Neanderthal faunal exploitation and settlement dynamics at the Abri du Maras, level 5 (south-eastern France)

Abstract

Over the past two decades, taphonomic and zooarchaeological studies have focused on Neanderthal settlement patterns and subsistence strategies. The south-eastern margins of the Massif Central constitute one of the regions with the most abundant archaeological evidence of Neanderthal occupations in France. The faunal record of level 5 of Abri du Maras is a unique source of information for analysing Neanderthal behaviour at the end of the MIS5. The assemblage is divided into three levels 5.1, 5.2 and 5.3, which correspond to the three main phases of human occupation of the shelter in level 5. Through the taphonomic and zooarchaeological analysis of the faunal remains, we define the characteristics of human occupation developed in the rock shelter. In this paper, we show that Neanderthal groups used the Abri du Maras as a residential campsite for long-term occupation events during a whole season, mainly summer. The intensive exploitation of the faunal resources is typical of a residential campsite, and the selective seasonal hunting strategy of medium and large ungulates, centred on prime adults, indicates different Neanderthal subsistence patterns to the upper levels of the sequence. Here, our results document the chronological changes in occupation patterns in one of the reference sites in south-eastern France and address questions related to cultural choices and environmental constraints.

Multi-isotope zooarchaeological investigations at Abri du Maras: The paleoecological and paleoenvironmental context of Neanderthal subsistence strategies in the Rhône Valley during MIS 3

“…Archaeological and zooarchaeological evidence from the region's caves and rock shelters suggest a farsighted circulating subsistence model closely associated with the regional micro-topography, interactions with non-human carnivores and the estimated availability of (seasonal) resources including prey-species, biotopes and raw material outcrops (Daujeard and Moncel 2010;Daujeard et al, 2016). Monospecific prey assemblages, characterized by the high dominance of remains of a single species represented by a large (minimum) number of individuals (Gaudzinski, 2006), are found at some Middle Paleolithic sites in the region, including at Abri du Maras with Rangifer (Daujeard and Moncel, 2010;Daujeard et al, 2012;Moncel and Daujeard, 2012;Daujeard et al, 2019;Marin et al, 2020;Moncel et al, 2021). Monospecific faunal assemblages increase significantly all over Europe from MIS 5 onwards, and when involving animals that live in large herds, such as reindeer, are often linked to cooperative and planned mass hunting strategies, and flexible resource utilization against a background of increasing climatic instability (Gaudzinkski, 2006).…”

Large-scale application of palaeoproteomics (Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry; ZooMS) in two Palaeolithic faunal assemblages from China

“…accounted for 28% of the ZooMS assemblage, much less than the morphological dataset. The over-representation of Equus in the morphological identifications may be attributed to the distinct morphology of horse teeth [ 65 , 66 ]. At Jinsitai, 67% of the morphologically identified Equus remains were teeth ( n = 219).…”

Site settlement patterns during MIS 3 in the Southeast of France. The lithic assemblages of two phases of occupation (levels 4.1 and 4.2) at the Abri du Maras

“…This major site has yielded important new data regarding Neanderthal behaviour and cognitive capacity: fibre technology was evidenced through residue analyses (Hardy et al, 2013), in particular the identification of 3-ply cordages in layer 4.2 (Hardy et al, 2020), dated to 55 ± 2 ka to 40 ± 3 ka (Richard et al, 2015(Richard et al, , 2021. For layer 5-upper 5, core technologies are more diversified, and more flake-tools were uncovered, mainly made on flint from southern outcrops (Marin et al, 2020;Moncel et al, 2021). Evidence of Alnus root processing is documented in layer 5 (Miras et al, 2020).…”

“…In Western Europe, MIS 3 records climatic instability and diversified cultural traditions, including transitional industries, mostly made by unknown hominins, and some evidence of refuge areas and discontinuity in occupations (e.g., Obreht et al, 2017;Bard et al, 2020;Cooper et al, 2021;Picin et al, 2021;Zilhão et al, 2021;Peresani, 2022;Albouy et al, 2023). Some of these diversified traditions are described as Middle Palaeolithic, suggesting the persistence of Neanderthal groups in various geographical and topographical contexts, with intra and intersite diversity (e.g., Vieillevigne et al, 2008;Daujeard et al, 2012Daujeard et al, , 2016Ruebens and Wragg Sykes 2016;Daura et al, 2017;Discamps and Royer, 2017;Faivre et al, 2017;Eixea, 2018;Wolf et al, 2018;Marin et al, 2020;Baena et al, 2017Baena et al, , 2021Banks et al, 2021;Ruiz et al, 2021;Romagnoli et al, 2022;Jöris et al, 2023;Navazo et al, 2023).…”