Faunal Exploitation during the Middle Palaeolithic in south‐eastern France and north‐western Italy

Abstract

Six Middle Palaeolithic sites (Lazaret, Madonna dell'Arma, Caverna delle Fate, Arma delle Manie, Santa Lucia Superiore and San Francesco), dated from Oxygen Isotopic Stages 6 to 3 (OIS 6 to 3), have been studied from a zooarchaeological and palaeoecological point of view. The sites have yielded faunal assemblages rich in cervids, generally dominated by Cervus elaphus. The frequency of other ungulate taxa is inextricably linked to the topography of each site, as well as to climatic and environmental conditions. Taphonomic analysis indicates that humans were the main agents of accumulation of the large mammal remains. Mortality and seasonality data show various patterns of age distribution of the ungulate species, and suggest that there is no relation between the occupation season of these sites and the hunting of a particular species. The dominance of red deer can be explained by their natural abundance and by their high rendering in terms of hunting transport, meat quantity, and other useful materials like skins, tendons, and soon. Neanderthal subsistence strategies do not show any evolution in the studied area during the period of Oxygen Isotopic Stages 6 to 3.

On Neanderthal subsistence strategies and land use: A regional focus on the Rhone Valley area in southeastern France

“…The distinction between site occupation modes, taking into consideration data intrinsic to the territories covered (climate, topography, biotopes, mineral resources, human groups, etc. ), is favoured by regional studies (Gamble, 1998;Texier et al, 1998Texier et al, , 2005Patou-Mathis, 2000;Conard and Prindiville, 2000;Boyle, 2000;Hoffecker and Cleghorn, 2000;Burke, 2000Burke, , 2006Szmidt, 2003;Fiore et al, 2004;Valensi and Psathi, 2004).…”

“…With the exception of the natural or carnivore accumulations recovered from the bivouacs, palaeoenvironmental reconstruction permits the evaluation of the degree of human hunting specialisation, or the distinction between a deliberate choice of game and a choice imposed by the environment (Grayson and Delpech, 2002;Costamagno et al, 2006). For sites such as Lazaret cave, and several sites in northeastern Italy, the higher frequencies of red deer or ibex seem to result more from the potential of the environment than from specialised hunting activities (Valensi and Psathi, 2004;Fiore et al, 2004). At Saint-Marcel, the presence of a wooded environment influenced the selection of deer in the upper levels and fallow deer in level u is evident, other forest dwelling herbivores such as roe deer and boar are also present.…”

Seasonality and intra-site variation of Neanderthal occupations in the Middle Palaeolithic locality of Payre (Ardèche, France) using dental wear analyses

“…Seasonality studies, which provide a better understanding of the social and ecological context, have been developed significantly in the last decades (Aaris-Sørensen et al, 2007;Armand et al, 2001;Carter, 2001;Enloe, 1997;Guillien and Henri-Martin, 1974;Macho et al, 2003;Pike-Tay and Cosgrove, 2002;Valensi and Psathi, 2004). In conjunction with other zooarchaeological, technological, and ecological indicators, they lead to a better understanding of assemblage formation processes.…”

Hunting behavior and Neanderthal adaptability in the Late Pleistocene site of Pech-de-l'Azé I

“…In this context, hunting seasonality plays an important role in identifying and understanding the temporal organization of the subsistence economy. Numerous methods, including dental eruption sequences, dental microwear analysis and skeletochronology, were developed with this aim (Monks, 1981;Pike-Tay and Cosgrove, 2002;Rivals and Deniaux, 2005;Rivals et al, 2009;Saxon and Higham, 1968;Valensi and Psathi, 2004). While differential conservation of the deciduous teeth or the scarcity of young individuals in an assemblage may limit the application of the dental eruption method, cementum increment analysis, when the diagenesis modifications of the dental structures are taken into account, appears to be a useful method to establish the season of death of prey found in Paleolithic contexts.…”