Evaluating the effect of plowing on the archaeological record: The early middle palaeolithic in the river Duero basin plateaus (north-central Spain)

An abundant open-air Early Middle Palaeolithic record has been preserved in the Duero basin plateaus (Castilla y León region, north-central Spain). A long-term landscape archaeology project has been underway in this area and since 1996. A number of studies have been carried out in order to evaluate the role played by post-depositional factors in the refuse patterns observed. The main post-depositional disturbance forces are cultural ones and relate to the development of intensive, mechanized agriculture. The landscape project on the Duero basin plateaus constitutes the first case in the Iberian Peninsula in which the effects of plowing have been monitored from a wide variety of approaches in a single area and on a long-term basis. At the same time, this region offers a unique opportunity to evaluate the effect of plowing in Palaeolithic spatial patterns. This paper summarizes the main research lines on plowzone archaeology carried out between 1996 and 2007 within the landscape archaeology project undertaken in the Palaeolithic sites of the Duero plateaus and stresses the main assets of the archaeological record affected primarily by plowing.