The Prehistoric Nonhuman Primate Subfossil Remains at Sigiriya Potana Cave, Sri Lanka

Huffman, Michael A.; Nahallage, Charmalie; Ananda, Tharaka; Kanthilatha, Nelum; Perera, Nimal; Bardi, Massimo; Adikari, G.

doi:10.1017/9781108766500.024

Cited by 2 publications

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“…However, we acknowledge that it is not straightforward due to significant overlap in linear dental measurements and morphological features between the cooccurring grey langur (Semnopithecus priam) and purple-faced langur (Trachypithecus vetulus) . In contrast to Southeast Asia (Ki-Kydd and Piper, 2004;Piper et al, 2008;Ingicco et al, 2020;Amano et al, 2022), there is currently a lack of studies looking at morphological criteria for discriminating the colobines in South Asia (see Huffman et al, 2022). In a recent paper, we chose a more conservative identification method where we grouped the colobines together-and only discriminated them against macaques (Macaca sinica) (Wedage et al, 2020).…”

Section: Identification Of Dental Elementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Of forests and grasslands: human, primate, and ungulate palaeoecology in Late Pleistocene-Holocene Sri Lanka

et al. 2023

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The Wet Zone region of Sri Lanka has provided some of the earliest direct evidence of human utilization of rainforest resources anywhere in the world. Stable isotope analysis of human and animal remains, alongside detailed zooarchaeological analyses, have demonstrated reliance on rainforest resources as far back as 48,000 years ago. However, changes in human adaptations and the varying niches of exploited fauna, through major periods of climatic change such as during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition, remain relatively under-explored. Here, we present the results of stable carbon (δ13C) and oxygen (δ18O) isotope analyses of dental enamel from 311 animal and eight human teeth recovered from recent excavations at Fa-Hien Lena and Kitulgala Beli-lena from contexts spanning the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. Our data for human teeth from the Terminal Pleistocene and Holocene layers of Fa-Hien Lena and the Holocene layers of Kitulgala Beli-lena show little departure from rainforest resource reliance between the Pleistocene and Holocene. Meanwhile, the most dominant faunal taxa, including cercopithecid monkeys, show a similar stability in canopied forest habitation across the different species. However, δ13C data from ungulates found at Fa-Hien Lena indicate human populations did have access to forest edge and grassland habitats, suggesting either specific foraging trips or long-distance trade with other communities. In addition, our reporting of an Early Holocene presence of rhinoceros in the Wet Zone forest of Sri Lanka, the last fossil occurrence of this now regionally-extirpated taxon, highlights ongoing human interactions with large mammal communities on the island. We argue that our data demonstrate the benefits of detailed isotopic and zooarchaeological studies for detailed insights into the nature of tropical human adaptations through time.

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Section: Identification Of Dental Elementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Of forests and grasslands: human, primate, and ungulate palaeoecology in Late Pleistocene-Holocene Sri Lanka

et al. 2023

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Archaeoprimatology: TheLongue DuréeInterface Between Humans and Nonhuman Primates

Urbani

2021

Annu. Rev. Anthropol.

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Archaeoprimatology explores how humans and nonhuman primates coexisted in the past. This discipline has profound roots in texts of early scholars. Archaeoprimatological research examines the liminality between humans, apes, monkeys, and prosimians deep in time before the rise of the Anthropocene. By exploring the beginning of the relationship between modern Homo sapiens and primates, which possibly dates to approximately 100,000 BCE, I survey the evidence, ranging from portable objects and 2D surfaces with primatomorphic depictions to primate remains at archaeological sites worldwide. For example, an overview of ancient frescoes and mosaics with primate representations reveals that the vast majority of them were rendered in locations where primates were not part of the local fauna. An extensive review of primates in the zooarchaeological record shows as a global pattern that traded primates were usually young individuals and frugivorous/omnivorous species. Local primates yielded at sites of regions they naturally inhabited were mostly hunted. Thus, examining past patterns of the human–nonhuman primate interface provides insight into major questions about human niche construction and primate conservation today.

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The Prehistoric Nonhuman Primate Subfossil Remains at Sigiriya Potana Cave, Sri Lanka

Cited by 2 publications

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Of forests and grasslands: human, primate, and ungulate palaeoecology in Late Pleistocene-Holocene Sri Lanka

Of forests and grasslands: human, primate, and ungulate palaeoecology in Late Pleistocene-Holocene Sri Lanka

Archaeoprimatology: TheLongue DuréeInterface Between Humans and Nonhuman Primates

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