2020 Ph.D. in Prehistoric Archeology
2013 M.Sc. "Archaeological Sciences"
2011 B.A. “Prehistory, Early History and Medieval Archaeology”, Minor: “Paleoanthropology”
RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS
Archeology, Anthropology
13
Scopus Publications
621
Scholar Citations
11
Scholar h-index
14
Scholar i10-index
Scopus Publications
Tracing prehistoric pastoral occupation in Dhofar: New Chronological, archaeological and faunal insights from Laheem, southern Oman Yamandú H. Hilbert, Jeanne Marie Geiling, Gabriele Russo, Roman Garba, Lee J. Arnold, Dominik Chlachula, Scott Mclin, Marya Soubra, Ash Parton, Nicholas Sutton, David Alsop, Dana Munnik, Riley Flood, Ari Phelan-World, Jessica Hall, Kira Otterbach, Ali Ahmad al-Kathiri, Matthew Meredith-Williams Journal of Archaeological Science Reports, 2026 • New multidisciplinary data on Middle Holocene pastoralism in Dhofar, Oman. • Radiocarbon modelling shows site use from ∼ 4950 to 1000 BCE. • Well-preserved faunal assemblage reveals cattle and caprine exploitation. • Evidence for on-site butchery, marrow extraction, and meat processing. • Peak occupation intensity identified between ∼ 4200–2450 BCE. The prehistoric occupation of Dhofar, Southern Oman, was facilitated by the Indian Summer Monsoon, which engulfs the Dhofar Mountains and the Salalah coastal plain annually with a thick fog that condenses across the southern-facing slopes of the mountains. Current traditional herding practices demonstrate the potential of this territory for its pastoral usage, which goes back to the Neolithic period and has been recorded on the coastal plain, the mountain slopes and the desert interior of southern Arabia. These are mostly known from megalithic structures and flint knapping sites, which have poor potential for preserving organic remains. The limited archaeological information on subsistence practices, due to the lack of faunal data, places considerable constraints on our understanding of cattle, goat and/or sheep pastoralism in southern Oman between 4500-1000 BCE . This paper presents a reconstruction of subsistence and mobility patterns from the Late Neolithic and the Early Bronze Age units of the Laheem site using a multidisciplinary approach. The site presents a nearly four-meter-thick organic deposit with seven archaeological layers. Bayesian modelling of a radiocarbon dated charcoal sequence reveals an accumulation history extending from 4950-3921 BCE ( 6899-5870 calBP) (Unit 7) to 1938-972 BCE ( 3887-2921 calBP) (Unit 2), with a period of intense human activity between 4166 and 2450 BCE ( 6115 – 4399 calBP) (Unit 6). A well-preserved faunal assemblage, including bovids and ovicaprids, was excavated and analysed, indicating mainly anthropogenic use of the site from the Middle Holocene onwards, as reflected in the presence of diverse stone tools used for cutting and scraping organic material.
A sedimentary ancient DNA perspective on human and carnivore persistence through the Late Pleistocene in El Mirón Cave, Spain Pere Gelabert, Victoria Oberreiter, Lawrence Guy Straus, Manuel Ramón González Morales, Susanna Sawyer, Ana B. Marín-Arroyo, Jeanne Marie Geiling, Florian Exler, Florian Brueck, Stefan Franz, Fernanda Tenorio Cano, Sophie Szedlacsek, Evelyn Zelger, Michelle Hämmerle, Brina Zagorc, Alejandro Llanos-Lizcano, Olivia Cheronet, José-Miguel Tejero, Thomas Rattei, Stephan M. Kraemer, Ron Pinhasi Nature Communications, 2025 Caves are primary sites for studying human and animal subsistence patterns and genetic ancestry throughout the Palaeolithic. Iberia served as a critical human and animal refugium in Europe during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), 26.5 to 19 thousand years before the present (cal kya). Therefore, it is a key location for understanding human and animal population dynamics during this event. We recover and analyse sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) data from the lower archaeological stratigraphic sequence of El Mirón Cave (Cantabria, Spain), encompassing the (1) Late Mousterian period, associated with Neanderthals, and (2) the Gravettian (c. 31.5 cal kya), Solutrean (c. 24.5–22 cal kya), and Initial Magdalenian (d. 21–20.5 cal kya) periods, associated with anatomically modern humans. We identify 28 animal taxa including humans. Fifteen of these taxa had not been identified from the archaeozoological (i.e., faunal) record, including the presence of hyenas in the Magdalenian. Additionally, we provide phylogenetic analyses on 70 sedaDNA mtDNA genomes of fauna including the densest Iberian Pleistocene sampling of C. lupus. Finally, we recover three human mtDNA sequences from the Solutrean levels. These sequences, along with published data, suggest mtDNA haplogroup continuity in Iberia throughout the Solutrean/Last Glacial Maximum period.
Palaeoecology of ungulates in northern Iberia during the Late Pleistocene through isotopic analysis of teeth Mónica Fernández-García, Sarah Pederzani, Kate Britton, Lucía Agudo-Pérez, Andrea Cicero, Jeanne Marie Geiling, Joan Daura, Montserrat Sanz, Ana B. Marín-Arroyo Biogeosciences, 2024 During the Late Pleistocene, stadial and interstadial fluctuations affected vegetation, fauna, and human groups that were forced to cope with these pronounced spatial–temporal climatic and environmental changes. These changes were especially abrupt during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3. Here, we reconstruct the climatic trends in northern Iberia considering the stable isotopic composition of ungulate skeletal tissue found in archaeological deposits dated between 80 and 15 ka cal BP. The carbon and oxygen isotopic composition preserved in the carbonate fraction of tooth enamel provides a reliable and high-resolution proxy of the food and water consumed by these animals, which is indirectly related to the local vegetation, environment, and climate, allowing us to estimate palaeotemperatures and rainfall intensity. This study presents new isotope data from 44 bovine, equid, and cervid teeth from five archaeological sites in the Vasco-Cantabrian region (El Castillo, Axlor, Labeko Koba, Aitzbitarte III interior, and El Otero) and one in northeastern Iberia (Canyars), where human evidence is attested from the Mousterian to the Magdalenian. The carbon isotope values reflect animals feeding on diverse C3 plants in open environments and point to differentiated ecological niches for equids and bovines, especially during the Aurignacian in the Vasco-Cantabrian region. Temperature estimations based on oxygen isotopic compositions and rainfall obtained from carbon isotopic compositions indicate colder and more arid conditions than nowadays for the human occupations from the Late Mousterian to the Aurignacian. The contemporary northeastern Iberian site shows slightly lower temperatures related to an arid period when animals mainly grazed in open landscapes. In the Vasco-Cantabrian region, during MIS 2, the Gravettian data reflect a landscape opening, whereas the Magdalenian points to warmer (but still arid) conditions.
Late Pleistocene Neanderthal exploitation of stable and mosaic ecosystems in northern Iberia shown by multi-isotope evidence Sarah Pederzani, Kate Britton, Jennifer Rose Jones, Lucía Agudo Pérez, Jeanne Marie Geiling, Ana B. Marín-Arroyo Quaternary Research United States, 2023 During the last glacial period, rapidly changing environments posed substantial challenges to Neanderthal populations in Europe. Southern continental regions, such as Iberia, have been proposed as important climatic “buffer” zones during glacial phases. Contextualising the climatic and ecological conditions Neanderthals faced is relevant to interpreting their resilience. However, records of the environments and ecosystems they exploited across Iberia exhibit temporal and spatial gaps in coverage. Here we provide new evidence for palaeotemperatures, vegetation structure, and prey herbivore ecology during the late Pleistocene (MIS 5–3) in northern Spain, by applying multiple stable isotope tracers (δ18O, δ13C, δ15N, δ34S) to herbivore skeletal remains associated with Neanderthal occupations at Axlor Cave, Bizkaia. The results show little change over time and indicate stable climatic conditions and ecosystems across different occupations. Large within-layer isotopic variability in nitrogen and sulphur suggests the presence of a mosaic environment and a variety of isotopic ecotones that were exploited by Neanderthals and their prey. We implement a combination of carbonate and phosphate δ18O measurements to estimate palaeotemperatures using a cost-effective workflow. We show that the targeted use of phosphate δ18O measurements to anchor summer peak and winter trough areas enables high-precision seasonal palaeoclimatic reconstructions.
Deciphering archaeological palimpsests with bone micro-fragments from the Lower Magdalenian of El Mirón cave (Cantabria, Spain) Jeanne Marie Geiling, Ana B. Marín-Arroyo, Lawrence G. Straus, Manuel R. González Morales Historical Biology, 2018 Modern excavation techniques aim accurately to recover extant archaeological data. Usually bone micro-fragments are gathered as a result, however, during archaeological analysis these remains are often set apart as indeterminate bones and generally do not contribute to the interpretation of the deposits. How to decipher archaeological palimpsests using these small bone fragments is the aim of this paper. El Mirón Cave, located in northern Iberia, contains a very rich Cantabrian Lower Magdalenian deposit (17–15 uncal ka BP) with high densities of faunal remains and artefacts. Here, we present zooarchaeological, taphonomic and spatial distribution analyses of macromammal finds, including those small bone fragments, accumulated during a series of intensive and repeated human occupations found in the outer vestibule excavation area. Our results show that a broad spectrum of activities was performed there, including meat, marrow and grease processing and waste abandonment. We propose that bone micro-fragments must be considered when addressing human subsistence reconstructions from animal remains, as they represent the leftovers of the chaîne opératoire of animal carcass exploitation. The archaeological implications of their inclusion are extremely valuable, especially when deciphering palimpsests. A multidisciplinary approach to study these small animal remains provides information that otherwise would be missed.
The Lower Magdalenian osseous industry from level 17 in El Mirón Cave (Ramales de la Victoria, Cantabria): A preliminary overview Lawrence Guy STRAUS, Jeanne-Marie GEILING, Manuel GONZÁLEZ MORALES Zephyrus, 2018 Level 17 is the principal Cantabrian Lower Magdalenian horizon in the outer vestibule area of El Miron Cave, dating by radiocarbon to c. 15,500 uncal bp. It has yielded very rich faunal and artifactual collections associated with numerous hearths and abundant fire-cracked rocks. Among the many osseous artifacts are a striation-engraved red deer scapula and a spearthrower reported on elsewhere. This article presents a description and preliminary typological and metric analyses of the antler points, bone needles and other artifacts, as well as of the supports for the production of osseous items, namely antlers and bones with evidence of extractions. The sagaies include many that are characteristic of this period in this region –quadrangular sections, single-bevel bases, geometric engraved designs, including tectiforms–. Production, use –huntingand domestic-related–, reuse and discard of osseous artifacts were major activities during the long period of repeated human occupation of El Miron during Oldest Dryas.
Tracing prehistoric pastoral occupation in Dhofar: New Chronological, archaeological and faunal insights from Laheem, southern Oman YH Hilbert, JM Geiling, G Russo, R Garba, LJ Arnold, D Chlachula, ... Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 72, 105728 , 2026 2026
Late Pleistocene Settlement Dynamics in the Cantabrian Region: Integrating Radiocarbon Evidence and Climatic Shifts JM Geiling 5th Virtual Conference for Women Archaeologists and Paleontologists (online … , 2025 2025
Human subsistence in a montane ecotone habitat during the Lower Magdalenian c. 19,000–18,000 years ago: The case of El Mirón cave (Cantabria, Spain) JM Geiling, AB Marin-Arroyo, LG Straus, MR González Morales Quaternary Science Reviews 350, 109133 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
Author Correction: A sedimentary ancient DNA perspective on human and carnivore persistence through the Late Pleistocene in El Mirón Cave, Spain P Gelabert, V Oberreiter, LG Straus, MRG Morales, S Sawyer, ... nature communications 16, 779 , 2025 2025
A sedimentary ancient DNA perspective on human and carnivore persistence through the Late Pleistocene in El Mirón Cave, Spain P Gelabert, V Oberreiter, LG Straus, MRG Morales, S Sawyer, ... Nature Communications 16 (1), 107 , 2025 2025 Citations: 19
Palaeoecology of ungulates in northern Iberia during the Late Pleistocene through isotopic analysis of teeth M Fernández-García, S Pederzani, K Britton, L Agudo-Pérez, A Cicero, ... Biogeosciences 21 (19), 4413-4437 , 2024 2024 Citations: 13
Multifactorial Analysis for reconstructing human subsistence during the Lower Magdalenian at the montane site of El Mirón (Cantabria,Spain) LG Geiling, J.M., Marín-Arroyo, A.B., González- Morales, M.R., Straus Alpha and Omega. The emergende and diappearance of Middle Paleolithic … , 2024 2024
Late Pleistocene Neanderthal exploitation of stable and mosaic ecosystems in northern Iberia shown by multi-isotope evidence S Pederzani, K Britton, JR Jones, LA Pérez, JM Geiling, AB Marín-Arroyo Quaternary Research 116, 108-132 , 2023 2023 Citations: 11
Seasonality of human occupations in el Mirón cave: late upper Paleolithic hunter-gatherer settlement-Subsistence Systems in Cantabrian Spain AB Marín-Arroyo, JM Geiling, EL Jones, M Carvalho, MRG Morales, ... Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology 6 (1), 7 , 2023 2023 Citations: 10
Initial and Lower Magdalenian large mammal faunas and human subsistence at El Mirón Cave (Cantabria, Spain) M Carvalho, EL Jones, AB Marín-Arroyo, JM Geiling, LG Straus, ... Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology 4 (2), 15 , 2021 2021 Citations: 9
The middle to upper Palaeolithic transition at El Mirón cave (Cantabria, Spain) AB Marín-Arroyo, JM Geiling, JR Jones, MRG Morales, LG Straus, ... Quaternary International 544, 23-31 , 2020 2020 Citations: 32
Human ecodynamics in the late Upper Pleistocene of northern Spain: an archeozoological study of ungulate remains from the Lower Magdalenian and other periods in El Mirón Cave … JM Geiling Universidad de Cantabria , 2020 2020 Citations: 9
Deciphering archaeological palimpsests with bone micro-fragments from the Lower Magdalenian of El Mirón cave (Cantabria, Spain) JM Geiling, AB Marín-Arroyo, LG Straus, MR González Morales Historical Biology 30 (6), 730-742 , 2018 2018 Citations: 24
Woodworking sites from the Late Paleolithic of South Arabia: Functional and technological analysis of burins from Dhofar, Oman YH Hilbert, I Clemente-Conte, JM Geiling, J Setien, E Ruiz-Martinez, ... Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 20, 115-134 , 2018 2018 Citations: 16
Terminal Pleistocene archaeology and archaeogenetics in South Arabia: Evidence from an Ice Age refugium YH Hilbert, JM Geiling, JI Rose Vivre en milieu aride de la préhistoire à aujourd’hui. Presented at the … , 2018 2018 Citations: 5
Exploring Human Palaeoeconomic Behavioral Development by Faunal Records: An Overview. JM Geiling Actas de las IX Jornadas de Jóvenes en Investigación Arqueológica: Santander … , 2018 2018
REVISTA DE PREHISTORIA Y ARQUEOLOGÍA LG Straus, JM Geiling, MRG Morales, JEM Romero, EM Vivar, VJ Jáimez, ... Zephyrus 81, 1-2 , 2018 2018
The Lower Magdalenian osseous industry from level 17 in El Mirón Cave (Ramales de la Victoria, Cantabria): a preliminary overview LG Straus, JM GeilinG, MRG Morales Zephyrus 81, 15-30 , 2018 2018 Citations: 12
Crónica de las IX Jornadas de Jóvenes en Investigación Arqueológica. Arqueología en 3D: herramienta social, agente histórico y ciencia natural. FJRÃ Santos, C Duarte, AGÃ EscÃ, JM Geiling, AH Pliego, ... REVISTA ATLÁNTICA-MEDITERRÁNEA DE PREHISTORIA Y ARQUEOLOGÍA SOCIAL 19, 221-223 , 2017 2017
Crónica de las IX Jornadas de Jóvenes en Investigación Arqueológica. Arqueología en 3D: herramienta social, agente histórico y ciencia natural. Instituto Internacional de … FJ Rodríguez Santos, L Agudo Pérez, C Duarte, A García Escárzaga, ... Universidad de Cádiz, Servicio de Publicaciones , 2017 2017
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
The Nubian complex of Dhofar, Oman: an African middle stone age industry in southern Arabia JI Rose, VI Usik, AE Marks, YH Hilbert, CS Galletti, A Parton, JM Geiling, ... PloS one 6 (11), e28239 , 2011 2011 Citations: 339
The middle to upper Palaeolithic transition at El Mirón cave (Cantabria, Spain) AB Marín-Arroyo, JM Geiling, JR Jones, MRG Morales, LG Straus, ... Quaternary International 544, 23-31 , 2020 2020 Citations: 32
Spatial distribution analysis of the lower Magdalenian human burial in El Mirón Cave (Cantabria, Spain) JM Geiling, AB Marín-Arroyo Journal of Archaeological Science 60, 47-56 , 2015 2015 Citations: 31
Archeozoological study of the macromammal remains stratigraphically associated with the Magdalenian human burial in El Mirón Cave (Cantabria, Spain) AB Marín-Arroyo, JM Geiling Journal of Archaeological Science 60, 75-83 , 2015 2015 Citations: 30
Technological homogeneity within the Arabian Nubian Complex: Comparing chert and quartzite assemblages from central and southern Arabia Y Hilbert, R Crassard, JI Rose, JM Geiling, VI Usik Journal of lithic Studies 3 (2) , 2016 2016 Citations: 29
Deciphering archaeological palimpsests with bone micro-fragments from the Lower Magdalenian of El Mirón cave (Cantabria, Spain) JM Geiling, AB Marín-Arroyo, LG Straus, MR González Morales Historical Biology 30 (6), 730-742 , 2018 2018 Citations: 24
A sedimentary ancient DNA perspective on human and carnivore persistence through the Late Pleistocene in El Mirón Cave, Spain P Gelabert, V Oberreiter, LG Straus, MRG Morales, S Sawyer, ... Nature Communications 16 (1), 107 , 2025 2025 Citations: 19
Woodworking sites from the Late Paleolithic of South Arabia: Functional and technological analysis of burins from Dhofar, Oman YH Hilbert, I Clemente-Conte, JM Geiling, J Setien, E Ruiz-Martinez, ... Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 20, 115-134 , 2018 2018 Citations: 16
A spatial distribution study of faunal remains from two Lower Magdalenian occupation levels in El Mirón Cave, Cantabria, Spain JM Geiling, LG Straus, MR González Morales, AB Marín Arroyo Institute of Archaeology, Univerty College of London , 2016 2016 Citations: 14
Palaeoecology of ungulates in northern Iberia during the Late Pleistocene through isotopic analysis of teeth M Fernández-García, S Pederzani, K Britton, L Agudo-Pérez, A Cicero, ... Biogeosciences 21 (19), 4413-4437 , 2024 2024 Citations: 13
The Lower Magdalenian osseous industry from level 17 in El Mirón Cave (Ramales de la Victoria, Cantabria): a preliminary overview LG Straus, JM GeilinG, MRG Morales Zephyrus 81, 15-30 , 2018 2018 Citations: 12
Late Pleistocene Neanderthal exploitation of stable and mosaic ecosystems in northern Iberia shown by multi-isotope evidence S Pederzani, K Britton, JR Jones, LA Pérez, JM Geiling, AB Marín-Arroyo Quaternary Research 116, 108-132 , 2023 2023 Citations: 11
The Archaeological significance of the reindeer antlers from the hohlenstein-complex in the Lone Valley of Southwestern Germany JM Geiling, M Bolus, NJ Conard Mitteilungen der Gesellschaft für Urgeschichte 24, 97-119 , 2015 2015 Citations: 11
Seasonality of human occupations in el Mirón cave: late upper Paleolithic hunter-gatherer settlement-Subsistence Systems in Cantabrian Spain AB Marín-Arroyo, JM Geiling, EL Jones, M Carvalho, MRG Morales, ... Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology 6 (1), 7 , 2023 2023 Citations: 10
Initial and Lower Magdalenian large mammal faunas and human subsistence at El Mirón Cave (Cantabria, Spain) M Carvalho, EL Jones, AB Marín-Arroyo, JM Geiling, LG Straus, ... Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology 4 (2), 15 , 2021 2021 Citations: 9
Human ecodynamics in the late Upper Pleistocene of northern Spain: an archeozoological study of ungulate remains from the Lower Magdalenian and other periods in El Mirón Cave … JM Geiling Universidad de Cantabria , 2020 2020 Citations: 9
Terminal Pleistocene archaeology and archaeogenetics in South Arabia: Evidence from an Ice Age refugium YH Hilbert, JM Geiling, JI Rose Vivre en milieu aride de la préhistoire à aujourd’hui. Presented at the … , 2018 2018 Citations: 5
Una aproximación a los últimos artistas del Paleolítico: novidades et recientes descubrimientos en La Cueva de Las Monedas (Cantabria, España)[An approach to the last … A Ruiz-Redondo, M Cubas, D Garate, JM Geiling, YH Hilbert, E Iriarte, ... El arte de las Sociedades Prehistóricas, 39-41 , 2016 2016 Citations: 3
Investigación en el Laboratorio de Bioarqueología del Instituto Internacional de Investigaciones Prehistóricas de Cantabria (IIIPC)-Universidad de Cantabria AB Marín Arroyo, FI Gutiérrez Zugasti, JR Jones, D Cuenca Solana, ... Instituto de Prehistoria y Arqueología Sautuola , 2015 2015 Citations: 3
Human subsistence in a montane ecotone habitat during the Lower Magdalenian c. 19,000–18,000 years ago: The case of El Mirón cave (Cantabria, Spain) JM Geiling, AB Marin-Arroyo, LG Straus, MR González Morales Quaternary Science Reviews 350, 109133 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
GRANT DETAILS
2022 Postdoctoral Margarita Salas: NextGenerationEU y el Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, España; Ref. 2RMS-06
2017 Beca Estancia breve/ Mobility grant: Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, España, Ref.: EEBB-I-17-12539
2013 Contrado Investigadora- Proyecto de Doctorado: Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Spain, Ref.: BES-2013-063309
