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Hutson JM, Villaluenga A, García-Moreno A, Turner E, Gaudzinski-Windheuser S. Persistent predators: Zooarchaeological evidence for specialized horse hunting at Schöningen 13II-4. J Hum Evol 2024; 196:103590. [PMID: 39357283 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2024] [Revised: 08/27/2024] [Accepted: 08/31/2024] [Indexed: 10/04/2024]
Abstract
The Schöningen 13II-4 site is a marvel of Paleolithic archaeology. With the extraordinary preservation of complete wooden spears and butchered large mammal bones dating from the Middle Pleistocene, Schöningen maintains a prominent position in the halls of human origins worldwide. Here, we present the first analysis of the complete large mammal faunal assemblage from Schöningen 13II-4, drawing on multiple lines of zooarchaeological and taphonomic evidence to expose the full spectrum of hominin activities at the site-before, during, and after the hunt. Horse (Equus mosbachensis) remains dominate the assemblage and suggest a recurrent ambush hunting strategy along the margins of the Schöningen paleo-lake. In this regard, Schöningen 13II-4 provides the first undisputed evidence for hunting of a single prey species that can be studied from an in situ, open-air context. The Schöningen hominins likely relied on cooperative hunting strategy to target horse family groups, to the near exclusion of bachelor herds. Horse kills occurred during all seasons, implying a year-round presence of hominins on the Schöningen landscape. All portions of prey skeletons are represented in the assemblage, many complete and in semiarticulation, with little transport of skeletal parts away from the site. Butchery marks are abundant, and adult carcasses were processed more thoroughly than were juveniles. Numerous complete, unmodified bones indicated that lean meat and marrow were not always so highly prized, especially in events involving multiple kills when fat and animal hides may have received greater attention. The behaviors displayed at Schöningen continue to challenge our perceptions and models of past hominin lifeways, further cementing Schöningen's standing as the archetype for understanding hunting adaptations during the European Middle Pleistocene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jarod M Hutson
- MONREPOS Archaeological Research Centre and Museum for Human Behavioural Evolution, Leibnitz Center for Archaeology, Neuwied, 56567, Germany; Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., 20560, USA.
| | - Aritza Villaluenga
- MONREPOS Archaeological Research Centre and Museum for Human Behavioural Evolution, Leibnitz Center for Archaeology, Neuwied, 56567, Germany; Consolidated Research Group on Prehistory: Human Evolution, Climate Change and Cultural Adaptation in Preindustrial Societies (GIZAPRE IT-1435-22), University of the Basque Country, Vitoria-Gasteiz, 01006, Spain; Department of Prehistory, Ancient History and Archaeology, University Complutense of Madrid, 28040, Spain
| | - Alejandro García-Moreno
- MONREPOS Archaeological Research Centre and Museum for Human Behavioural Evolution, Leibnitz Center for Archaeology, Neuwied, 56567, Germany; MUPAC Museum of Prehistory and Archaeology of Cantabria, Santander, 39004, Spain
| | - Elaine Turner
- MONREPOS Archaeological Research Centre and Museum for Human Behavioural Evolution, Leibnitz Center for Archaeology, Neuwied, 56567, Germany
| | - Sabine Gaudzinski-Windheuser
- MONREPOS Archaeological Research Centre and Museum for Human Behavioural Evolution, Leibnitz Center for Archaeology, Neuwied, 56567, Germany; Institute of Ancient Studies, Department of Prehistoric and Protohistoric Archaeology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55122, Germany
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Parfitt SA, Bello SM. Bone tools, carnivore chewing and heavy percussion: assessing conflicting interpretations of Lower and Upper Palaeolithic bone assemblages. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:231163. [PMID: 38179084 PMCID: PMC10762443 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
The use of bone tools by early humans has provided valuable insights into their technology, behaviour and cognitive abilities. However, identifying minimally modified or unshaped Palaeolithic osseous tools can be challenging, particularly when they are mixed with bones altered by natural taphonomic processes. This has hampered the study of key technical innovations, such as the use of bones, antlers and teeth as hammers or pressure-flakers to work (knap) stone tools. Bones chewed by carnivores can resemble osseous knapping tools and have sometimes been mistaken for them. In this paper, we review recent advances in the study of osseous knapping tools with a focus on two Palaeolithic sites in the UK, the Acheulean Horse Butchery Site at Boxgrove and the Magdalenian site of Gough's Cave, where knapping tools were mis-attributed to carnivore chewing. These osseous knapping tools are investigated using microscopy, high-resolution imaging and comparisons with experimental knapping tools. This allows for new insights into human behaviour at these sites and opens fresh avenues for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon A. Parfitt
- Institute of Archaeology, University College London, 31–34 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PY, UK
- Centre of Human Evolution Research, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Silvia M. Bello
- Centre of Human Evolution Research, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
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