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From Top to Bottom: a comprehensive study of the prehistoric pottery in Cave 3167 (Matienzo, Cantabria, Northern Spain). This paper by Peter Smith, Miriam Cubas, Juan Corrin, Jesús Tapia, Imanol De Pedro, Jesús Ruiz Cobo and Eva Mª Pereda Rosales was published in MUNIBE (Antropologia-Arkeologia), 2014, No. 65. The paper is available here.
Abstract
Although techniques for the characterisation of archaeological material enjoy a long tradition in Europe, they have been less influential in Spain, particularly in the Cantabrian region. This may be one reason why, in this region, the traditional approach to the study of prehistoric pottery has prevailed over the use of new methodologies, which require the application of technological (mineralogical, geochemical etc.) and functional analytical techniques (for example, gas chromatography) or the study of post-depositional alterations. However, an integral study of this kind of evidence is able not only to approach an understanding of ceramic assemblages but also to propose interpretative hypotheses contributing to the formulation and development of new research projects.
   In the present study, pottery is seen as a product within a sequence of operations transforming raw material into the final recipient. In this process, the final product may possess very different physical-chemical properties from the original material. In accordance with this approach, the technological, morphological and functional study of the pottery assemblage from Cueva 3167 in Seldesuto (Matienzo, Cantabria) applied different methods, from macroscopic description to techniques of mineralogical (petrography and X-ray diffraction) and functional characterisation (gas chromatography). The study succeeded in determining a series of characteristics of the storage urns, a pottery type widely documented in Cantabria from the third millennium cal BC. It covers such aspects as the raw materials used to make the urns, the way the fabric was prepared and the firing conditions and temperature, as well as the age determination of one of the urns and information about how the archaeological record formed.
   This site is located practically at the summit of the ridge between the valleys of Matienzo and Arredondo in eastern Cantabria, at 673m above sea level. It is a small cave where several groups of sherds were located in the first twelve metres of the passage, which is less than a metre high. The main concentration consisted of pottery fragments in situ, just as the recipient had been abandoned, upside down in the middle of the passage. The base of the vessel was not recovered, which may indicate that the urn had been placed in an inverted position because the base had already been lost.
   Macroscopic observation of the sherds determined that they belonged to a minimum of four recipients, differentiated by their technological, morphological and decorative traits. Thin section observation of the fabric revealed that it had been mostly tempered with grog between 0.5 and 1.5mm in size. X-ray Diffraction analysis showed the high proportion of illite in the clay fabric. The recipients were fired at a low temperature, possibly lower than 800ºC. The presence of idiomorphic quartz, epidotes and even gypsum in one of the samples suggests that the raw materials were related to Triassic deposits, the nearest of which are located several kilometres from the cave site. A thermoluminescence determination established a chronology of 2832-1820 BC for the main urn, which is coherent with the ages obtained for similar vessels in the same area.

Abstract
Palaeoclimate records from northern Iberia are becoming increasingly sought after as this region is one of the most southerly terrestrial locations in Europe to have its climate dictated principally by the North Atlantic. Terrestrial records therefore have the potential to offer insights into changing oceanic and atmospheric circulation in the wider North Atlantic region. Cave speleothems offer one of the most promising archives from northern Iberia due to their wide geographic distribution and potential for accurately dated climate reconstruction. Cueva de Asiul, situated in Cantabria (N. Iberia; 43°19'0.63''N, 3°35'28.32''W; 285 m.a.s.l) within the Matienzo karst depression is one such site that offers the potential for palaeoclimate reconstructions. Here we present three years of climate and cave monitoring from Cueva de Asiul, giving detailed insight into local meteorology, hydrology and cave ventilation dynamics. In doing so, this paper presents a background to high resolution, Holocene duration speleothem records which have been extracted from this cave. Annual average cave temperatures are +13.7°C, with a maximum range of 1°C, reflecting the seasonality of external air temperature (average external temperature +13.8°C). Cave ventilation is controlled by changes in external air temperature and variations in external air pressure during low pressure events. Local rainfall measurements show an average of 1400 mm/year with the majority of rainfall occurring during the winter, with periods of water excess between October and April. Speleothem drip rates are characterised by summer lows and a rapid transition to higher rates at the onset of the winter season. Stable isotope analysis (δ¹⁸O, δ²H) indicate that aquifer water is derived predominantly from the previous year's rainfall and the rainfall feeding the karst system is controlled by a strong amount effect. Speleothems from this site are potentially suited to preserving extended records of rainfall amount in northern Spain and therefore have the potential to inform more clearly about Holocene scale changes in the rainfall source region, the North Atlantic.

Descent 260, February / March 2018 has a short article on page 9, Farewell 'Squirrel' Wood.

Due to the Covid-19 situation, Tom Thomson delivered a talk about the Matienzo Karst Entomology Project (MKEP) on Zoom to a large, international audience. This was part of the 2020 BCRA Science Symposium on 12th November. (The seminar information below also appeared in Cave & Karst Science 48:1, April 2021)

The Matienzo Karst Entomology Project (MKEP) is an independent research initiative that has worked within the international caving and academic communities to study the fauna of the caves in the Matienzo depression and the surrounding Cantabrian karst of Northern Spain. Prior to MKEP, virtually no formal scientific work had been carried out to study this specific karst massif to identify or collect species data. The first phase of the project began in 2014 with the support of the British Cave Research Association (BCRA) with the aim to build an initial overview of the ecological and geographic significance of the area. This has since progressed to several targeted field seasons investigating specific cave sites and species communities via both short and long term trapping of fauna underground. Gathering of environmental data, recording behavioural observations and habitats traits have also greatly added to the ecology context of the species discovered and their place in the trophic structure. Sub-projects to study specific species started in 2018, and now include in-depth observations of individual taxa via electron microscopy, defining micro habitats within key cave sites, and classification of cohabitation ranges by cave topography, illumination variance, and environmental factors such as of airflow, temperature, and humidity.

Acknowledgments:
MKEP has been a large collaboration and the authors would like to thank the following for research collation and identification of taxa: Pete Smithers and Jane Ackerman of Plymouth University, Max Barclay of the Natural History Museum (BMNH); for the funding, material, and support from the British Entomology & Natural History Society (BENHS), British Cave Research Association (BCRA), and Oxford University Department of Zoology. In addition, MKEP would like to thank the members of Matienzo Caves Project for their support.

P.M. Wynn^a, S. Ambler^a, I. Grefe^a, D.X. Soto^b, B.W.J. Surridge^a, R.I. Gabitov^c, P.A. Barker^a, J. Anwar^d, A. Quin^a, M.G. Pereira^b, H.K. Grant^b

a Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK
b UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Lancaster LA1 4AP, UK
c Department of Geosciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, United States
d Department of Chemistry, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YB, UK

Finding Big ... in Descent 285, April, May 2022. A personal account by Chris Scaife of the main finds through 2021. Includes photos , mainly from Mistletoe Pot (2081).
Also, the back cover displays a photo by Juan Corrin of the Stuffed Monk in Cueva-Cubío de la Reñada (0048).

It's All Good in Mistletoe ... in Descent 286, June / July 2022. An illustrated article by Chris Scaife detailing the Easter finds in Torca del Muérdago (site 2081).

A presentation by Pete Smith on the Friday evening of a weekend of talks and activities "II Jornadas Espeleo-Cantabria" (2nd - 4th December, 2022). This presentation was based on Phil Papard's Easter and summer expedition write-ups for 2021 / 2022. The Espeleo Club Tortosa also gave a talk on explorations in Cueva Vallina. The publicity graphic for the event can be seen here and some feedback in the "Other News" section of the 2022 Autumn section.

A moving appreciation of Lloyd Cawthorne's life and achievements appeared in Descent 289 (the first to be edited by Matienzo-phile, Chris Scaife). Vale: Lloyd Cawthorne was written by Mike Topsom and Fran McDonald.

Climbing the charts in Matienzo in Descent 298, June July 2024. An article by James Carlisle and Juan Corrin outlines the finds in Fridge Door Cave and Cueva Riaño and reports that the Four Valleys System (of which those two caves are part) is now the 40th longest in the world. A photo in Cueva Llanío by Sam Davis appears on the inside front cover of the same issue.

Hidden Earth 2024 - A 30 minute presentation about the activities of the expeditions was given by Juan Corrin who also set up a MCP display in the trade hall.