The work performed and achieved results, according to the project’s work packages (WPs), are as follows:
WP 1 (discover new sites): field surveys at different regions of the Tagus valley and, to a lesser extent, the Duero basin and the northern border of the Spanish plateau (see map below). The most relevant finds have been produced in the Sorbe valley, where at least 5 new Middle and potentially Upper Palaeolithic sites have been identified, and OSL dates on fluvial terraces have been obtained. Also, we have discovered a new Magdalenian site at the Charco Verde II rock shelter, which has yielded relevant data for the Last Glacial Maximum.
WP 2 (excavation, sampling and rock art recording): fieldwork campaigns at the sites of Peña Capón, Peña Cabra, Los Casares, El Reno and Charco Verde II. Also, we have collaborated with other research groups (mostly implementing radiocarbon dating, geomorphology, micromorphology, pollen and anthracological and techno-typological analyses) in the locations of Millán cave, Corazón cave, Marcenejas cave, Abrigo del Molino, Méndez Álvaro open-air site, Cañaveral open-air site, La Rebollosa open-air site, La Malia rock shelter, La Higuera cave, and Cueva Grande de Selas.
WP 3 (chronometric dating and Bayesian modeling): a total of 291 bone and charcoal samples, 31 sediment samples and 9 calcite crust samples have been collected for chronometric dating in 18 different archaeological sites. To date, we have obtained 158 radiocarbon dates, 8 OSL determinations and 4 Uranium-series dates.
WP 4 (palaeoecological analyses): Palaeoenvironmental reconstructions of several regions of inland Iberia from MIS 5 to MIS 2, based on pollen, anthracological, stable isotopes and phytolith analyses at 6 sites.
WP 5 (Techno-economic and symbolic studies): technological analyses of lithic assemblages from 6 sites, taphonomic and zooarchaeological studies from 4 sites and rock art recording in 6 sites. We have also conducted experiments on hunting techniques and production and use of lithic artifacts, as well as use-wear analyses of lithic artefacts.
WP 6 (Mobility and spatial analyses): studies on lithic raw material sourcing, mobility and social networks by means of textural, micropalaeontological and geochemical analyses of samples from 5 sites and a large number of outcrops across the Iberia and beyond. The results have shown unexpected far-reaching contacts and social networks ofnhunter-gatherers established in central Iberia during the Last Glacial Maximum.
WP 8 (Dissemination & communication): As of September 2025: 15 scientific papers, 8 book chapters and 17 conference proceedings, thus accounting for a total number of 40 publications (4 more are currently under review). 31 communications or lectures at international meetings, including conferences and workshops. The “II International MULTIPALEOIBERIA workshop”, held in Alcalá de Henares in May 2025, hosted 44 presentations and a volume edited by the PI will be published in late 2025 or early 2026.
In addition to social media, our work has been covered by a large number of TV, newspapers and radio station programs, including interviews to the PI and other team members. We have participated in 5 outreach activities, given 6 public lectures, and several University Masters programmes. We have contributed to the organization of a permanent exhibition in Tamajón (Guadalajara) and one temporal exhibition at the French National Museum of Prehistory (Les Eyzies-de-Tayac). Two PhD dissertations are currently ongoing, and two Master’s Thesis were completed in September 2025.
