Hunter-fisher-gatherers by the Cantabrian seashore: mesolithic shellfishing and logistical mobility in northern Iberia from an ethnographic and ethnohistorical perspective

Multidisciplinary investigations of archaeological assemblages from the Cantabrian region (coastal area in northern Iberian Peninsula) have been crucial in expanding our insight into the lifeways of the last foragers who inhabited the Atlantic façade of Europe. Despite recent methodological advances that have improved our understanding of Mesolithic littoral groups and shellfishing strategies, the archaeological record still limits a comprehensive reconstruction of these activities. It has generally been assumed that strict social aspects, including social organization, fall beyond our interpretative scope, as they do not crystallize in archaeological materiality. In contrast to the Americas, ethnographic and ethnohistorical knowledge has not been widely considered in Europe to address these issues, despite its significant potential to broaden the range of questions and hypotheses that can be posed to the archaeological record. This study presents a systematic review of Mesolithic sites in the Cantabrian region, identifies existing challenges related to shellfish exploitation, and explores these issues through the example of ethnohistoric sources and the ethnography of Tierra del Fuego (southern Argentina and Chile).