The equids represented in cave art and current horses: a proposal to determine morphological differences and similarities

Sánchez, Eloísa Bernáldez; García-Viñas, Esteban

doi:10.5252/anthropozoologica2019v54a1

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Different species of equids are found in the archaeological record of Iberia through the last 45 000 years, both in cave art representations and in the zooarchaeological register (Bernáldez‐Sánchez and García‐Viñas, 2019): Equus ferus , the wild horse which was later replaced by the domestic horse Equus caballus ; the domestic donkey Equus asinus ; and the extinct European wild ass Equus hydruntinus . Although the larger horses ( E. ferus and E. caballus ) can generally be morphologically distinguished from the smaller asses ( E. hydruntinus and E. asinus ), given intraspecific variation and the possibility of hybrids (mules), identification can be difficult (Granado et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Equids (Equus sp.) in southern Spain from the Palaeolithic to the Bronze Age

Bernáldez‐Sánchez,

García‐Viñas,

Sanguino

et al. 2023

J Quaternary Science

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The genus Equus was represented on the Iberian Peninsula by four species during the late Quaternary: the wild, now extinct, E. ferus (wild horse) and E. hydruntinus (European wild ass) and the extant, domestic E. caballus (horse) and E. asinus (donkey). The distribution and timing of the extinctions of the wild species and arrival of the domestic species is important to understand the changing environment and cultures through this dynamic period in one of the three southern Pleistocene glacial refugia in Europe. Here we collected data from all zooarchaeological studies that meet basic completeness criteria from the Palaeolithic to the Bronze Age (45–3.2 ka bp) and analysed the equine data in light of other large mammals at the same sites in order to document the species turnover and distributions through this culturally and ecologically dynamic period. The vast majority of Palaeolithic Equus were confidently identified as E. ferus, and by the Bronze age as E. caballus, with much uncertainty in between. Over time the larger equids (horses) were much more common than the smaller equids (asses). Equids were not common, but they were distributed across the southern Iberian peninsula through the Chalcolithic, and then appear to have become restricted to the drier eastern region in the Bronze Age. These analyses indicate that both E. ferus and E. hydruntinus went extinct by the end of the Pleistocene/Palaeolithic in Andalucia. Not all communities maintained equal numbers of equids, and their distribution changed with the changing climate through time, most notably between the Chalcolithic and the Bronze Age when confidence in species identification and local density of horses increase, but the distribution is restricted to the drier eastern region.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Equids (Equus sp.) in southern Spain from the Palaeolithic to the Bronze Age

Bernáldez‐Sánchez,

García‐Viñas,

Sanguino

et al. 2023

J Quaternary Science

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“…A. Peltier (Barge-Mahieu et al 1992) ha definido una sub-categoría de bastones, los multiperforados. Son mucho menos abundantes que aquellos que presentan una o dos perforaciones y su cronología se limita al Magdaleniense Superior-Final con apenas un par de excepciones auriñacienses en Alemania: Hohle-Fels y Geissenklosterle (Hahn 1988;Conard y Malina 2016).…”

Section: Tipos De Soporteunclassified

“…En relación a la funcionalidad, diferentes investigadores han propuesto hasta 40 utilidades para los bastones perforados: enderezadores de puntas, tensores de cables, picos de tiendas, soportes de armas, objetos para la fabricación de cestería o cuerdas, armas... e, incluso, funciones simbólicas (Barge-Mahieu et al 1992). Tampoco podemos descartar que se tratase de objetos polifuncionales.…”

Section: Funcionalidad De Los Bastones Perforadosunclassified

Un bastón multiperforado de la ocupación del Magdaleniense Final de la cueva Aizkoltxo (Mendaro, Gipuzkoa)

et al. 2020

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La cavidad de Aizkoltxo se encuentra junto a la orilla del río Deba, próxima a otras cavidades con ocupaciones del Magdaleniense Superior-Final (Agarre, Ermittia, Praileaitz I y Urtiaga). A consecuencia de la actividad de furtivos se decidió realizar un sondeo para evaluar la estratigrafía del yacimiento y contextualizar los restos recuperados. En el curso de dichos trabajos se identificó un nivel atribuible al Magdaleniense Superior-Final, cuyo proceso de formación es poco habitual. En él, además de una abundante industria lítica y ósea datada en 14864-14160 cal BP se localizó el bastón que describimos, que conserva al menos cuatro perforaciones y que está profusamente decorado con motivos figurativos (un ciervo en visión frontal, y dos astas de ciervo además de dos équidos o, quizás, lepóridos) y signos (trazos simples, ahusados, Vs embutidas, Vs paralelas, etc.). Este excepcional objeto, junto a otros frecuentemente señalados, corrobora la estrecha relación de los yacimientos de la Cornisa Cantábrica con los del Golfo de Bizkaia, Pirineo Occidental y Central.

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“…Additionally, the measurements and proportions of equids have been the subject of various analyses with the aim of comparing the horses that lived in Palaeolithic times with their hypothetical representatives today (Bernáldez-Sánchez & García-Viñas, 2019;Bourdelle, 1958) and thus determining the species (Bourdelle, 1938;Capitan et al, 1924;Madariaga de la Campa, 1969;Prat, 1986). This metric methodology has also been used to calculate the homogeneity of a graphic set (Huard, 2007), to characterise the style, authorship and chronology (Apellániz, 1990;Apellániz & Calvo, 1999;Lión, 1971;Pigeaud, 1997Pigeaud, , 2000Pigeaud, , 2007 or to seek an explanation for the deformity of the outlines of equid representations (Rouzaud et al, 1992).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New Methods for Old Questions: The Use of Elliptic Fourier Analysis for the Formal Study of Palaeolithic Art

García-Bustos,

García Bustos,

Rivero

2024

J Archaeol Method Theory

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One of the main objectives of Palaeolithic art researchers is to study and systematise the form of artistic representations. Some methodologies include the analysis of qualitative variables, linear measurements or the use of geometric morphometry with landmarks. However, these techniques depend to a large extent on the subjectivity of the researcher, which often leads to biased results. To overcome this issue, we present an application of geometric morphometry using Elliptic Fourier Analysis (EFA), together with multivariate statistics and hypothesis testing, for the first time to the study of form in prehistoric art. In order to explain its use, the “duck-bill” convention of pre-Magdalenian horses, often used as a chronological and geographical marker, has been used as a case study. This formalism is described disparately in the literature, so the main objective is to use EFA to determine whether it is possible to characterise this type of convention according to the definitions given by certain authors. The results indicate a possible classification of the heads of these animals. Through this taxonomic proposal, it has been possible to verify the great diversity of forms in which the authors classify the duck-bill horses and, therefore, to demonstrate that this peculiar form can be considered neither a conventionalism nor a chronological/regional marker. In conclusion, the methodology based on EFA combined with multivariate statistics for the objective study of form in prehistoric art is effective and opens a new avenue of analysis in the art of prehistoric societies.

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The equids represented in cave art and current horses: a proposal to determine morphological differences and similarities

Abstract: Anthropozoologica est une revue en flux continu publiée par les Publications scientifiques du Muséum, Paris, avec le soutien de l'Institut des Sciences humaines et sociales du CNRS.

Cited by 10 publications

References 28 publications

Equids (Equus sp.) in southern Spain from the Palaeolithic to the Bronze Age

Equids (Equus sp.) in southern Spain from the Palaeolithic to the Bronze Age

Un bastón multiperforado de la ocupación del Magdaleniense Final de la cueva Aizkoltxo (Mendaro, Gipuzkoa)

New Methods for Old Questions: The Use of Elliptic Fourier Analysis for the Formal Study of Palaeolithic Art

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