An international research team has presented new findings on Cueva de Chaves at Bastarás (Huesca). The study, published in September 2026 in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology shows that groups in the Magdaleniense around 15,000 years ago adapted their hunting to seasonal cycles in their prey and to local landscape conditions. The research involved specialists from the Universidad de Zaragoza, the Università di Pisa and the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle.
The analysis is based on tooth and bone remains of the Iberian ibex Capra pyrenaica from a Magdaleniense layer excavated in the 1980s and 1990s by Pilar Utrilla . Tooth age estimates and mortality profiles are combined with stable isotope measurements (δ13C, δ18O). According to the authors, these data provide insights into the animals’ breeding seasons, seasonal movement patterns and habitat use. From this, they infer recurring hunting periods in particular seasons, suggesting detailed knowledge of the terrain and the availability of game.
The findings fit with the picture of highly specialised hunting strategies in the foothills of the Pyrenees in Aragon and refine interpretations of the environment and settlement patterns of the Late Upper Palaeolithic in the region. The study also highlights the importance of collections from older excavations: part of the archaeological context at Chaves was later destroyed, giving particular weight to the systematic analysis of archived material.
The paper distinguishes between observations, attributions and interpretations: the seasonal patterns in the Capra data and evidence of repeated hunting in the same areas are empirically established. Hypotheses about social organisation, group size and annual mobility are explicitly described as provisional and put forward for further research. Methodologically, the team highlights its combination of age profiles, dental isotope analysis and archaeological context analysis, which it says could also be applied to other sites in the region.
Cueva de Chaves, one of north-eastern Spain’s most important prehistoric sites, is once again in the spotlight. The findings provide a robust basis for future, more detailed modelling of migration routes, seasonal use of campsites and resource sharing in the Magdaleniense of the upper Ebro region. For regional research in Huesca, the study shows how interdisciplinary approaches and international collaborations can produce new findings even when fieldwork took place long ago or archaeological contexts have been damaged.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).