Zooarchäologie

Angel Blanco-Lapaz

Address

Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeonvironment
Zooarchaeology and Archaeobotany Collections
Hölderlinstraße 12
72074 Tübingen

Office: Raum S316

angel.blanco-lapazspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de

Current Position

Since 06/2015: Collection Manager of the Zooarchaeology and Archaeobotany Collections (Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, SHEP). Coordinator of the Microvertebrate Working Group (MVWG) in ICAZ. Additional scientific editor of Journal of Palaeontological Techniques. Since 2021, PhD Candidate (Institute for Natural Scientific Archaeology, Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen).

Research Project

In order to clarify the origin of fish bone accumulations in European Paleolithic cave contexts, as well as to increase our knowledge of aquatic ecosystems and their role during not only this period but throughout human evolution, exhaustive studies of several Paleolithic sites of most ages in Germany (Swabian Jura, Hohle Fels, Hohlenstein Stadel) and the Iberian Peninsula (Cantabrian-Central region, El Salín Cave, Millán Cave), from a taphonomical, taxonomical, and ecological point of view, will be conducted.

The sites included in this study have been chosen for their high-resolution stratigraphy, their relevance as Paleolithic archaeological sites, and their accurate recovery of small remains. Sites presenting non-anthropogenic fish assemblages (Gran Dolina and Cueva de la Buena Pinta, Iberian Peninsula) are included for comparison.

I am working also on several fish assemblages from Pleistocene sites of the Iberian Peninsula (Barranco León, Fuentenueva 3 and Baza) and Germany (Helga Abri), Pliocene-Pleistocene site of Dmanisi (Republic of Georgia), Neolithic sites (La Draga, El Mirador) and Middle Age sites (El Catllar, Castell de Montsoriu).

Education

2021 – present

PhD Student

Institute for Natural Scientific Archaeology, Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen

2011-2021

Master of Prehistorical Archaeology

Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain

Committee: Dr. Maria Sana Seguí

Research title: “La ictioarqueologia en el marc de la recerca arqueológica. Els exemples dels jaciments arqueológics de la Draga i el Castell de Montsoriu”

2012

Tanatopraxis technician. Spanish Institute of Tanatopraxis

2011

Restoration (bones and fossils) technician. Escola de Restauració ECORE de Barcelona

2010

Plastination technician. Faculty of Veterinary. University of Murcia

2009

Taxidermy technician. Escuela Taller Taxidermia Lorenzo Campon. Cáceres, Spain

2003

Master of Experimental Geology

University of Barcelona, Spain

Committee: Dr. Rosa Domènech

Research title: “Optimització energética i mida cerebral a Canariomys bravoi (Muridae, Rodentia) del Plio-Pleistocè de les Illes Canàries”

1998-2003

Bachelor of Geology

Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain

Teaching

Instructor - “Betruung von Sammlungen”, 2016-present. Institut für Naturwissenschaftliche Archäologie, Universität Tübingen.

Instructor - “Microfauna from Archaeological Contexts“, 2017-present. Institut für Naturwissenschaftliche Archäologie, Universität Tübingen.

Laboratory, Heritage Management, Paleontology Work Experience

  • Since 06/2015: Collection Manager of the Zooarchaeology and Archaeobotany Collections (Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, SHEP).

  • 2014: Technician. IPHES (Tarragon, Spain).

  • 2012-2013: Tanatoprator. Serveis Funeraris Integrals (Barcelona, Spain)

  • 2012: Excavation director. Geoterna SL (Huesca, Spain). Restoration of two shark taxidermies (Natural History Museum of Madrid, Spain).

  • 2011: Excavation director. Geoterna SL (Sta. Perpètua de Mogoda, Spain). Several taxidermies and mounted skeletons (Aquarium of Barcelona, Museum of Moià, Zoo of Barcelona.

  • 2010: Paleontologist. Geoterna SL (Oligocene site of El Talladell, Lleida, Spain).

  • 2009-2011: Curatorial Preparator, Project Manager. Geoterna SL (Natural History Museum of Barcelona, Spain).

  • 2008: Excavation director. Geoterna SL (Sta. Perpètua de Mogoda, Olesa de Montserrat and Viladecavalls, Spain). Curatorial Preparator, Project Manager. Geoteran SL (Natural History Museum of Barcelona, Spain).

  • 2007. Preparator. Geoterna SL (Natural History Museum of Barcelona, Spain). Excavation director. Geoterna SL (Viladecavalls and Vallparadís, Spain)

  • 2006. Collection Manager. Geoterna SL (Catalan Insitute of Palaeontology, Sabadell, Spain)

Field Schools and Excavations

Since 2002, I have participated in several excavation campaigns in Spain (Barranco León, Baza, Quibas, Fuentenueva 3, Atapuerca, Venta Micena and Fumanya), Republic of Georgia (Dmanisi), South Africa (Sibudu) and Germany (Hohle Fels, Schafstall, Langmahdhalde).

Publications

Blanco-Lapaz, A., Martínez-Monzón, A., Blain, H-A., Cuenca-Bescós, G. 2021Early-Middle Pleistocene freshwater ecosystems in the Sierra de atapuerca (northern Iberia) based on the Gran Dolina fisch record. Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology. DOI:10.1016/j.palaeo.2021.110444

Starkovich, B.M., Cuthbertson, P., Kitagawa, K., Thompson, N.C., Konidaris, G.E., Rots, V., Münzel, S.C., Giusti, D., Schmid, V.C., Blanco-Lapaz, A., Lepers, C and Tourloukis, V.2020. Minimal Tools, Maximum Meat: A Pilot Experiment to Butcher an Elephant Foot and Make Elephant Bone Tools Using Lower Paleolithic Stone Tool Technology. Ethnoarchaeology. DOI:10.1080/19442890.2020.1864877

Blanco-Lapaz, A., Mata-González, M., Starkovich, B.M., Zeidi, M., Conard, N.J. 2020. The Microvertebrate Assemblage of Ghar-e Boof (Iran): New data for the Late Pleistoce Palaeoenvironmental Reconstruction of the Southern Zagros Mountains. Proceedings III MVWG Meeting. Tarragona 2020.

Agustí, J., Pinero, P., Furió, M., Blain, H-A., Blanco-Lapaz, A., Oms, O., Chochisvili, G., Lordkipanidze, D. 2020. Small vertebrates from the upper Miocene hominoid-bearing site of Udabno, Georgia. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2019.1716776

Blanco-Lapaz. A. 2019. 15. Fische in: Löwenmensch und mehr. 5. Die Grabungen 2009 bis 2013 in der Stadel-Höhle. Forschungen und Berichte zur Archäologie in Baden-Württemberg, Kind, C-J (Hrsg.)

Münzel, S.C., Hess, T., Blanco-Lapaz, A., Conard, N.J. 2019. Faunal remains of Helga Abri, a Late Magdalenian/Early Mesolithic rockshelter in the Ach Valley near Schelklingen (Swabian Jura). Proceedings of the Hugo Obermaier Meeting 2019.

Blain, H-A., Agustí, J., Lozano-Fernández, I., Pinero, P., Sánchez-Bandera, C., Jimémenez-Moreno, J.M. 2018. Investigating the paleoecological context of the earliest hominin settlement in western Europe using small vertebrates. Proceedings in 13th ICAZ. Paleoecology of the Quaternary using Microvertebrate records.

Antolín F., Berihuete, M., Blanco-Lapaz, A., Buxó, R., Garcia, L., Marlasca, R., Naarrete, V., Saña, M. and Verdún, E. 2018. El rebost domèstic i el rebost salvatge in La Revolució Neolítica. La Draga, el poblat dels prodigis. ISBN 9788439396505. pp 45-50

Blanco, A., Szabó, M., Blanco-Lapaz, A. and Marmi, J. 2017. Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Chondrichthyes and Osteichthyes from northeastern Iberia. Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology 465:278-294

Rey-Rodríguez, I., López-García, J.M., Bennàsar, M., Bañuls-Cardona, S., Blain, H-A., Blanco-Lapaz, A., Rodríguez-Alvárez, X-P., Lombera-Hermida, A., Díaz-Rodríguez, M., Ameijenda-Igleisas, A., Agustí, J., Fábregas-Valcarce, R. 2016. Last Neanderthals and first Anatomically Modern Humans in the NW Iberian Peninsula: Climatic and environmental conditions inferred from the Cova Eirós small-vertebrate assemblage during MIS 3. Quaternary Science Reviews 151:185-197

Blanco-Lapaz, A. and Vergès, J-M. 2016. Fish remains from the Neolithic site of El Mirador cave (Atapuerca, Spain): Seasonality and resource management. Comptes Rendus Palevol 15(6). DOI: 10.1016/j.crpv.2015.09.007

Blanco-Lapaz, A. and Solís, G. 2014. Restoration of mounted animals – new techniques in old taxidermies. Journal of Paleontological Techniques Special Volume 13:70-74

Blanco-Lapaz, A. 2009. Processing and mounting of a red neck ualabi skeleton (Macropus rufogriseus). Paleontologia I Evolució, Memòria especial 4(2009):169-173)

Blanco-Lapaz, A. and Orta, C. 2009. Naturalization of an ophidia (Eunectes murinus). Paleontologia I Evolució, Memòria especial 4(2009):241-244

Roqué, L., Blanco-Lapaz, A. and Orta, C. 2009. Falco tinnunculus skeleton preparation. Paleontologia i Evolució, memoria especial 4(2009):245-251

Blanco-Lapaz, A. 2005. Estudio de Canariomys bravoi (Crusafont y Petter, 1964) del Plio-Cuaternario de las Islas Canarias. Un ejemplo de evolución insular. Miscelánea Paleontológica SEPAZ, pp. 187-204