The Lazaret Cave in Nice, France, is a systematically excavated key site in Southern Europe for carrying out investigations on the transition between the Acheulean and Mousterian cultures. It is a reference site for the reconstruction of paleoenvironments, bio-stratigraphy and for understanding cultural evolution, behaviour and lifestyle of preneanderthals, the last contemporaries of late Middle Pleistocene. In this paper, we aim to present the results concerning the archaeozoological studies conducted on the large mammal remains recovered from the Archaeostratigraphic Unit 28 of the cave’s deposit, which is dated to the Upper Middle Pleistocene (MIS 6). This unit has also yielded a rich lithic industry associated with the definite evidence of human presence in the cave in the form of four preneanderthal remains. The faunal spectra comprise 8 species of ungulates and 7 species of carnivores. Cervus elaphus, Capra ibex and Bos primigenius dominate the assemblage while the other taxa are represented minimally. Taphonomic studies reveal that humans were the primary agents of accumulation carrying out either selective or non-selective hunting, transporting and exploiting/processing of carcasses of certain species for nutritive purposes. The intrusive nature of carnivores, with scarce remains, is ascertained by their presence between two human occupation levels as shown by characteristic modifications made by them on bones. A study of ungulate dentition show that the cave was tentatively occupied or used temporarily from autumn to the end of winter. In terms of palaeoecology, the faunal species represent a mixture of varying landscapes with mountain, forest and open grassland habitats and an environment tending towards climate cooler than the present.

Archaeozoological analyses of large mammals from the prehistoric cave site of Lazaret, France: A case study of Archaeostratigraphic Unit 28

CHANNARAYAPATNA, Sharada Visweswara;THUN HOHENSTEIN, Ursula
2018

Abstract

The Lazaret Cave in Nice, France, is a systematically excavated key site in Southern Europe for carrying out investigations on the transition between the Acheulean and Mousterian cultures. It is a reference site for the reconstruction of paleoenvironments, bio-stratigraphy and for understanding cultural evolution, behaviour and lifestyle of preneanderthals, the last contemporaries of late Middle Pleistocene. In this paper, we aim to present the results concerning the archaeozoological studies conducted on the large mammal remains recovered from the Archaeostratigraphic Unit 28 of the cave’s deposit, which is dated to the Upper Middle Pleistocene (MIS 6). This unit has also yielded a rich lithic industry associated with the definite evidence of human presence in the cave in the form of four preneanderthal remains. The faunal spectra comprise 8 species of ungulates and 7 species of carnivores. Cervus elaphus, Capra ibex and Bos primigenius dominate the assemblage while the other taxa are represented minimally. Taphonomic studies reveal that humans were the primary agents of accumulation carrying out either selective or non-selective hunting, transporting and exploiting/processing of carcasses of certain species for nutritive purposes. The intrusive nature of carnivores, with scarce remains, is ascertained by their presence between two human occupation levels as shown by characteristic modifications made by them on bones. A study of ungulate dentition show that the cave was tentatively occupied or used temporarily from autumn to the end of winter. In terms of palaeoecology, the faunal species represent a mixture of varying landscapes with mountain, forest and open grassland habitats and an environment tending towards climate cooler than the present.
2018
978-84-697-9482-1
La Cueva de Lazaret en Niza (Francia) constituye un yacimiento clave, excavado sistemáticamente, del Sur de Europa para investigar la transición de la cultura Achelense a la Musteriense. Es una localidad de referencia para las reconstrucciones paleoambientales y bioestratigráficas y para el conocimiento de la evolución de la cultura, el comportamiento y el modo de vida los preneandertales, los últimos habitantes de finales del Pleistoceno Medio. En este trabajo se presentan los resultados relaticos al estudio arqueozoológico de grandes mamíferos recuperados de la Unidad Arqueoestratigráfica 28 del depósito de la cueva, cronológicamente correspondiente a finales del Pleistoceno Medio (Estadio Isotópico Marino 6). Esta unidad ha reportado también un conjunto abundante de industria lítica asociada a claras evidencias de presencia humana en la cueva, teniendo en cuenta la recuperación de cuatro restos de preneandertales. La asociación faunística comprende 8 especies de ungulados y 7 especies de carnívoros. Cervus elaphus, Capra ibex y Bos primigenius/Bison priscus son las especies dominantes, mientras que el resto de especie se encuentra mínimamente representadas. El estudio tafonómico evidencia que los humanos fueron el agento primario de acumulación, ejerciendo tanto caza selectiva como no-selectiva, transportando y explotando/procesando las carcasas de determinadas especies por razones nutritivas. La naturaleza intrusiva de los carnívoros, representados por escasos restos, es confirmada por su presencia en medio de dos niveles de ocupación, como demuestran las modificaciones características realizadas por estos en los elementos. Un estudio de la dentición de los ungulados muestra que la cueva fue provisionalmente ocupada o usada de forma temporal de otoño a finales de invierno. Desde un punto de vista paleoecológico, las especies representan una mezcla de diversos paisajes de montaña, bosque y prado abierto y un clima con una tendencia más fría que en la actualidad.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11392/2372994
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