Beginnings, settlement and consolidation of the production economy in the Basque region

Abstract The introduction of the Neolithic cultural and economic practices in the Basque region has been traditionally understood as a late process, in parallel to the achievement of the production of the first metals in neighbouring areas where the production economy has been considered to arrive much earlier. This paper presents an updated view of the beginnings and consolidation of the Neolithic practices in the Basque area and the current state of knowledge based on data from recent excavations and advances in 14 C dating and micro/macro-plant remains, fauna, lithic raw materials, artefact and micromorphological analysis. The results challenge traditional interpretations and provide a timeframe and cultural and palaeoenvironmental characterisation of the Early, Middle and Late Neolithic periods in the region through data currently available from rockshelter, cave and open-air site deposits.