pastoral management emerge as key factors for evaluating the contribution of wild resources to their subsistence. Conclusions: The integration of environmental, archaeological and biological records provides a more holistic perspective and better understanding of Neolithic economy and society along the Málaga coast between c. 7.6th—5th millennium cal BP, offering insights into subsistence strategies under arid conditions in a coastal setting.

The adoption of horse riding profoundly reshaped mobility, exchange, and socio-economic organization, yet identifying early ridden horses in Iberian archaeological contexts remains challenging due to the poor preservation of tack and other perishable equipment. Here we present an exceptional equine cranial specimen from the Late Bronze Age site of Castillo Reyes (Pinto, Madrid, central Iberia), assigned to the Cogotas I horizon and directly dated by radiocarbon. The rostral skull fragment displays a well-developed groove on the dorsal margin and medial surface of the nasal process of the incisive bone. This feature is consistent with mechanically induced bone remodelling linked to prolonged pressure and friction in the nasal region, as documented in modern ridden horses and interpreted as a marker associated with early bridle/noseband control. The specimen was analysed using radiography, multidetector computed tomography, and 3D volume rendering to quantify groove position (relative to the nasoincisive notch and incisival length) and maximum depth. In addition, sequential stable isotope analyses of adult horse tooth enamel were conducted at millimetre-scale resolution, yielding 179 paired measurements of enamel carbonate δ13C and δ18O. Enamel δ13C values indicate a diet dominated by C3 plant resources, whereas enamel δ18O exhibits wide intra- and inter-individual variability. Several horses show isotopically homogeneous profiles consistent with local residency, while others present structured intradental shifts incompatible with sustained formation under a single local water signature, supporting individual mobility across climatically distinct regions. Taken together, osteological and isotopic evidence indicates the presence of domesticated, ridden horses and mixed local/non-local individuals at Castillo Reyes during the Late Bronze Age, highlighting the value of integrating cranial activity markers and sequential enamel isotopes to reconstruct early horse management, movement, and exchange in Iberia.