The role of small prey in human subsistence strategies from Early Upper Palaeolithic sites in Iberia: the rabbits from the Evolved Aurignacian level of Arbreda Cave

Lloveras, Lluís; Maroto, Julià; Soler, Joaquim; Thomas, Richard M.; García, Marta Moreno; Nadal, J.; Soler, Narcís

doi:10.1002/jqs.2869

Cited by 35 publications

(13 citation statements)

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“…However, in both cases it is clear that there was an important consumption of small game, specifically rabbits. Although cut marks are only present on one tibia fragment from layer IV (Fig 18), the presence of midshaft cylinders—an exclusively anthropogenic pattern [105–107]—often burned and with notches from what are possibly human bite marks, are the main elements that enable us to interpret the remains as being of anthropogenic origin. Humerus, tibia, and femur cylinders represent 17% of the midshaft cylinders in layer IIIc, and 25% in layer IV, percentages similar to those found in other Iberian Upper Paleolithic assemblages [105].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although cut marks are only present on one tibia fragment from layer IV (Fig 18), the presence of midshaft cylinders—an exclusively anthropogenic pattern [105–107]—often burned and with notches from what are possibly human bite marks, are the main elements that enable us to interpret the remains as being of anthropogenic origin. Humerus, tibia, and femur cylinders represent 17% of the midshaft cylinders in layer IIIc, and 25% in layer IV, percentages similar to those found in other Iberian Upper Paleolithic assemblages [105]. This type of small game consumption has also been documented at other Châtelperronian and Early Aurignacian sites [108], although Cova Foradada is the first case where it has been documented with such intensity.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Middle-to-Upper Paleolithic transition occupations from Cova Foradada (Calafell, NE Iberia)

et al. 2019

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The Middle-to-Upper Paleolithic transition in Europe covers the last millennia of Neanderthal life together with the appearance and expansion of Modern Human populations. Culturally, it is defined by the Late Middle Paleolithic succession, and by Early Upper Paleolithic complexes like the Châ telperronian (southwestern Europe), the Protoaurignacian, and the Early Aurignacian. Up to now, the southern boundary for the transition has been established as being situated between France and Iberia, in the Cantabrian façade and Pyrenees. According to this, the central and southern territories of Iberia are claimed to have been the refuge of the last Neanderthals for some additional millennia after they were replaced by anatomically Modern Humans on the rest of the continent. In this paper, we present the Middle-to-Upper Paleolithic transition sequence from Cova Foradada (Tarragona), a cave on the Catalan Mediterranean coastline. Archaeological research has documented a stratigraphic sequence containing a succession of very short-term occupations pertaining to the Châ telperronian, Early Aurignacian, and Gravettian. Cova Foradada therefore represents the southernmost Châ telperronian-Early Aurignacian sequence ever documented in Europe, significantly enlarging the territorial distribution of both cultures and providing an important geographical and chronological reference for understanding Neanderthal disappearance and the complete expansion of anatomically Modern Humans.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Middle-to-Upper Paleolithic transition occupations from Cova Foradada (Calafell, NE Iberia)

et al. 2019

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“…The fact that almost all skeletal elements of this species are represented suggests that complete animals were brought to complex 2 for processing and consumption (Ivanova et al 1987). The pattern of all remains being from adult animals is typical for human exploitation of leporids (Lloveras et al 2016). The hares were probably caught by setting snares in their trails (cf.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Late Gravettian Site of Kostënki 21 Layer III, Russia: a Chronocultural Reassessment Based on a New Interpretation of the Significance of Intra-site Spatial Patterning

et al. 2019

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The site of Kostënki 21 (also known as Gmelin or Gmelinskaia) is located on the very edge of the Don River at Kostënki (Voronezh Oblast, Russia). The main archaeological horizon, layer III, is dated to c. 23,000-21,000 14 C BP (c. 27,500-24,500 cal BP) and contained six concentrations of archaeological material, mostly interpreted as the remains of dwelling structures. A substantial Gravettian lithic assemblage was found. The site has traditionally been seen as without parallels within the Gravettian chronocultural framework of Eastern Europe. It has long been noted that clear differences in the lithic typology and faunal assemblages of the six concentrations can be used to separate them into two groups, but this has previously been attributed to differences in the activities carried out in the two areas. In this paper, we argue that the two parts of the site were created at different times and that one part of the site can potentially be grouped with several other sites in Russia and Ukraine on lithic technotypological grounds. The degree of patination of the flint artefacts found at the site provides support for our interpretation.

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“…However, in most western Mediterranean areas, the most abundant small prey were small mammals and in the majority of sites, one small mammal species stands out: the European rabbit ( Oryctolagus cuniculus ). In fact, one of the most important features of the Upper Palaeolithic Iberian faunal assemblages is the exceptional amounts of rabbit remains accumulated, with humans playing an important role in the production of these (Lloveras et al, ; Pérez Ripoll, ). However, rabbit and other small mammals remains assemblages may also have been produced by carnivores and raptors as a result of regular visits to caves used as dens or nesting places, as well as by intrusive remains incorporated into the archaeological record after natural death in burrows.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Small prey exploitation during the final Gravettian in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula: The case of Level D from Arbreda Cave

Rufí

Lloveras

Soler

et al. 2020

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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Arbreda Cave is one of the most important sites in the Reclau Caves complex (Serinyà, north‐east Iberian Peninsula). Its stratigraphy reveals that the cave was intensively occupied during the Upper Palaeolithic. As in other archaeological sites in the western Mediterranean regions, a shift towards an intensification in small prey exploitation has been observed over the course of this period. This trend is indicated by the presence of large quantities of small mammal remains, mainly rabbits, in the archaeofaunal assemblages. However, the anthropogenic origin of these bone accumulations requires to be proved through the detailed taphonomic analysis because their presence in the archaeological record may be consequence of the activity of different agents. On this question, neotaphonomic studies have become a valuable tool with which to distinguish the taphonomic signatures produced by terrestrial carnivores, birds of prey, and humans. Although most researchers agree on the importance of small prey in the human diet during this period, this issue has not yet been resolved. Because data are still scarce, subsistence in some Upper Palaeolithic episodes, such as the final Gravettian, is not well understood. The aim of this paper is to establish the origin of the small mammal prey assemblages from Level D of Arbreda Cave and to assess the importance of these animals for the subsistence of humans in western Mediterranean regions. This level has been dated to ca. 25–20 kyr 14C BP and is mainly contemporary with the palaeoenvironmental cold conditions derived from the Greenland Stadial 3. The results of this study indicate that Level D small mammal prey assemblages have a remarkable anthropogenic footprint. Rabbits were intensively exploited, but other small mammals, such as hedgehogs, were also part of the human diet. The animal carcasses were brought whole to the cave, where they were butchered, cooked, and consumed. In addition, marrow exploitation was also practiced in the case of the rabbits. Although at Arbreda Cave, ungulates were a primary resource in the subsistence of hunter–gatherers; small prey also played an important role in human diet during the final Gravettian.

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The role of small prey in human subsistence strategies from Early Upper Palaeolithic sites in Iberia: the rabbits from the Evolved Aurignacian level of Arbreda Cave

Abstract: In the western Mediterranean changes in hunter-gatherer subsistence strategies have

Cited by 35 publications

References 52 publications

The Middle-to-Upper Paleolithic transition occupations from Cova Foradada (Calafell, NE Iberia)

The Middle-to-Upper Paleolithic transition occupations from Cova Foradada (Calafell, NE Iberia)

The Late Gravettian Site of Kostënki 21 Layer III, Russia: a Chronocultural Reassessment Based on a New Interpretation of the Significance of Intra-site Spatial Patterning

Small prey exploitation during the final Gravettian in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula: The case of Level D from Arbreda Cave

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