The cold, dry climate that characterised the last glacial period resulted in a drop in sea level, the advancement of the coastline and an increase of the territories exploited by Upper Palaeolithic communities.
During this cold period of the planet's history, the Lagar Velho rockshelter was located much further away from the coast, about 60 kilometres as the crow flies, almost twice its current distance from the sea.
Despite the distance, the presence of marine shells such as Littorina obtusata at the site shows that these communities travelled to the coast. The absence of material remains related to the consumption of seafoods in the archaeological record of Lagar Velho indicates, however, that this distance may have restricted the transportation of this type of resources to the site.
THE SEA, SO CLOSE AND SO FAR AWAY
...and the distance to the sea