Ecology and subsistence strategies in the eastern Italian Alps during the Middle Palaeolithic

Abstract

Italy is very rich in Middle Palaeolithic sites, and the Veneto region ranges among those with the best archaeozoological information. Most of the Middle Palaeolithic sites are located in caves and rock shelters situated at the mouths of the Alpine valleys, in the piedmont slopes. The two sites that offer the best archaeozoological data are Grotta di Fumane and Grotta S. Bernardino. Grotta S. Bernardino was occupied alternately by humans and carnivores, in particular bear. The fauna is largely dominated by ungulate remains, with red and roe deer prevalent over chamois and ibex; elk and giant deer are also present. Among the carnivores, the most frequent species is cave bear followed by lynx and leopard. Furthermore, hare, beaver and marmot are present together with remains of both fish and birds. It is possible that bears or birds of prey introduced the rare fish remains. In the Mousterian levels, hunting of the most common species was mainly directed towards young adult and adult individuals, suggesting the possibility of selective hunting. Marmot, beaver and probably bear, together with some species of birds (ducks, geese and Galliformes) were also hunted. At Grotta Fumane, Mousterian and Aurignacian levels reveal evidence of human activity related to carcass processing and bone exploitation. The most frequent ungulates are red deer, followed by roe deer and ibex; less frequent are chamois, bovids and giant deer (Megaloceros giganteus). Among the carnivores, bears (both Ursus arctos and Ursus spelaeus) are present, as are wolf, red fox and hyena (Crocuta crocuta). Hare and marmot are also present together with abundant bird remains. The most common species of bird are: Tetrao tetrix, Crex crex and Pyrrhocorax graculus. Mortality data for ungulates suggest that young adults and adults were preferentially selected. The faunal assemblage indicates that economic, ecological and climatic changes took place between the Mousterian and the Aurignacian levels.

Late Neandertals and the intentional removal of feathers as evidenced from bird bone taphonomy at Fumane Cave 44 ky B.P., Italy

“…As well as an interest in leg phalanges (25), already evident from other sites (22)(23)(24), the Neandertals from Fumane show a particular interest in wings. Their goal could have been the appropriation of the whole wing, or just the remiges-as indicated by the ulna of Alpine chough (Fig.…”

“…During the MIS 3, humans occupied the cave in different climatic and environmental conditions, ranging from moist temperate at the base of the final Mousterian sequence (units A11 and A10), with alternating cooling in the final Mousterian and Uluzzian levels (units A9-A3) and a shift to cooler and drier conditions in the Aurignacian sequence (units A2-D3) (25). In the final Mousterian levels the most abundant faunal remains are red deer (Cervus elaphus), ibex (Capra ibex), and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), whereas chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra), bison (Bison priscus), and giant deer (Megaloceros giganteus) are less frequent.…”

Eels, Beavers, and Horses: Human Niche Construction in the European Late Upper Palaeolithic

“…While evidence for the use of beaver pelts exists from at least the Middle Palaeolithic, (Fiore et al 2004), there are only a few possible depictions of beavers in Magdalenian art. One of them comes from Abri de la Madeleine regarded by the Musée LesEyzies-de-Tayac as anthropomorph entitled " The sorcerer of La Madeleine" (Fig.…”

Trazando los orígenes del comportamiento simbólico a través del registro arqueológico paleolítico<br /><em>Tracking the origins of symbolic behavior through the Paleolithic archaeological record</em>

“…Por ejemplo, en la Grotta di Fumane (Italia) se ha recuperado un gasterópodo marino (Aspa marginata) que fue utilizado probablemente también como colgante hace alrededor de unos 47'6-45'0 cal ka BP (Peresani y otros, 2013). De manera reciente, sabemos también que los neandertales aprovecharon plumas y garras de cierto tipo de aves, en especial de las rapaces (Fiore, Gala y Tagliacozzo, 2004;Morin y Laroulandie, 2012). En el caso de la cueva de Krapina (Croacia) se han hallado restos de las garras del pigargo europeo (Haliaeetus albicilla) que pudieron ser utilizados como elementos de adorno (Radovčić y otros, 2015).…”