Core Team

Prof. Dr. Manuel Alcaraz-Castaño

Dr. Manuel Alcaraz-Castaño is the Principal Investigator of the MULTIPALEOLIBERIA Project. He is a Ph.D. in Prehistory (University of Alcalá, Spain) and currently a Lecturer at the Prehistory Area of the University of Alcalá (Spain). His main research revolves around human-environment interactions, population dynamics and settlement patterns of hunter-gatherers during the last glacial cycle. He has wide experience in lithic analysis, rock art and archaeological fieldwork. His Ph.D. dissertation focused on the study of epistemic and external factors influencing the historical interpretations on the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition controversy. Together with Prof. Alcolea-González, he currently coordinates fieldworks at the Middle Palaeolithic sites of Los Casares cave and the Peña Cabra rock shelter, as well as at the Upper Paleolithic site of Peña Capón.

Prof. Dr. Javier Alcolea-González

Dr. Javier Alcolea is Senior Lecturer in Prehistory at the University of Alcalá since March 2001. He has carried out most of his scientific work on the study of prehistoric graphic expressions, with special emphasis on those of the Paleolithic age. He has also actively participated in several projects focused on the Post-Paleolithic rock art in Iberia, including booth schematic, megalithic and levantine styles. His research has been mainly centered in inland Iberia and the Cantabrian region, where, together with Prof. Rodrigo de Balbín-Behrmann, he made relevant contributions both to our understanding of the chrono-cultural development of Palaeolithic art, and the Palaeolithic open-air graphic phenomenon. His latest research is focused on the chronology, cultural context and techniques of production of prehistoric rock art, including the identification of pigments and the chronometric dating of cave paintings.

Dr. María de Andrés-Herrero

Dr. María de Andrés-Herrero is a Ph.D. in Prehistoric Archaeology (University of Cologne, Germany) and currently a Postdoc Research Fellow at the Universify of Alcalá (Spain). Her research is mainly focused on spatial analysis of Middle and Upper Palaeolithic sites in the Iberian Peninsula. She uses several GIS-based approaches for reconstructing hunter-gatherers’ behavior, including Site Catchment Analysis, Least Cost Paths, Species Distribution Modelling, among others. She is the co-director of fieldworks at the Mousterian sites of Abrigo del Molino and Abrigo de San Lázaro (Segovia, Central Iberia).

Samuel Castillo Jiménez (M. Sc.)

Samuel Castillo is a PhD student and pre-doc researcher at the University of Alcalá (Spain), conducting a thesis focused on the Solutrean settlement of inland Iberia based on the study of lithic assemblages. His skills include experimental archaeology and lithic technology. He studied his Master in Archaeology in the Basque Country University, with a special focus on Prehistory and Upper Paleolithic technology. He has participated in several archaeological excavations in Spain and Nicaragua.

Dr. Luis de Luque

Dr. Luis Luque is a Ph.D. in Geological Sciences (Complutense University of Madrid, Spain) and currently a Postdoc Research Fellow at the Universify of Alcalá (Spain). He has wide experience in the geological interpretation of archaeological sites, mainly in the Pleistocene basins of the Great Rift Valley in Africa. He has worked on the geomorphology, stratigraphy, sedimentology, dating and palaeoenvironmental analysis of several Lower Pleistocene sites in Tanzania as well as Cenozoic and Mesozoic palaeontological sites in Spain.

Guillermo Jiménez-Gisbert

Guillermo is a Research Assistant for the Multipaleoiberia proyect. After several years working as archaeologist in the United Kingdom, he has joined the team to help with the digital workflow of our research. His main focus are virtual archaeology and the implementation of digital reconstructions to the archaeological record. He uses a variety of techniques such as photogrammetry, 3D modeling and laser scanner, among others. He has worked in several archaeological excavations in Spain and Russia.