Settlement patterns during the Magdalenian in the south-eastern Pyrenees, Iberian Peninsula. A territorial study based on GIS

Abstract The territorial characteristics and environmental factors involved in the selection of a specific site for establishing a settlement are key features in the analysis of hunter-gatherers' knowledge of (and dominance over) their surroundings and in the attempts to understand the survival strategies that they deployed. This paper presents a macrospatial analysis using GIS tools, which provides an objective comparison of territorial variables at several Magdalenian archaeological sites located in the south-eastern Pyrenees (NE Iberia). To establish the settlement patterns, we analyse territorial values: orientation, elevation, slope, sites aspect (caves, rock shelters or open air) and distance from rivers. With the data obtained, we create solar radiation models, construct groups of sites according to visibility, and calculate the displacement costs of mobility. The results suggest a series of different settlement patterns during the Magdalenian. The visibility of rivers from the archaeological sites and potential sunlight are characteristic features throughout the period, but the distance between rivers and settlements decreases diachronically. Comparison of the climate models indicates that settlements in the vicinity of the river were more frequent at times with evidence of low rainfall. Likewise, the costs of displacement from the surrounding territory to the archaeological sites increase; access to the Lower Magdalenian sites is easier, and access to the Upper Magdalenian sites much more difficult.