Who's to blame? The Mesolithic non‐anthropic leporids from Cueva de los Postes (Badajoz, Spain)

Abstract

The Mesolithic faunal assemblage from Cueva de Los Postes (Badajoz, Spain) is presented and discussed. The faunal remains from different stratigraphic units spatially associated with the Mesolithic funerary use of the cave or preceded them were analyzed. The zooarchaeological record is dominated by leporids, generally rabbit but also hare, scarce mustelids, and undetermined birds. Results indicate that these animals are not associated with the human use of the cave. The relevance of carnivore damage points to an exogenous origin for leporid accumulation. It is inferred that this mixed deposit of scats and non‐ingested remains results from foxes' activity.

Another non-anthropic leporid accumulation in Southwestern Iberia? The case of a leporid sample from Morgado superior (Tomar, Portugal)

“…The acquisition of actualistic data that could allow for the assessment of leporid and other small prey accumulations in the archaeological record has been increasing in the last decades (e.g., Hockett 1991Hockett , 1996Sanchis 2000Sanchis , 2001Hockett and Haws 2002;Yravedra 2006Yravedra , 2007Lloveras et al 2008aLloveras et al , 2008bLloveras et al , 2009Lloveras et al , 2012Lloveras et al , 2014aLloveras et al , 2014bLloveras et al , 2018aLloveras et al , 2018b Almeida et al 2022a). Southwestern Iberia Late Prehistory and Protohistory palaeoeconomy has been a matter of research in the last decades through archaeobotanical, isotopic and zooarchaeological studies.…”

“…Speci c methodologies aimed at characterizing these small prey accumulations are needed. the analysis of leporid remains in funerary contexts is of interest due to the possible association of leporids with funerary behaviour, the fact that they can have an intrusive or exogenous origin, and the characterisation of other non-funerary uses of these sites (Almeida 2020; Almeida et al 2022aAlmeida et al , 2022d). A discussion on available data for the Neolithic of Southwestern Iberia emphasized that a lack of information exists, raising the need for the in-depth analysis and publication of leporid accumulations in Late Prehistory assemblages (Valente and Carvalho 2014;Almeida et al 2022b).…”

Another non-anthropic leporid accumulation in Southwestern Iberia? The case of a leporid sample from Morgado superior (Tomar, Portugal)

“…This large corpus of data has been largely applied to Palaeolithic and Mesolithic assemblages, aiming to understand possible human influence in their accumulation and modification (e.g. Aura et al 2002;Cochard 2004;Hockett and Haws 2002;Ibáñez and Saladié 2004;Pérez Ripoll 2004, 2005Sanchis and Fernández Peris 2008;Yravedra 2008;Lloveras et al 2009;, 2012Llorente 2010;Rodríguez-Hidalgo et al 2011;Sanchis 2012;Martínez-Polanco et al 2017;Rosado-Méndez et al 2018;Rufà et al 2018;Rufí et al 2020;Almeida et al 2022a). Southwestern Iberia Late Prehistory and Protohistory palaeoeconomy have been a matter of research in the last decades through archaeobotanical, isotopic and zooarchaeological studies.…”

“…Specific methodologies aimed at characterising these small prey accumulations are needed. The analysis of leporids remains in funerary contexts is of interest due to the possible association of leporids with funerary behaviour, the fact that they can have an intrusive or exogenous origin, and the characterisation of other non-funerary uses of these sites (Almeida 2020;Almeida et al 2022aAlmeida et al , 2022d. A discussion on available data for the Neolithic of Southwestern Iberia emphasised that a lack of information exists, raising the need for the in-depth analysis and publication of leporid accumulations from Late Prehistory assemblages (Valente and Carvalho 2014;Almeida et al 2022b).…”