Article, 2023
Identifying the unidentified fauna enhances insights into hominin subsistence strategies during the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences,
ISSN
1866-9565,
1866-9557,
Volume 15,
9,
Page 139,
10.1007/s12520-023-01830-4
Contributors
Sinet-Mathiot, Virginie
(Corresponding author)
[1]
Rendu, William
0000-0003-2137-1276
[2]
Steele, Teresa E
0000-0002-3091-6488
[3]
Spasov, Rosen
[4]
Madelaine, Stéphane
[5]
[6]
Renou, Sylvain
0000-0002-4317-4786
[7]
Soulier, Marie-Cécile
0000-0003-2439-7308
[8]
Martisius, Naomi L
0000-0002-4671-9366
[9]
Aldeias, Vera Lucia Dias
0000-0002-7680-182X
[10]
Endarova, Elena
[4]
Goldberg, Paul S
[10]
[11]
[12]
Mcpherron, Shannon Patrick
[1]
Rezek, Zeljko
0000-0001-9987-7985
[13]
Sandgathe, Dennis M
0000-0002-0998-7345
[14]
Sirakov, Nikolay
[15]
Sirakova, Svoboda
[15]
Soressi, Marie A
0000-0003-1733-7745
[16]
Tsanova, Tsenka R
[1]
[17]
Turq, Alain
[6]
Hublin, Jean-Jacques
0000-0001-6283-8114
[1]
[13]
Welker, Frido
(Corresponding author)
[18]
Smith, Geoff M
(Corresponding author)
[19]
Affiliations
- [1]
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
[NORA names:
Germany; Europe, EU; OECD];
- [2]
Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
[NORA names:
Russia; Europe, Non-EU];
- [3]
University of California, Davis
[NORA names:
United States; America, North; OECD];
- [4]
New Bulgarian University
[NORA names:
Bulgaria; Europe, EU];
- [5]
CNRS, UMR 5199 PACEA, Université de Bordeaux, Pessac, France
[NORA names:
France; Europe, EU; OECD];
(... more)
- [6]
Musée national de Préhistoire, Les Eyzies, France
[NORA names:
France; Europe, EU; OECD];
- [7]
HADÈS Agence Atlantique, Bordeaux, France
[NORA names:
France; Europe, EU; OECD];
- [8]
University of Toulouse-Jean Jaurès
[NORA names:
France; Europe, EU; OECD];
- [9]
University of Tulsa
[NORA names:
United States; America, North; OECD];
- [10]
University of Algarve
[NORA names:
Portugal; Europe, EU; OECD];
- [11]
University of Tübingen
[NORA names:
Germany; Europe, EU; OECD];
- [12]
University of Wollongong
[NORA names:
Australia; Oceania; OECD];
- [13]
Collège de France
[NORA names:
France; Europe, EU; OECD];
- [14]
Simon Fraser University
[NORA names:
Canada; America, North; OECD];
- [15]
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
[NORA names:
Bulgaria; Europe, EU];
- [16]
Leiden University
[NORA names:
Netherlands; Europe, EU; OECD];
- [17]
University of Bologna
[NORA names:
Italy; Europe, EU; OECD];
- [18]
University of Copenhagen
[NORA names:
KU University of Copenhagen;
University; Denmark; Europe, EU; Nordic; OECD];
- [19]
University of Kent
[NORA names:
United Kingdom; Europe, Non-EU; OECD]
(less)
Abstract
Understanding Palaeolithic hominin subsistence strategies requires the comprehensive taxonomic identification of faunal remains. The high fragmentation of Late Pleistocene faunal assemblages often prevents proper taxonomic identification based on bone morphology. It has been assumed that the morphologically unidentifiable component of the faunal assemblage would reflect the taxonomic abundances of the morphologically identified portion. In this study, we analyse three faunal datasets covering the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition (MUPT) at Bacho Kiro Cave (Bulgaria) and Les Cottés and La Ferrassie (France) with the application of collagen type I peptide mass fingerprinting (ZooMS). Our results emphasise that the fragmented component of Palaeolithic bone assemblages can differ significantly from the morphologically identifiable component. We obtain contrasting identification rates between taxa resulting in an overrepresentation of morphologically identified reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) and an underrepresentation of aurochs/bison (Bos/Bison) and horse/European ass (Equus) at Les Cottés and La Ferrassie. Together with an increase in the relative diversity of the faunal composition, these results have implications for the interpretation of subsistence strategies during a period of possible interaction between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens in Europe. Furthermore, shifts in faunal community composition and in carnivore activity suggest a change in the interaction between humans and carnivores across the MUPT and indicate a possible difference in site use between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens. The combined use of traditional and biomolecular methods allows (zoo)archaeologists to tackle some of the methodological limits commonly faced during the morphological assessment of Palaeolithic bone assemblages.
Keywords
ASS,
Bacho Kiro Cave,
Bulgaria,
Equus,
Europe,
France,
HOMO,
Homo sapiens,
LES,
La Ferrassie,
Late Pleistocene faunal assemblage,
MUPT,
Neanderthals,
Pleistocene faunal assemblages,
Rangifer,
Rangifer tarandus,
Upper,
Upper Palaeolithic transition,
abundance,
activity,
applications,
assemblages,
biomolecular methods,
bone,
bone assemblages,
bone morphology,
carnivore activity,
carnivores,
cave,
changes,
community composition,
components,
composition,
dataset,
diversity,
fauna,
faunal assemblages,
faunal community composition,
faunal composition,
faunal datasets,
faunal remains,
fingerprint,
fragments,
hominin subsistence strategies,
hominins,
humans,
identification,
identification of faunal remains,
identification rate,
identified components,
increase,
insights,
interaction,
interpretation,
limitations,
mass fingerprinting,
method,
methodological limitations,
middle,
morphological assessment,
morphology,
overrepresentation,
period,
portion,
rate,
reindeer,
remains,
results,
sapiens,
shift,
site use,
sites,
strategies,
study,
subsistence strategies,
taxa,
taxonomic abundance,
taxonomic identification,
transition,
underrepresentation,
use,
zoom
Funders
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