Geomorphological context and formation history of Cloggs Cave: What was the cave like when people inhabited it?

Delannoy, Jean Jacques; David, Bruno; Fresløv, Joanna; Mullett, Russell; Land, Gunaikurnai; Green, Helen; Berthet, Johan; Petchey, Fiona; Arnold, Lee J.; Wood, Rachel; McDowell, Matthew C.; Crouch, Joe; Mialanes, Jerome; Ash, Jeremy; Wong, Vanessa Nl

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2020.102461

Cited by 14 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Similar approaches combining relative and absolute dating of geomorphological objects have been used successfully at numerous archaeological sites 11 , 14 , 37 , 38 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dating the landscape evolution around the Chauvet-Pont d’Arc cave

Genuite

Delannoy

Bahain

et al. 2021

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The Chauvet cave (UNESCO World Heritage site, France) is located in the Ardèche Gorge, a unique physical and cultural landscape. Its setting within the gorge—overlooking a meander cutoff containing a natural arch called the Pont d’Arc—is also remarkable. Investigating possible associations between sites’ physical and cultural settings, chronologies of human occupation, and access conditions has become a major theme in archeological research. The present study aims to reconstruct the landscape of the Pont d'Arc meander cutoff during the Upper Paleolithic, when humans were present in the Chauvet Cave. We used uranium-series and electron spin resonance analyses to date the formation of the Pont d’Arc natural arch in the Combe d’Arc meander cutoff, near the Chauvet Cave. Results show that the meander became totally cutoff between 108 and 138 ka (95%). Hence, the natural arch formed before the Upper Paleolithic and the first known human presence in the Chauvet Cave, dated to 37 ka cal BP. These results allowed us to reconstruct a key part of the landscape surrounding the Chauvet Cave when it was being used by Upper-Paleolithic societies.

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“…Similar approaches combining relative and absolute dating of geomorphological objects have been used successfully at numerous archaeological sites 11 , 14 , 37 , 38 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dating the landscape evolution around the Chauvet-Pont d’Arc cave

Genuite

Delannoy

Bahain

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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“…The acquisition of topographic data and the construction of the ensuing 3D model aimed to digitally model the geometry of present‐day blocks and their landscape setting (Kolbe et al, 2011). When coupled with data from a range of specialist research fields, 3D modelling becomes a powerful tool to investigate changes in terrain (Ballesteros et al, 2015; Campaña et al, 2016; Delannoy, David, Fresløv, et al, 2020; Duvillard et al, 2018; Sadier et al, 2012). 3D modelling provides a topographic snapshot that can then be used to explore how the morphology and spatial relationships of objects have changed through time.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determining the origin and changing shape of landscape‐scale rock formations with three‐dimensional modelling: The Borologa rock shelters, Kimberley region, Australia

et al. 2021

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Archaeologists often wonder how and when rock shelters formed, yet their origins and antiquity are almost never systematically investigated. Here we present a new method to determine how and when individual boulders and rock shelters came to lie in their present landscape settings. We do so through 3D laser (LiDAR) mapping, illustrating the method by example of the Borologa Aboriginal site complex in the Kimberley region of northwestern Australia. Through a combination of geomorphological study and high‐resolution 3D modelling, individual blocks of rock are refitted and repositioned t680their originating cliff‐line. Preliminary cosmogenic nuclide ages on exposed vertical cliff faces and associated detached boulders above the Borologa archaeological sites signal very slow detachment rates for the mass movements of large blocks down the Drysdale Valley slopes, suggesting relative landscape stability over hundreds of thousands of years (predating the arrival of people). These findings offer hitherto unknown details of the pace of regional landscape evolution and move us toward a better understanding of patterns of human occupation in a context of relatively stable rock outcrops both within the sites and across the region.

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“…S4 ). The entire c. 1.7 m from the base of the excavation to the SU3A–SU3B interface built up rapidly c. 6090 ± 1140 years ago, immediately after the formation of the subsidence crater, as determined by the radiocarbon, OSL and U-series ages 15 . This rapid build-up of 1.7 m of sediment was followed by slower sedimentation of SU3A and of the lowermost layers of SU2 until c. 4400 cal BP.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The fine layers of ash then began 2091 ± 16 BP (2002–2117 cal BP), ceasing 1724 ± 16 BP (1567–1696 cal BP). A single fire was built more recently, 142 ± 25 BP (6–281 cal BP) 15 , 17 .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Full details of the radiocarbon, OSL and U-series ages, and associated dating methodologies for the Cloggs Cave sequence, have been published elsewhere [15][16][17] . Here we provide a synthesis of the OSL ages obtained from the northeastern and southeastern wall sequences, as well as the radiocarbon ages obtained from Squares P34-P35 and the associated southeastern wall sequence.…”

Section: The Excavation Chronologymentioning

confidence: 99%

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2000 Year-old Bogong moth (Agrotis infusa) Aboriginal food remains, Australia

Stephenson¹,

David

Fresløv

et al. 2020

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Insects form an important source of food for many people around the world, but little is known of the deep-time history of insect harvesting from the archaeological record. In Australia, early settler writings from the 1830s to mid-1800s reported congregations of Aboriginal groups from multiple clans and language groups taking advantage of the annual migration of Bogong moths (Agrotis infusa) in and near the Australian Alps, the continent’s highest mountain range. The moths were targeted as a food item for their large numbers and high fat contents. Within 30 years of initial colonial contact, however, the Bogong moth festivals had ceased until their recent revival. No reliable archaeological evidence of Bogong moth exploitation or processing has ever been discovered, signalling a major gap in the archaeological history of Aboriginal groups. Here we report on microscopic remains of ground and cooked Bogong moths on a recently excavated grindstone from Cloggs Cave, in the southern foothills of the Australian Alps. These findings represent the first conclusive archaeological evidence of insect foods in Australia, and, as far as we know, of their remains on stone artefacts in the world. They provide insights into the antiquity of important Aboriginal dietary practices that have until now remained archaeologically invisible.

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Geomorphological context and formation history of Cloggs Cave: What was the cave like when people inhabited it?

Cited by 14 publications

References 25 publications

Dating the landscape evolution around the Chauvet-Pont d’Arc cave

Dating the landscape evolution around the Chauvet-Pont d’Arc cave

Determining the origin and changing shape of landscape‐scale rock formations with three‐dimensional modelling: The Borologa rock shelters, Kimberley region, Australia

2000 Year-old Bogong moth (Agrotis infusa) Aboriginal food remains, Australia

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