Re-evaluating the evidence for systematic exploitation of mammoth during the European Middle Palaeolithic.

Summary

The recurrent presence of mammoth, elephant and rhinoceros at Middle Palaeolithic sites, together with Neanderthal isotopes signalling meat as a prominent protein source, have been used to argue for a central role of these species in Neanderthal subsistence. Key to this model are the bone heap horizons from La Cotte de St Brelade (CSB, Jersey), previously interpreted as game drive debris resulting from systematic Neanderthal hunting. However, this hypothesis has never been rigorously tested. Therefore, this paper presents new CSB faunal analyses, contextualising behaviour at the site and in the wider landscape. Furthermore, a broader European perspective assesses the overall role and importance of megafauna in Neanderthal diet.

Initial Neanderthal occupation at CSB was intensive, though, through time visits became more infrequent. Mammoths, alongside other large mammals, were clearly butchered, but increasing carnivore presence suggests a more complex site formation scenario. In general, similar mammoth-dominated sites are rare in Western Europe, indicating a main focus of Neanderthals on large herbivores, with only a minor, opportunistic, role for megafauna. Therefore, currently, the isotope signal and zooarchaeological evidence cannot sustain a one to one equivalency. Whilst Neanderthal diet was meat-orientated, the archaeological data does not indicate systematic contributions from megafauna.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• From Taphonomy to Human Ecology: Papers in Honor of Gary Haynes   •
• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage