A Brief Note on the Presence of the Common Hamster during the Late Glacial Period in Southwestern France

Royer, Aurélien; Sécher, Anthony; Langlais, Mathieu

doi:10.3390/quat1010008

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…The integrity of the small vertebrate assemblages was questioned due to the association of black rat ( Rattus rattus ) and European hamster ( Cricetus cricetus ) remains (Langlais et al , 2015). If the first species is clearly not attested in France before Antiquity (Pascal et al , 2006), the second one suggests that these materials could be Younger Dryas in origin, as has been recently demonstrated for the hamster remains in Combe Cullier (Royer et al , 2018). The recent radiocarbon dates obtained from the two shrew remains (c. 5th–7th centuries ad ) thus strongly suggest the presence of more recent intrusive remains in this level, presumably brought from upper layers by burrowing activities.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

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Detecting stratigraphical issues using direct radiocarbon dating from small‐mammal remains

Rofes

Cersoy

Zazzo

et al. 2020

J Quaternary Science

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Frequently preserved in archaeological and palaeontological sites, the tiny size of small-mammal remains favours percolations into underlying layers along stratigraphic sequences. This is one of the various postdepositional processes that may affect the integrity of the original deposits and therefore the subsequent scientific interpretations. Recent developments in sample preparation offer the possibility of detecting intrusive episodes through the absolute dating of minute amounts of bone (down to 10 mg), meaning that isolated elements (such as mandibles in this case) are sufficient to obtain reliable radiocarbon dates if collagen is moderately to well preserved. The radiocarbon dates obtained here for small-mammal bones (recovered from pre-Bølling to recent deposits) and their comparison with previous dates obtained from other sources (large-mammal bones, charcoal, botanical samples, etc.), with different protocols and instruments, illustrate the potential of small-mammal dating to reveal (and eventually contribute a solution to) stratigraphical issues in different archaeological contexts.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Finally, they allow the evaluation of faunal assemblages regarding the contemporaneity of archaeological remains and species (e.g. Costamagno et al , 2016; Pelletier et al , 2017; Royer et al , 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Detecting stratigraphical issues using direct radiocarbon dating from small‐mammal remains

Rofes

Cersoy

Zazzo

et al. 2020

J Quaternary Science

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“…T4 may indicate intrusive remains of common hamster that died in their burrows during winter, as their burrows can be of considerable complexity and size [131]. Testing intrusiveness could be resolved with 14C dating as demonstrated by Royer et al [132] and Rofes et al [133]. T1 and T2 represent predator-accumulated assemblages and are not dominated by the common hamster and provide a more diverse species composition, together with signs of digestion and breakage.…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

Short-term occupations at high elevation during the Middle Paleolithic at Kalavan 2 (Republic of Armenia)

et al. 2021

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The Armenian highlands encompasses rugged and environmentally diverse landscapes and is characterized by a mosaic of distinct ecological niches and large temperature gradients. Strong seasonal fluctuations in resource availability along topographic gradients likely prompted Pleistocene hominin groups to adapt by adjusting their mobility strategies. However, the role that elevated landscapes played in hunter-gatherer settlement systems during the Late Pleistocene (Middle Palaeolithic [MP]) remains poorly understood. At 1640 m above sea level, the MP site of Kalavan 2 (Armenia) is ideally positioned for testing hypotheses involving elevation-dependent seasonal mobility and subsistence strategies. Renewed excavations at Kalavan 2 exposed three main occupation horizons and ten additional low densities lithic and faunal assemblages. The results provide a new chronological, stratigraphical, and paleoenvironmental framework for hominin behaviors between ca. 60 to 45 ka. The evidence presented suggests that the stratified occupations at Kalavan 2 locale were repeated ephemerally most likely related to hunting in a high-elevation within the mountainous steppe landscape.

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“…Furthermore, no young hamster individuals were recorded. As hamsters are solitary mammals, the high number of adult hamster individuals argues against a natural death assemblage, which should theoretically concern only a single individual, as in the case of Combe-Cullier [77]. While the Ittemheim hamsters being accumulated by carnivores seems the most parsimonious hypothesis, the question remains of which of its main predators is responsible: a small predator, such as Mustela erminea, Mustela nivalis, Martres foina, or Martres martres; or a larger one, such as Meles meles or Vulpes vulpes.…”

Section: An Integrative Approach For Reconstructing the Taphonomic History Of The Ittenheim Accumulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Who Killed the Small Mammals of Ittenheim (Northeastern France)? An Integrative Approach and New Taphonomic Data for Investigating Bone Assemblages Accumulated by Small Carnivores

et al. 2021

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Small carnivores are susceptible to regularly accumulating small- to medium-sized mammal remains in both natural and archaeological sites. However, compared to nocturnal birds of prey, these accumulations are still poorly documented and are generally based on a limited number of samples, including those of relatively small size. Here, we present an analysis of European hamster remains from a rescue excavation at Ittenheim (Bas-Rhin, Grand-Est, France), which were recovered from an infilled burrow, three meters below the current surface. The remains are well preserved and exhibit large proportions of tooth marks. Comparisons with a new and existing reference collection combined with an analysis of all recovered faunal remains suggest the accumulation reflects the action of young red foxes. This is supported by the fact that, although these young individuals leave teeth mark, they do not necessarily consume all parts of medium-sized prey species, including the European hamster. Conversely, the remains of smaller rodents, such as microtine, show distinct patterns of digestion and tooth marks. Carnivore bone accumulations from scats are generally poorly preserved; however, our results demonstrate prey size plays a major role, both qualitatively and quantitatively, in skeletal representation, bone preservation, and bone surface modifications. The present paper underlines the need for more diversified taphonomic reference collections based on an integrative approach designed to evaluate multi-taxa accumulations.

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A Brief Note on the Presence of the Common Hamster during the Late Glacial Period in Southwestern France

Cited by 5 publications

References 17 publications

Detecting stratigraphical issues using direct radiocarbon dating from small‐mammal remains

Detecting stratigraphical issues using direct radiocarbon dating from small‐mammal remains

Short-term occupations at high elevation during the Middle Paleolithic at Kalavan 2 (Republic of Armenia)

Who Killed the Small Mammals of Ittenheim (Northeastern France)? An Integrative Approach and New Taphonomic Data for Investigating Bone Assemblages Accumulated by Small Carnivores

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