Understanding Palaeolithic hominin subsistence strategies requires the comprehensive taxonomic identifcation of faunal remains. The high fragmentation of Late Pleistocene faunal assemblages often... Show moreUnderstanding Palaeolithic hominin subsistence strategies requires the comprehensive taxonomic identifcation of faunal remains. The high fragmentation of Late Pleistocene faunal assemblages often prevents proper taxonomic identifcation based on bone morphology. It has been assumed that the morphologically unidentifable component of the faunal assemblage would refect the taxonomic abundances of the morphologically identifed portion. In this study, we analyse three faunal datasets covering the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition (MUPT) at Bacho Kiro Cave (Bulgaria) and Les Cottés and La Ferrassie (France) with the application of collagen type I peptide mass fngerprinting (ZooMS). Our results emphasise that the fragmented component of Palaeolithic bone assemblages can difer signifcantly from the morphologically identifable component. We obtain contrasting identifcation rates between taxa resulting in an overrepresentation of morphologically identifed reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) and an underrepresentation of aurochs/bison (Bos/Bison) and horse/European ass (Equus) at Les Cottés and La Ferrassie. Together with an increase in the relative diversity of the faunal composition, these results have implications for the interpretation of subsistence strategies during a period of possible interaction between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens in Europe. Furthermore, shifts in faunal community composition and in carnivore activity suggest a change in the interaction between humans and carnivores across the MUPT and indicate a possible diference in site use between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens. The combined use of traditional and biomolecular methods allows (zoo)archaeologists to tackle some of the methodological limits commonly faced during the morphological assessment of Palaeolithic bone assemblages. Show less
Increasingly researchers have employed confocal microscopy and 3D surface texture analysis to assess bone surface modifications in an effort to understand ancient behavior. However, quantitative... Show moreIncreasingly researchers have employed confocal microscopy and 3D surface texture analysis to assess bone surface modifications in an effort to understand ancient behavior. However, quantitative comparisons between the surfaces of purported archaeological bone tools and experimentally manufactured and used bones are complicated by taphonomic processes affecting ancient bone. Nonetheless, it may be reasonable to assume that bones within the same deposits are altered similarly and thus these alterations are quantifiable. Here we show how unworked bones can be used to quantify the taphonomic effect on bone surfaces and how this effect can then be controlled for and incorporated into an analysis for evaluating the modified surfaces of purported bone tools. To assess the baseline taphonomy of Middle Paleolithic archaeological deposits associated with typologically identified bone artifacts, specificallylissoirs, we directly compare the surface textures of ancient and modern unworked ribs. We then compare the ancient unworked ribs andlissoirsto assess their differences and predict the ancient artifacts' original surface state using a multilevel multivariate Bayesian model. Our findings demonstrate that three of five tested surface texture parameters (Sa,Spc, andIsT) are useful for distinguishing surface type. Our model predictions show thatlissoirstend to be less rough, have more rounded surface peaks, and exhibit more directionally oriented surfaces. These characteristics are likely due to anthropogenic modifications and would have been more pronounced at deposition. Quantifying taphonomic alterations moves us one step closer to accurately assessing how bone artifacts were made and used in the ancient past. Show less
