Interpreting pachyderm single carcass sites in the African Lower and Early Middle Pleistocene record: A multidisciplinary approach to the site of Nadung’a 4 (Kenya)

Delagnes, Anne; Lenoble, Arnaud; Harmand, Sonia; Brugal, Jean‐Philip; Prat, Sandrine; Tiercelin, Jean-Jacques; Roche, Hélène

doi:10.1016/j.jaa.2006.03.002

Cited by 79 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 30 publications

(34 reference statements)

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“…In fact, in the widely accepted kill-butchery sites around the world, it is not uncommon to find thousands of stone artifacts. This view differs greatly from Issac's [45,46] classic model. We believe therefore, that based on its characteristics and function, the Lingjing site undoubtedly belongs as a type B site, but is also of significant archeological value.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 77%

Taphonomic analysis of the Lingjing fauna and the first report of a Middle Paleolithic kill-butchery site in North China

et al. 2011

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More than ten thousand bone fragments were recovered from the Lingjing site, Henan Province, during 2005 and 2006. A taphonomic analysis of the faunal remains strongly indicates that hominids have a dominant role in the accumulation and modification of the assemblage. Based on the taphonomic and zooarcheological characteristics of the animal remains, including species richness, mortality patterns, skeletal element profiles, and bone surface-modifications, and on the local ecology, we suggest that the Lingjing site is a Middle Paleolithic kill-butchery site rather than a home base for early humans. The presence of large numbers of stone artifacts may therefore signify a strong sense of planning and farsightedness in the subsistence strategies of early human groups. The Lingjing site is presently the only taphonomically-identified, Middle Paleolithic kill-butchery site known in North China.Lingjing site, Paleolithic, taphonomy, zooarcheology, kill-butchery site Citation:Zhang S Q, Gao X, Zhang Y, et al. Taphonomic analysis of the Lingjing fauna and the first report of a Middle Paleolithic kill-butchery site in North China.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 77%

Taphonomic analysis of the Lingjing fauna and the first report of a Middle Paleolithic kill-butchery site in North China

et al. 2011

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“…The author drew upon the major publications concerning these assemblages (Roche et al 1999;Delagnes and Roche 2005;Delagnes et al 2006;Texier et al 2006), and her own in-depth technological observations, which aimed more particularly to highlight the relationship between raw materials and tool production processes (Harmand 2005). This approach is based on the notion of chaîne opératoire, whereby each and every technical sequence and their mutual organization are identified (e.g., Leroi-Gourhan 1964Geneste 1989Geneste , 1991.…”

Section: Methods Of Analysis: Volcanic Petrography and Chaîne Opératoirementioning

confidence: 99%

“…0.70 myr (Figure 1.2) (Delagnes et al 2006). The excavation covered an area of 53 m 2 from which an abundant lithic assemblage (n = 6797) in situ has been recovered in close association with the partial carcass of an elephant.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Raw Materials and Techno‐Economic Behaviors at Oldowan and Acheulean Sites in the West Turkana Region, Kenya

Harmand

2009

Lithic Materials and Paleolithic Societies

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In East Africa, the significant increase in lithic studies on newly discovered Plio-Pleistocene sites provides renewed data on the emergence of early technological developments. The current techno-economic study of several rich and wellpreserved Oldowan and Acheulean lithic assemblages from the West Turkana region in North Kenya opens new perspectives on how raw material procurement activities are economically structured in the Early Stone Age and documents their transformations during the Plio-Pleistocene time period. This study, carried out in combination with geological surveys, petrographic analyses, and lithic assemblage analyses, reveals distinctive characteristics in raw material procurement and exploitation patterns between 2.34 and 0.70 myrs in the West Turkana region. It demonstrates the antiquity of decisionmaking in ancient contexts and highlights substantial diachronic changes in the management of raw materials during the Plio-Pleistocene, which are related to the qualities and morphologies of the raw materials selected as well as to the way they were processed, rather than to variations in resource availability. Lithic Materials and Paleolithic Societies Edited by Brian Adams and Brooke S. Blades

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“…Raw material distribution maps demonRuhama (261 in BR AT5 from sample of 6m 2 ; 138 in BR 1996, from sample of 4m 2 ), despite sieving with 1mm mesh. If at least some knapping did take place at the site, as the composition of the assemblages suggests, then according to knapping experiments, the number of pieces smaller than 1cm is expected to be higher (Delagnes et al 2006;Schick et al 1991).…”

Section: Horizontal Distributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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2010

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The earliest evidence of hominin presence outside of Africa is scarce. Although it is clear that hominins reached Eurasia at the beginning of the Early Pleistocene, equipped with an Oldowan-like tool-kit, the Eurasian Early Pleistocene archaeological record is actually limited to a few occurrences, many of which are not in primary archaeological context. Consequently, much of the paleoecological and behavioral aspects of the earliest occupation of Eurasia remain poorly understood. Here we report on the renewed excavations at the Early Pleistocene core-and-flake site of Bizat Ruhama, Israel, located on the southern coastal plain of the southern Levant. The site yielded several lithic and faunal assemblages in primary anthropogenic context and is dated to the Matuyama paleomagnetic chron (1.96-0.78 Ma), based on paleomagnetic and faunal evidence.The results of the current study at Bizat Ruhama reveal a spatially extensive single-horizon open-air occurrence with indications for fast burial and good preservation of the original site features. The Bizat Ruhama industry shows no Acheulian affinities and exhibits technological simplicity. However, it demonstrates the hominin ability to adapt to unfavorable raw material conditions. Technological simplicity and absence of bifacial and discoidal knapping suggest that the site represents Mode 1 dispersal out of Africa. The faunal assemblage of the site was accumulated primarily by anthropogenic agents, preserving signs of hominin butchery. Geological and faunal evidence indicate open homogeneous semi-arid environment with no evidence for river or lake in the immediate surroundings, thereby broadening our knowledge of the range of habitats exploited by early hominins and their adaptive skills. Altogether, the results point to short-term hominin occupation and suggest that animal carcasses were processed in place, along with knapping activities. INTRODUCTION Early Pleistocene hominin sites in Eurasia are scarce, but their importance for studying the first dispersals out of Africa, and for illustrating early hominin adaptations and life ways, is immense. Currently, the evidence for the earliest hominin presence in Eurasia derives from Dmanisi in Georgia, dated to 1.78 Ma (Ferring et al. 2008; Gabunia et al. 2000) and the lowest level of Majuangou in the Nihewan basin, China, dated to 1.66 Ma (Zhu et al. 2004). Both occurrences yielded simple core-and-flake assemblages comparable with East African Mode 1 assemblages (de Lumley et al. 2005;Zhu et al. 2004). Given that the age of the earliest known Acheulian sites in Africa is 1.65-1.5 Ma (Asfaw et al. 1992;Roche et al. 2003;Semaw et al. 2008), it seems that the earliest out-of-Africa sorties took place before the emergence of the Acheulian lithic technology.Although the interpretation of the timing of the earliest out-of-Africa dispersal and the technological affinities of the earliest migrants seem to be quite compelling, the Eurasian Early Pleistocene record de facto is extremely sparse. Large numbers of Early Pleis...

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Interpreting pachyderm single carcass sites in the African Lower and Early Middle Pleistocene record: A multidisciplinary approach to the site of Nadung’a 4 (Kenya)

Cited by 79 publications

References 30 publications

Taphonomic analysis of the Lingjing fauna and the first report of a Middle Paleolithic kill-butchery site in North China

Taphonomic analysis of the Lingjing fauna and the first report of a Middle Paleolithic kill-butchery site in North China

Raw Materials and Techno‐Economic Behaviors at Oldowan and Acheulean Sites in the West Turkana Region, Kenya

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