Rhinoceros (Stephanorhinus hemitoechus) exploitation in Level F at the Caune de l'Arago (Tautavel, Pyrénéés‐Orientales, France) during MIS 12

Abstract

Caune de l'Arago is a Middle Pleistocene site in Southern France, where Acheulean artefacts and hominin fossils were excavated. Rhinoceros (Stephanorhinus hemitoechus) remains from Level F (MIS 12) were studied from a zooarchaeological and taphonomic perspective to investigate the potential human exploitation of this large taxon. The well-represented butchering marks, as well as scarce carnivore marks, indicate primary access to rhinoceros carcasses by hominins. The juvenile-dominated mortality profile further suggests aggressive scavenging or occasional opportunistic hunting. Furthermore, differential skeletal representation shows that humans selectively transported the nutrient-rich body sections. In addition, thorough processing of the carcasses for consumption inside the cave is highlighted by the frequent cut marks, intensive fragmentation, and regular spatial distribution. The analyses of the Arago Level F rhinoceros confirm the rhinoceros exploitation by humans during the Lower Palaeolithic; however, the rhinoceros mortality profile differs from that of large mammals such as equids, argali, and all other game species of this archaeological layer.Caune de l'Arago is the earliest hominin site where the systematic exploitation of rhinoceros has been documented.

Braincase With Natural Endocast of a Juvenile Rhinocerotinae From the Late Middle Pleistocene Site of Melpignano (Apulia, Southern Italy)

“…The finding in17th century at Klagenfurt (Austria) of a woolly rhino Coelodonta antiquitatis (Blumenbach, 1799) skull was interpreted as a dragon and a six-tone statue of this legendary animal became the symbol of the Austrian town (Witton, 2018). By the start of 1800, fossils rhinoceroses have been recovered in Eurasia, Africa and America (Stuart, 1991;Lacombat, 2006;Markova et al, 2013;Faith, 2014), their taxonomy and phylogeny has been studied by several authors (Prothero et al, 1986;Cerdeño, 1995;Tong and Moigne, 2000;Antoine, 2003;Antoine et al, 2003;Piras et al, 2010;Deng et al, 2011;Steiner and Ryder, 2011;Welker et al, 2017;Cappellini et al, 2019) and even direct evidence of human interactions with the Late Pleistocene woolly rhinoceroses have been documented by cut marks and cave paintings (Bello et al, 2009;Boeskorov, 2012;Chen and Moigne, 2018). Although some exceptionally preserved specimens are known (Voorhies and Stover, 1978;Voorhies, 1985;Protopopov et al, 2015), the Pleistocene fossil record of the European rhinoceroses is less abundant compared to those of other megaherbivores, and especially juveniles are scarce and their skull remains are rarely described in literature (Prothero, 2005;Shpansky, 2014).…”