Palaeolithic faunal assemblages provide a wealth of information, notably on paleoenvironment, site formation and past human subsistence strategies. However, obtaining a secure interpretation... Show morePalaeolithic faunal assemblages provide a wealth of information, notably on paleoenvironment, site formation and past human subsistence strategies. However, obtaining a secure interpretation requires the comprehensive taxonomic identification of faunal remains, traditionally done through visual morphological comparison. Due to high fragmentation, bone morphology is often insufficient to taxonomically identify a large proportion of faunal assemblages. Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS) gives the opportunity to identify biological markers preserved in previously undiagnostic fragmentary or worked remains. This dissertation combines the analyses of bone surface modifications with biomolecular analyses in order to investigate the relationship between faunal composition and bone fragmentation, and to assess hominin subsistence behaviour through large-scale applications of untargeted ZooMS screenings. This study explores the synthesis and analysis of comparable data, for both the morphologically identifiable and unidentifiable portion of the same faunal assemblages, by investigating bone assemblages from European sites spanning the arrival of Homo sapiens within territories occupied by the last Neanderthals such as Fumane Cave (Italy), Bacho Kiro Cave (Bulgaria), La Ferrassie and Les Cottés (France). In addition, the recent development of non-destructive proteomic extraction techniques, notably on fragmented Palaeolithic worked bones, required a controlled sampling experiment to determine how sampling techniques such as the eraser extraction method affect ancient bone surfaces at a microscopic level. Through the combination of methods and the integration of complementary datasets, this dissertation demonstrates the potential of the inclusion of ancient protein analysis within the framework of zooarchaeological analysis at Palaeolithic sites. Show less
This thesis investigates the subsistence behaviour of Early Upper Palaeolithic (EUP) Homo sapiens based on the remains of molluscs and terrestrial fauna recovered from the Ksâr ‘Akil rockshelter ... Show moreThis thesis investigates the subsistence behaviour of Early Upper Palaeolithic (EUP) Homo sapiens based on the remains of molluscs and terrestrial fauna recovered from the Ksâr ‘Akil rockshelter (Lebanon). The results tie into the debate around the dispersal of modern humans into Europe. In this thesis, a multi-proxy chronological approach was applied providing ages for the modern human occupation and behavioural adaptations just outside Europe. At the onset of the Upper Palaeolithic groups at Ksâr ‘Akil relied mainly on terrestrial food resources, which shifted later, during the early Ahmarian, gradually to more extensive exploitation of smaller bodied taxa including the introduction of marine and terrestrial snails into the diet. Oxygen isotope analysis of marine mollusc taxa showed that shellfish exploitation was practiced in all seasons and thus played a central role in EUP foraging strategies. Equally this implies that the site was occupied during different times of the year. With regard of the implications for EUP Homo sapiens, shellfish as a dietary supplement throughout the year enhances the diet nutritionally and likely contributes to healthier populations. This in turn might have facilitated population growth and increased population density in an area that fuelled the modern human dispersals into Europe. Show less
Until now the Late Neolithic period of Northern Syria (c. 6900 to 5300 BC) has remained somewhat of an enigma, despite the fact that it is acknowledged as one of the most important stages of... Show moreUntil now the Late Neolithic period of Northern Syria (c. 6900 to 5300 BC) has remained somewhat of an enigma, despite the fact that it is acknowledged as one of the most important stages of history in the Near East. It is a period that shows a vast amount of regional differentiation in terms of site types, chronologies, material culture and subsistence patterns, yet it is period for which there are pitifully few comprehensively excavated, analysed and published sites. It is this intriguing period of human history that forms the basis of this research, with the site of Tell Sabi Abyad in the Balikh Valley of the northern Syrian dessert steppe forming the central focus. This impressive site has revealed over 1000 years of seemingly uninterrupted occupation, the excavation of which has unveiled a wealth of finds giving an insight into life some 8000 years ago. One of the most numerous finds is the faunal material; thousands upon thousands of animal bone fragments being all that is left of generations of hunting and farming at and around the site. This book is the result of the research undertaken on this material by Anna Russell for her PhD thesis at Leiden University. The analysis of these remains has given important and new insights into hunting and farming practices over a millennium. The local spectrum of wild and domestic fauna in the area is discussed together with an assessment of the domestication status of some of the key domestic animals through time – sheep, goats, cattle and pigs - with the methods of herding implemented being carefully elucidated from the zooarchaeology data together with an isotopic study of diet. The relationship between the animals and their natural environment and the possible implications of an abrupt climate change (the ‘8.2 k BP Event’ which peaked c. 6200 BC) on the subsistence patterns of the late Neolithic people of Tell Sabi Abyad are also considered in detail. This comprehensive zooarchaeological study of the faunal remains, uncovered during the excavations of Tell Sabi Abyad, has not only shown the gradual development of animal husbandry to the detriment to hunting throughout the seventh millennium BC, but has also revealed for the first time one of the earliest uses of domestic animals for secondary products, such as milk and fibre. It has also uncovered evidence that people adapted to changes in their local environment brought about by climate change through local innovation and promotion of cultural adaptations developed as a result of generations of living in a marginal environment. As such this research brings us one step closer to filling the void in our knowledge of this pivotal period at the end of the Neolithic period. Show less
