El grafismo rupestre paleolítico de la cueva de El Mirón (Ramales de la Victoria, Cantabria, Espa a): una propuesta para su datación estratigráfica

This article describes the rock art discovered in El Mirón Cave (Cantabria, Spain) during the course of excavations directed by LGS and MGM since 1996. The art consists of engravings: most are apparently non-representational in their currest condition, but there is one image of a horse and another of a possible bison. The engravings are all located at the rear of the large, sunlit vestibule of the cave, in intimate relationship with human habitation deposits. The horse and associated linear engravings on the cave wall can be attributed to the earlymiddle Magdalenian on the basis of style and practicable height above occupation surfaces of those periods. More precisely datable, two series of linear engravings on a large block can be assigned to the Lower Cantabrian Magdalenian, a period well-endowed with works of portable art, such as engraved scapulae, both at El Mirón and in many other regional sites. The block fell from the cave wall, its outer surface landing on Level 110, which is 14C-dated to 16,130 ± 250 and 16,520 ± 40 BP. Then the flat inner surface of the block was engraved. Next, the block and the engravings were progressively covered over by sediments pertaining to Middle, Upper and Terminal Magdalenian levels 14C-dated between ca. 14,500- 12,000 BP. In sum, the art discovered to date in El Mirón can be attributed to the early and middle Magdalenian period, although the site itself was inhabited by humans from at least late Middle Paleolithic through Medieval times. This article concludes by placing the Mirón parietal art within the context of the numerous other (but less-well dated) cave art manifestations in the river Asón basin of eastern Cantabria, including such notable sites as Venta de la Perra, Covalanas, La Haza and Cullalvera. Este artículo describe el arte parietal descubierto en la Cueva de El Mirón (Cantabria, Espa a) en el curso de las excavaciones dirigidas en el yacimiento por MGM y LGS desde 1996. El arte consiste en grabados, la mayoría de ellos aparentemente no figurativos en su estado actual, pero hay una imagen de un caballo y otra de un posible bisonte. Todos los grabados se localizan en el fondo del gran vestíbulo, a plena luz, en íntima relación con los depósitos de origen humano. El caballo y los grabados lineales asociados a él en las paredes de la cueva pueden atribuirse al Magdaleniense inferior o medio sobre la base de su estilo y de la altura practicable sobre las superficies de ocupación de estos períodos. Datables con mayor precisión son dos grupos de grabados lineales sobre un gran bloque que pueden asignarse a