Ancient whale exploitation in the Mediterranean: the archaeological record

Bernal‐Casasola, Darío; Gardeisen, Armelle; Morgenstern, Peggy; Horwitz, Liora Kolska; Piquès, Gaël; Theodoropoulou, Tatiana; Wilkens, Barbara

doi:10.15184/aqy.2016.116

Cited by 14 publications

(16 citation statements)

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“…It is now possible to break this cycle and obtain more accurate species identifications thanks to developments in DNA and collagen fingerprinting in ancient bones, both of which have been successfully applied to ancient cetacean remains (Foote et al 2012;Buckley et al 2014), although not yet to those from the Mediterranean region (Bernal-Casasola et al 2016). These methods will shed light on the composition of whale communities prior to their depletion by industrial-scale whaling, thus contributing to the creation of a more accurate ecological baseline to inform conservation and management of Mediterranean marine ecosystems.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In summary, it is ecologically plausible that one or more of these coastal species might once have been present in the Mediterranean and so supported an ancient whaling industry. This hypothesis finds some credence in historical evidence, although it is uncorroborated by the identification of remains from archaeozoological sites (Bernal-Casasola et al 2016).…”

Section: Plausibility Of Ancient Whaling If Coastal Whale Species Wermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hominid exploitation of marine resources from the Mediterranean Sea began in the Middle Palaeolithic, c. 147 000 BP (Cortés-Sánchez et al 2011); by the classical antiquity period it had expanded and developed into extensive fisheries and trade systems in marine products (Marzano 2013). Given the rarity of records of whales in archaeological collections from this region (Bernal-Casasola et al 2016), it has been generally assumed that their exploitation was only occasional, involving the opportunistic use of stranded individuals (Papadopoulos & Ruscillo 2002). The rarity of bones in the archaeological record is not, however, incompatible with active whale exploitation, as butchering would have taken place on the beach, with few bones transported inland (Mulville 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The rarity of bones in the archaeological record is not, however, incompatible with active whale exploitation, as butchering would have taken place on the beach, with few bones transported inland (Mulville 2005). More informative is the identity of the whale species represented in the archaeological record (Buckley et al 2014), yet little effort has been made to determine with precision the species represented in, for example, Mediterranean sites (Bernal-Casasola et al 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ancient whale exploitation in the Mediterranean: species matters

Rodrigues

Horwitz²,

Monsarrat

et al. 2016

Antiquity

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Plausibility Of Ancient Whaling If Coastal Whale Species Wermentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Ancient whale exploitation in the Mediterranean: species matters

Rodrigues

Horwitz²,

Monsarrat

et al. 2016

Antiquity

Self Cite

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“…For centuries, responses to cetacean live strandings—typically including the killing or harming of the animals—were either utilitarian or characterized by feelings including fear and a desire to "subjugate the beast", with no apparent concern for the animal's suffering and death [6]. The perception of the stranded beast’s economic value emerged very early on European shores; scavenging of both dead and live stranded whales was a common practice [28]. While in the Mediterranean Sea there was never an extensive commercial whaling tradition [29], since medieval times most whales that were stranded alive or approached the coast were promptly butchered and used to extract oil, and sometimes also used for scientific purposes or display [30].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From sea monsters to charismatic megafauna: Changes in perception and use of large marine animals

Mazzoldi

Bearzi²,

Brito

et al. 2019

PLoS ONE

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Marine megafauna has always elicited contrasting feelings. In the past, large marine animals were often depicted as fantastic mythological creatures and dangerous monsters, while also arousing human curiosity. Marine megafauna has been a valuable resource to exploit, leading to the collapse of populations and local extinctions. In addition, some species have been perceived as competitors of fishers for marine resources and were often actively culled. Since the 1970s, there has been a change in the perception and use of megafauna. The growth of marine tourism, increasingly oriented towards the observation of wildlife, has driven a shift from extractive to non-extractive use, supporting the conservation of at least some species of marine megafauna. In this paper, we review and compare the changes in the perception and use of three megafaunal groups, cetaceans, elasmobranchs and groupers, with a special focus on European cultures. We highlight the main drivers and the timing of these changes, compare different taxonomic groups and species, and highlight the implications for management and conservation. One of the main drivers of the shift in perception, shared by all the three groups of megafauna, has been a general increase in curiosity towards wildlife, stimulated inter alia by documentaries (from the early 1970s onwards), and also promoted by easy access to scuba diving. At the same time, environmental campaigns have been developed to raise public awareness regarding marine wildlife, especially cetaceans, a process greatly facilitated by the rise of Internet and the World Wide Web. Currently, all the three groups (cetaceans, elasmobranchs and groupers) may represent valuable resources for ecotourism. Strikingly, the economic value of live specimens may exceed their value for human consumption. A further change in perception involving all the three groups is related to a growing understanding and appreciation of their key ecological role. The shift from extractive to non-extractive use has the potential for promoting species conservation and local economic growth. However, the change in use may not benefit the original stakeholders (e.g. fishers or whalers) and there may therefore be a case for providing compensation for disadvantaged stakeholders. Moreover, it is increasingly clear that even non-extractive use may have a negative impact on marine megafauna, therefore regulations are needed.

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Discriminant function analysis of atlas and axis vertebrae of the toothed whale to facilitate species identification in zooarchaeological specimens

Thongcharoenchaikit

Eda

2020

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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Cetaceans have long been exploited as a key marine resource for subsistence in many parts of the world. The bones of cetaceans in archaeological deposits tend to be highly fragmented but can be distinguished from other mammals by their unique cancellous texture. However, distinguishing species of cetaceans from one another is difficult because of their high morphological similarity. The current study establishes taxonomic identification criteria based on the atlas and axis vertebrae of modern toothed whale species, using discriminant function analysis (DFA). Canonical DFA was effective at classifying the atlas and axis vertebrae of modern toothed whales in a hierarchical classification system, with a successful classification rate in the superfamily of 97.1%, the family of 89.6% and subfamily of 78.9%. Of the 18 modern, toothed whale species, six scored the highest correct identification rate for each species (100.0%), whereas four other species had reasonably correct identification rates (80.0-99.0%), suggesting that species level identification of these species is sufficiently reliable. Application of the canonical DFA to identify the atlas and axis vertebrate of a zooarchaeological toothed whale from the Kafukai-1 site, Rebun Island, Japan, resulted in a successful hierarchical classification at the species level. This paper demonstrates that the DFA approach is effective for identifying the atlas and axis vertebrate of toothed whales from archaeological sites. Further trials including the selection and reduction of further measurements are required for application to incomplete zooarchaeological materials to obtain correct classifications. K E Y W O R D S archaeofauna, atlas/axis vertebra, canonical discriminant function analysis, marine mammal, toothed whale 1 | INTRODUCTION Cetaceans (baleen and toothed whales) have long been exploited as a key marine resource for subsistence by coastal communities in many parts of the world since prehistoric times (Bernal-Casasola

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Ancient whale exploitation in the Mediterranean: the archaeological record

Abstract: Abstract

Cited by 14 publications

References 10 publications

Ancient whale exploitation in the Mediterranean: species matters

Ancient whale exploitation in the Mediterranean: species matters

From sea monsters to charismatic megafauna: Changes in perception and use of large marine animals

Discriminant function analysis of atlas and axis vertebrae of the toothed whale to facilitate species identification in zooarchaeological specimens

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