Derniers néanderthaliens et exploitation des petits mammifères en italie du nord : fortuité, nécessité ou variété de chasse?

Abstract

This work reviews the anthropogenic exploitation of small mammals during a crucial time span for the reconstruction of human behavior at the dawn of the Middle Upper Palaeolithic boundary in the Northern Mediterranean region. Data are sourced from faunal assemblages recovered in the final Mousterian levels of Grotta di Fumane (A5A6 complex) and the Late Mousterian levels of Riparo Tagliente (levels 35 and 36) and Grotta di San Bernardino (units II and IV), in the North of Italy. As a whole, these records mostly comprise ungulates, rather than bird and carnivore bones, and derive from primary accumulation processes more than from postdepositional activities or direct carnivore actions. Broadly, the taphonomic analyses reveal the presence of human modifications referable to different butchering activities on almost all of the ungulates. Small mammal bones are present throughout the late MP sequences in variable quantities, with canids and rodents represented in each of the assemblages. This work highlights new qualitative taphonomic records produced by humans within a large area that reveal Neandertals' exploitation of small mammals as game. At Grotta di Fumane, foxes have been butchered in order to exploit fur and meat. Similarly, at Grotta Maggiore di San Bernardino and Riparo Tagliente some large rodents bear cutmarks related to the same purposes. Krapina Cave is the only other Mousterian site containing evidence of small game exploitation (beaver and marmot) that is in close geographical proximity to the caves analyzed here.

Neanderthal ecology and the exploitation of cervids and bovids at the onset of MIS4: A study on De Nadale cave, Italy

“…Nevertheless, current studies hold that Neanderthals were skilled hunters of large mammals and that they had great behavioural flexibility, allowing them to exploit a wide spectrum of resources. Archaeological evidence attests, for example, the exploitation of marine food resources, including mammals, fishes and molluscs (Stiner, 1994(Stiner, , 2009(Stiner, /2010Stringer et al, 2008;Colonese et al, 2011;Cortés-Sánchez et al, 2011;Hardy and Moncel, 2011;Nabais and Zilhão, 2019), of small game (Stiner et al, 2000;Hockett and Haws, 2002;Alhaique et al, 2004;Miracle, 2007;Blasco and Fernández Peris, 2012;Cochard et al, 2012;Carvalho et al, 2018;Romandini et al, 2018a;Morin et al, 2019), of birds, (Peresani et al, 2011;Finlayson et al, 2012;Romandini et al, 2014bRomandini et al, , 2016Blasco et al, 2016;Laroulandie et al, 2016) and of carnivores (Auguste, 2003;Petram et al, 2004;Camaròs et al, 2017;Romandini et al, 2018b). Several studies on isotopes, dental calculus and dental microwear pointed out the key role of vegetal component in Neanderthal's dietary spectrum, in addition to the meaty component.…”

Integrating ZooMS and zooarchaeology: New data from the Uluzzian levels of Uluzzo C Rock Shelter, Roccia San Sebastiano cave and Riparo del Broion

“…This context is the sole recording the presence of goats, due to rocky areas surrounding the site. Moreover, the faunal composition from Fumane cave is similar and is characterised by large carnivores such as ursids, and small/medium-sized carnivores such as foxes and wolves; cervids of various sizes, bovids and ibex are the most common ungulate species; and mustelids or small species are not attested [ 7 , 44 , 68 – 71 ].…”

New evidence of Neandertal butchery traditions through the marrow extraction in southwestern Europe (MIS 5–3)

“…were the most represented. Few remains of Marmota have been identified, including a mandible with cutmarks [ 1 , 95 ] and few non-identified remains of Aves and only one of Lepus sp. The presence of foetal or neonatal cervid bones suggests an occupation of the rock shelter mainly during the spring-time [ 63 , 96 ].…”

“…Over the last two decades, the diversity and flexibility of the Neandertal diet have been widely demonstrated [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]. The ability to use and to cook all the available resources in the environment suggests a combination of complex subsistence behaviours and opportunism [10][11][12][13][14][15][16].…”

“…For example, red and yellow bone marrow was an important food resource, especially in dry and cold environments [25][26][27][28]. Given the large accumulations of broken bones by Neandertal in archaeological sites, focusing on the modalities of bone fracturing seems to be an innovative way of tracking butchery traditions among Neandertal groups [1,[29][30][31][32][33][34][35].…”