[en] ABSTRACT: The study of the Neolithic in the Levant of the Iberian Peninsula has a long research trajectory, being well known in some river valleys such as Serpis or Clariano. The excavation of a large number of cave and open-air deposits has made this area an outstanding reference on a peninsular scale and in the western Mediterranean. However, other nearby river basins such as the Vinalopó basin have not yet had sufficient sequential bases for their characterization. The first proposals, established from the material remains found in various open-air sites and in caves, had led to consider that the process of neolithization would begin at the end of the sixth millennium cal BC, almost half a century after the presence of agricultural communities along the Serpis river. The process of Neolithic implantation in the Vinalopó had to be explained, therefore, as a result of the population expansion from the Serpis. However, new excavations and studies come to expand the range of possible explanations. Regarding the archaeological evidence documented during the excavations at Cova dels Calderons (La Romana, Alicante), we present new data, especially sedimentological, paleobotanical, archeozoological and new absolute dates. These allow us to reflect on the neolithization process of the territories in the Southern Valencian region, specifically in the Vinalopó river basin. These data make possible to formulate a new hypothesis which considers that the presence of Neolithic groups in that territory would occur much earlier than it was considered to date. This hypothesis leads us to two new possible scenarios: either the arrival of the first Neolithic groups to the northern areas of Alicante occurred in earlier times, or the origin of the first Neolithic populations in the southern areas of Alicante is not what it has been thought to date -northern basins such as the Serpis river one-. Considering this, the southern route to access these areas seems the most possible option.

[eu] LABURPENA: Iberiar penintsulako Levante aldean Neolitikoaren azterketak ibilbide luzea du ikerketari dagokionez, eta oso ezagunak dira haran batzuk, hala nola Serpis edo Clariano. Leizean eta aire zabalean aztarnategi kopuru handia induskatu direnez, eremu hori erreferente nabarmena da penintsula mailan eta mendebaldeko Mediterraneoan. Hala ere, oso gertu dauden beste ibai-arro batzuetan, Vinalopó ibaian, esaterako, ez dira orain arte karakterizatu ahal izateko nahikoa oinarri sekuentzial bildu. Aire zabalean eta leizean dauden aztarnategi ugaritan topatutako hondakin material ugaritatik abiatuta egindako lehen proposamenen arabera, uste izan da neolitizazio-prozesua cal BC VI milurte amaieran hasiko zela, Serpis ibaian zehar nekazaritzako komunitateen presentzia baino ia mende erdi geroago. Vinalopóko ezarpen neolitikoaren prozesua, beraz, Serpisetik populazioa zabaldu izanaren ondorioa dela uste da. Baina egindako indusketa eta azterketa berriek azalpen posibleak ugaritu dituzte. Hala, Cova dels Calderons-eko (La Romana, Alacant) indusketan dokumentatutako ebidentzia arkeologikoak direla eta, okupazio neolitikoaren inguruan datu eta datazio absolutu berriak agertu dira, bereziki sedimentologikoak, paleobotanikoak eta arkeozoologikoak. Horrek guztiak Valentziako hegoaldeko lurretako, eta zehatzago, Vinalopó ibai-arroko neolitizazio-prozesuari buruz hausnartzea ahalbidetzen du. Hala, hipotesi berri bat eragin du: lurralde horretan talde neolitikoen presentzia izan zitekeen orain arte planteatutako data baino lehenagotik. Hipotesi horrek, era berean, bi egoera posible berri dakartza: alde batetik, lehen talde neolitikoak Alacant iparraldera proposatutako data baino lehen iritsi izana, edo beste alde batetik, Alacant hegoaldeko lehen populazio neolitikoetarako planteatutako jatorria ez izatea orain arte kontuan hartutakoa (iparralderago dauden lekuetatik etorri izana, adibidez Serpisetik), eta hegoaldeko bidea izatea probableena.