Connecting Middle Palaeolithic Datasets: the Interplay of Zooarchaeological and Lithic Data for Unravelling Neanderthal Behaviour

Abstract

The ongoing refinement of archaeological excavation and recording methods over the last decades has led to a significant increase in quantitative Middle Palaeolithic datasets that provide a record of past Neanderthal behaviour. Stone tools and butchered animal remains are the two main categories of Middle Palaeolithic archaeological remains and both provide distinctive insights into site formation and Neanderthal behaviour. However, the integration of these quantitative lithic and zooarchaeological datasets is key for achieving a full understanding of both site-specific and broader-scale patterns of Middle Palaeolithic subsistence. To explore novel ways to enhance the incorporation of these datasets, we organised a session at the 82nd annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in Vancouver. An underlying theme was the problem of linking lithic and faunal variability. Are variations in subsistence strategies reflected by changes in toolmaking decisions? This paper will briefly introduce the possible ways these Middle Palaeolithic datasets can be integrated, illustrated with the papers included in this special volume, and discuss its potential for understanding the variability and interconnectedness of Neanderthal technologies and subsistence strategies.

The Late Middle Palaeolithic Occupation of Abri du Maras (Layer 1, Neronian, Southeast France): Integrating Lithic Analyses, ZooMS and Radiocarbon Dating to Reconstruct Neanderthal Hunting Behaviour

“…However, Table 8 Comparison of Neanderthal technological and subsistence behaviour at Abri du Maras (Layers 1 and 4.1). (Based on data from this study as well as from Combier, 1967;Daujeard et al, 2019;Moncel, 1996;Moncel et al, 2014Moncel et al, , 2021 Layer we think it is important to integrate both lithic and faunal datasets to improve our understanding of these layers (Ruebens et al, 2020).…”