Holocene aeolian phases and human settlements along the Atlantic coast of southern Spain

A combined geomorphological, radiocarbon dating, archaeological and histori cal approach permits a refining of the age of the coastal dune systems rela ted to estuaries in the Gulf of Cadiz. Three dune systems are distinguished in this paper. The oldest one, D1, which accumulated under prevailing WSW winds during the first millennium Be, overlays both the occupational horizo ns of Late Neolithic-Early Copper Age (fourth millennium BC) and the 'lithi c workshop levels' (fourth to second millennia Be). The middle dune system, D2, containing both Roman and medieval remains, accumulated between the th irteenth or fourteenth centuries and the seventeenth century AD. The younge st D3 system is associated with the time of building of watchtowers in the seventeenth century AD but extends to the present; it is related to SW prev ailing winds. We explain the absence of aeolian deposits prior to similar t o 2700 cal. BP as the result of trapping of a large part of the sediment su pply in the estuaries, which starved the neighbouring beaches and aeolian s ettings. Aeolian accumulation reached significant values when sedimentation in the coastal zone changed from being mainly aggradational in the estuari es (similar to 6500-2700 cal. BP) to mainly progradational in spit barriers and related dunes (post similar to 2700 cal. BP). The present analysis of aeolian systems suggests a non-direct correlation, at least in some cases, between coastal progradation of spit barriers and aridity.