Site Formation Processes and Stratigraphy of Akrotiri Aetokremnos, Cyprus: The Devil is in the Details

Summary

Akrotiri Aetokremnos is a small collapsed rockshelter that has provided evidence of the earliest well-documented human presence on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. It is, in fact, amongst the earliest numerically dated site on any of the Mediterranean islands. A large suite of radiocarbon ages indicates that Akrotiri Aetokremnos was occupied around 12,000 cal. B.P., during the Late Epipaleolithic. More controversial than the ages is the association of extinct endemic pygmy hippopotami with cultural materials, as this relates to the continuing discussion of human-related Pleistocene extinctions. Our claim of a direct association has been challenged, despite well-published archaeological and geoarchaeological data to the contrary. This paper addresses the site’s stratigraphic sequence and formation processes, both of which indicate that the remains of pygmy hippos are in direct association with cultural features and artifacts.

SAA 2015 abstracts made available in tDAR courtesy of the Society for American Archaeology and Center for Digital Antiquity Collaborative Program to improve digital data in archaeology. If you are the author of this presentation you may upload your paper, poster, presentation, or associated data (up to 3 files/30MB) for free. Please visit http://www.tdar.org/SAA2015 for instructions and more information.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Archaeology in Context: The Influence of the Geoarchaeological Career of Paul Goldberg   •
• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage