Ash areas of the Middle Pleistocene at Cova Negra (Xàtiva, Spain): the microstratigraphic sequence of level VIII

Abstract The study of the uses of fire and of the domestic activities linked to them is necessary for a bettter understanding of the relations and behaviors of the Neanderthal groups in southern Europe during the Middle Pleistocene. The analysis of the microstratigraphy of level VIII at Cova Negra, dated between 206–255 ka which situates it in the MIS 7 interglacial complex, has enabled us to identify several distinct microfacies which present different plant compositions. Those remains that stand out have a predominance of Gramineae deposited as bedding at the top of the sequence. Between the microfacies of combustion that have been established, coprolites of carnivores have been identified, related to periods of abandonment by the human populations. The record of all these processes in level VIII at Cova Negra leads us to new approaches concerning the vision that we hold of the first Neanderthals in relation to Mediterranean Iberia. Matters such as the preparation of zones for cleaning or for resting in place perhaps formed part of the behavior of these groups of early Neanderthals.