Late Paleolithic whale bone tools reveal human and whale ecology in the Bay of Biscay
Reconstructing how prehistoric humans used the products obtained from large cetaceans is challenging, but key to understand the history of early human coastal adaptations. Here we report the multiproxy analysis (ZooMS, radiocarbon, stable isotopes) of worked objects made of whale bone, and unworked whale bone fragments, found at Upper Paleolithic sites (Magdalenian) around the Bay of Biscay. Taxonomic identification using ZooMS reveals at least five species of large whales, expanding the range of known taxa whose products were utilized by humans in this period. Radiocarbon places the use of whale products ca. 20-14 ka cal BP, with a maximum diffusion and diversity at 17.5-16 ka cal BP, making it the oldest evidence of whale-bone working to our knowledge. δ<sup>13</sup>C and δ<sup>15</sup>N stable isotope values reflect taxon-specific differences in foraging behavior. The diversity and chronology of these cetacean populations attest to the richness of the marine ecosystem of the Bay of Biscay in the late Paleolithic, broadening our understanding of coastal adaptations at that time.
Authors
- Estéban Álvarez Fernández (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7895-3421)
- Krista McGrath (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0692-1217)
- Claire Houmard (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7514-9262)
- Antoine Zazzo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7608-2207)
- Ana S. L. Rodrigues (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4775-0127)
- François-Xavier Chauvière (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2750-2281)
- François Thil (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1421-5742)
- Laura van der Sluis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6198-7935)
- Camilla Speller (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7128-9903)
- Leire Torres-Iglesias (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9109-4169)
- Morgane Dachary
- Eduardo Berganza (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5481-8631)
- François Baleux (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0029-9535)
- Elsa Duarte Matías (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2767-7049)
- Ana B. Marín‐Arroyo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3353-5581)
- Jean‐Marc Pétillon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4123-2361)
- Anne Charpentier (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8588-6001)
- Olivier Tombret (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6187-6706)
- Marco de la Rasilla Vives (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5505-0625)
- Jesús Tapia Sagarna (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6025-4190)
- Arnaud Lefèbvre (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1980-4546)
Institutions
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ES)
- University of Copenhagen (DK)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- University of Vienna (AT)
- Universidad de Cantabria (ES)
- University of British Columbia (CA)
- Université de Bordeaux (FR)
- École Pratique des Hautes Études (FR)
- Universidad de Oviedo (ES)
- Universidad de Salamanca (ES)
- Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (FR)
- Université de Montpellier (FR)
- Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (FR)
- Université Paris-Saclay (FR)
- Institute of Human Sciences (AT)
- Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive (FR)
- Laboratoire Chrono-Environnement (FR)
- De la Préhistoire à l'Actuel : Culture, Environnement et Anthropologie (FR)
- Musée Cantonal d'Archéologie et d'Histoire (CH)
- Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (FR)
- Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement (FR)
- CEA Paris-Saclay (FR)
- Ministère de la Culture (DZ)
- Travaux et Recherches Archéologiques sur les Cultures, les Espaces et les Sociétés (FR)
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR)
- Université de Franche-Comté (FR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2025-05-27
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59486-8
- Citations
- 9
- Primary Topic
- Marine animal studies overview
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 15.45
Funders
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche
- Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona