Andion Arteaga-Brieba is a Palaeolithic archaeologist specialising in lithic technology and spatial analysis. In her current role, she is involved in coordinating field archaeology work, supporting excavation strategies and ensuring the accurate recording and measurement of archaeological data.
She supports our Principal Investigator in planning and coordinating surveys and excavations, while also overseeing the different stages of field documentation, including recording, inventorying finds and managing measurement systems and spatial data. She is also involved in sediment processing, including sieving and flotation.
A major part of her work is making sure that information collected during excavation can later be used to understand the site as a whole. Combining field observations with archaeostratigraphy, GIS and spatial analysis, Andion work contributes to understanding how Palaeolithic groups used different parts of caves, organised their activities and moved through mountain landscapes.
Background and research
Andion completed her PhD in Quaternary and Prehistory at Universitat Rovira i Virgili and the Catalan Institute of Human Palaeoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES), graduating Excellent Cum Laude with International Mention. Her doctoral research took her to Gran Dolina TD10.2 at Atapuerca, where she studied stone tools and their spatial distribution to better understand human activities at this Middle Pleistocene kill-butchering site.
As a Postdoctoral Researcher at CENIEH, she worked within the ERC project DEATHREVOL on the spatial dimension of funerary behaviour in Pleistocene contexts. She has also held research and technical positions at Universitat Rovira i Virgili and IPHES-CERCA.
Field archaeology has remained at the centre of her work throughout her career. Andion has participated in more than 40 excavation seasons, coordinated excavation and research teams, and trained students in field methods. Since 2022, she has also been co-PI of a project at Abauntz Cave investigating the last Neanderthal populations of the western Pyrenees.
Link to ResearchGate