In particular this line studies the coexistence of the two identities and their respective origins in Africa and Europe to test the classic hypothesis postulating an evolutionary relationship between the two (a), against the alternative hypothesis (b) that they are two independent technocomplexes, between which there were a variety of interconnections of a non-evolutionary nature in the final third of the Middle Pleistocene.

Also it is focused in studying the ways of life of the Neanderthals, with special emphasis on the more recent moments (end of Middle Paleolithic and Châtelperronian) to understand the complex nature of these populations and the causes and processes that ended in their extinction. Finally, we also address questions about the processes of change in the Upper Paleolithic, the mobility of populations, the links with broader cultural groups, the development of symbolic activities and the specific adaptation to the changing landscapes and climates of the Iberian Peninsula during the Upper Pleistocene.

Thematic lines:

• Definition of nature, entity and chronology of the Acheulean and Middle Paleolithic technocomplexes in SW Europe (Manuel Santonja, Susana Rubio).
• Territory Occupation in the interior of the Iberian Peninsula at the end of the Late Pleistocene (Manuel Santonja, Susana Rubio).