The Hippos Who Would Not Die: Akrotiri Aetokremnos, Cyprus, and a Scientific Dilemma

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Akrotiri Aetokremnos, a collapsed rockshelter in Cyprus, was excavated over 30 years ago. The site caused controversy for two reasons: it was the oldest site on the island, and it was associated with extinct pygmy hippopotami. The first issue has been resolved, with over 70 radiocarbon determinations centered around 10,000 cal BC, placing the site in the late Epipaleolithic. Subsequent research has located additional sites within the same general timeframe, thereby eradicating any controversy over Aetokremnos’s age. The second issue, however, stubbornly remains contentious. We have argued that humans were instrumental in the demise of these unique island-adapted “mini-megafauna.” This relates to the highly debated global issue of humans inducing extinctions during the Pleistocene. At Aetokremnos, there are robust data from multiple lines of evidence indicating that people played a substantial role in the extinction of endemics, who likely were already stressed by the Younger Dryas. Despite this, many continue to ignore well-published data and claim that the association of humans and extinct endemic fauna at Aetokremnos is entirely specious. This attitude has persisted despite several empirical and theoretical advances in early Mediterranean archaeology. This presentation examines some reasons why the reluctance to accept robust data continues.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36085.0