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Image Credit: Pérez-García de los Salmones et al., PLOS One (2026)
Paleolithic Ornaments Reveal Identity and Mobility in Northern Spain
A new archaeological study has examined personal ornaments from Llonín Cave in Asturias, northern Spain, offering new insight into identity, mobility, and social connections among Upper Paleolithic hunter-gatherer groups. The research analyzes the largest and most diverse ornament assemblage known from the Cantabrian region, spanning from the Upper Solutrean to the Azilian, roughly 21,800 to 11,000 years ago.
Personal ornaments are considered important evidence for symbolic behaviour, social identity, and communication in Paleolithic societies. The Cantabrian region, located along the northern coast of the Iberian Peninsula, was a major area of human occupation and interaction during the Upper Paleolithic. It also served as a climatic refugium during the Last Glacial Maximum.
The study analyzed 271 items from Llonín Cave, including marine shells, mammal teeth, bone fragments, fish vertebrae, and one fossil ornament. Most of the assemblage consists of shells and red deer canines, but the collection also includes ornaments made from the teeth or bones of animals such as horse, ibex, wolf, fox, and bovines.
Researchers used taxonomic, biometric, taphonomic, and use-wear analyses to understand how the ornaments were made, used, and obtained. The results show that the ornaments were not random objects, but carefully selected and modified items. Many shells had been perforated, polished, or worn through suspension, while some teeth and bones show drilling, cutting, or shaping marks.
The study identifies changes through time in the role of Llonín Cave. During some periods, especially the Upper Solutrean, the site appears to have received a wide variety of ornaments and raw materials. During the Middle Magdalenian, the evidence points more strongly to local production and standardized manufacture, especially of shell ornaments.
Marine shells found at the inland cave also indicate connections between coastal and inland zones. This suggests that hunter-gatherer groups moved across the landscape or maintained exchange networks that connected the coast with interior valleys. The presence of ornaments made from selected animal teeth and shells reflects not only mobility, but also choices related to identity and social display.
The study also highlights the symbolic importance of ornament production. Unfinished pieces and manufacturing traces show that some ornaments were produced inside the cave. Ochre residues on many ornaments may reflect contact with painted hides, clothing, or cords, and possibly deliberate coloring in some cases.
Overall, the research shows that ornaments at Llonín Cave were part of complex social practices. They helped express identity, maintain connections, and possibly signal group belonging among Upper Paleolithic communities in northern Spain.
Published on: 09-06-2026
Edited by: Abdulmnam Samakie
Source: PLOS One
