Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 January 2017
Nerja Cave is a karstic cavity used by humans from Late Paleolithic to post-Chalcolithic times. Remains of molluscan foods in the uppermost Pleistocene and Holocene sediments were studied with cluster analysis and principal components analysis, in bothQ and R modes. The results from cluster analysis distinguished interval groups mainly in accordance with chronology and distinguished assemblages of species mainly according to habitat. Significant changes in the shellfish diet through time were revealed. In the Late Magdalenian, most molluscs consumed consisted of pulmonate gastropods and species from sandy sea bottoms. The Epipaleolithic diet was more varied and included species from rocky shorelines. From the Neolithic onward most molluscs consumed were from rocky shorelines. From the principal components analysis inQ mode, the first factor reflected mainly changes in the predominant capture environment, probably because of major paleogeographic changes. The second factor may reflect selective capture along rocky coastlines during certain times. The third factor correlated well with the sea-surface temperature curve in the western Mediterranean (Alboran Sea) during the late Quaternary.