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The Application of Actualistic Studies to Assess the Taphonomic Origin Of 05. ARCH. VOL. 19 (1ª):ARCHAEOFAUNA 19/8/10 08:06 Página 99 Archaeofauna 19 (2010): 99-119 The application of actualistic studies to assess the taphonomic origin of Musterian rabbit accumulations from Arbreda Cave (North-East Iberia) LLUÍS LLOVERAS1, MARTA MORENO-GARCÍA2, JORDI NADAL1, JULIÀ MAROTO3, JOAQUIM SOLER3 & NARCÍS SOLER3 1SERP. Departament d Prehistòria, Història Antiga i Arqueologia. Universitat de Barcelona. Montalegre 6-8, 08001 Barcelona, Spain 2IH, Centro de Ciencias Humanas y Sociales (CCHS), CSIC, Albasanz, 26-28. 28037 Madrid, Spain. 3Àrea de Prehistòria. Departament d’Història i Història de l’Art. Universitat de Girona. Plaça Ferreter Mora, 1. 17071 Girona, Spain *Corrresponding author: Lluís Lloveras. Tel. 6178032905 [email protected] (Received 24 May 2010; Revised and Accepted 22 June 2010) ABSTRACT: Distinguishing leporid bones accumulated by humans and other kind of predators becomes imperative to accurately understand human subsistence activities in the past, specially in the Iberian Peninsula and the Mediterranean region where these taxa are very abundant. Over the last years we have conducted several actualistic studies with modern leporid remains with the aim of identifying differences in the taphonomic signatures produced by competing preda- tors (i.e., humans, nocturnal or diurnal raptors and mammalian terrestrial carnivores). The pat- terns observed for each of these predators are now applied to the analysis of archaeological leporid remains from Mousterian layers of the Arbreda Cave site (North-East Iberia). The results obtained not only provide new data on Middle Palaeolithic small prey accumulations but also enable us to assess the methodological approach previously followed with modern samples. KEYWORDS: EUROPEAN RABBIT, Oryctolagus cuniculus, MOUSTERIAN, TAPHO- NOMY, IBERIAN PENINSULA, SMALL PREY, ACTUALISTIC STUDIES RESUMEN: Distinguir los restos arqueológicos de lepóridos que son consecuencia del consu- mo antrópico de aquellos acumulados por otros depredadores es esencial para la correcta com- prensión de las actividades de subsistencia de nuestros antepasados, especialmente en la Penín- sula Ibérica y la región mediterránea, donde estos taxones son muy abundantes. En los últimos años hemos llevado a cabo diversos trabajos actualísticos con restos de lepóridos con la finali- dad de identificar diferencias entre los patrones tafonómicos característicos de los distintos tipos de depredadores (humanos, rapaces diurnas y nocturnas, y carnívoros terrestres). En este traba- jo los patrones observados para cada uno de estos depredadores se aplican al análisis de los res- tos arqueológicos de lepóridos del nivel musteriense I de la cueva de la Arbreda (Noreste de la Península Ibérica). Los resultados obtenidos no solo aportan nuevos datos sobre acumulaciones de pequeñas presas en el Paleolítico Medio sino que al mismo tiempo nos permiten evaluar la perspectiva metodológica desarrollada en el análisis de muestras actuales. PALABRAS CLAVE: CONEJO, Oryctolagus cuniculus, MUSTERIENSE, TAFONOMÍA, PENÍNSULA IBÉRICA, PEQUEÑAS PRESAS, ESTUDIOS ACTUALÍSTICOS 05. ARCH. VOL. 19 (1ª):ARCHAEOFAUNA 19/8/10 08:06 Página 100 100 LLUÍS LLOVERAS, MARTA MORENO-GARCÍA, JORDI NADAL, JULIÀ MAROTO, JOAQUIM SOLER & NARCÍS SOLER INTRODUCTION tial to discriminate between leporid bones accu- mulated by humans and other kind of predators. European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) With such an aim we have been carrying out remains are most abundant in many Middle and over the last years systematic actualistic studies on Upper Palaeolithic and Epipalaeolithic archaeolo- modern leporid remains produced by mammalian gical sites from the Iberian Peninsula and other terrestrial carnivores, nocturnal and diurnal raptors places from the western Mediterranean region. and humans (Lloveras et al., 2008a, 2008b, 2008c, Rabbits have been shown to yield important infor- 2009), which are beginning to allow us to recogni- mation about subsistence practices, mobility pat- ze diagnostic taphonomic characters for compe- terns and demographic trends (Villaverde et al., ting predators. 1997; Stiner et al., 1999, 2000; Hockett & Ferrei- In this paper the patterns observed in those stu- ra-Bicho, 2000; Hockett & Haws, 2002). Specifi- dies are applied to the taphonomical analysis of an cally, in the transition from the Pleistocene to the archaeological sample of rabbit and hare remains Holocene, human diet seems to have undergone a from a late Mousterian layer (level I) of the Arbre- radical transformation to smaller prey and in parti- da Cave located in the North-East of the Iberian cular to the European rabbit (Jones, 2004, 2006). Peninsula. Preliminary faunal analysis showed This trend has been shown by the presence of cut that this level is dominated by rabbits (Maroto et marks and other anthropic evidences in rabbit al., 1996) and it was assumed that the role played assemblages from this geographical area (Pérez by humans in their accumulation was minor. The Ripoll, 1992, 1993, 2001, 2004, 2006; Villaverde approach followed here provides an opportunity et al., 1997; Aura et al., 2002; Hockett & Haws, for not only evaluate how the observed actualistic 2002; Cochard & Brugal, 2004; Manne & Bicho, models work on an archaeological sample but also 2009). Notwithstanding, the acquisition and con- to add new data to the ongoing research on Midd- sumption of rabbits in European pre-Upper Palae- le Palaeolithic small prey accumulations. olithic times is still under much discussion. Several researchers state that the systematic use of resources offered by very small-sized animals is ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONTEXT limited to the Upper Palaeolithic (Villaverde et al., 1997; Martínez Valle, 2001; Pérez Ripoll, 2001; Arbreda Cave is one of the sites of the Reclau Aura et al., 2002; Hockett & Haws, 2002; Lupo & cave system (Serinyà, Catalonia, Spain), a cluste- Schmitt, 2002; Cochard & Brugal, 2004). They red formation perched on a small talus of a argue that such a subsistence strategy is exclusi- somewhat karstic cascading travertine, above the vely linked to anatomically modern Humans. Serinyadell Stream (Figure 1). These shelters face However, there are some Middle Palaeolithic sites towards the west at a height of about 200 m a.s.l. in which anthropic consumption of rabbits has The archaeological site preserves one of the lon- been documented. For example, in Iberia, early gest continuous stratigraphic and cultural sequen- leporid hunting has been reported in a number of ces in the area (Figure 2). Currently, it provides the Spanish sites, i.e., Gabasa I (Blasco Sancho, most accurate information about the changes that 1995), Cova Negra (Martínez Valle, 1996), Cova occurred between late Middle and early Upper Beneito (Martínez Valle, 1996), Vanguard Cave Palaeolithic in the Eastern Pyrenees (Maroto et al., South (Fernández-Jalvo & Andrews, 2000) and 1996). Bolomor Cave (Blasco, 2008; Sanchís Serra & Level I has not been completely excavated yet Fernández Peris, 2008). Evidence for consistent 14presents a minimum average thickness of 60 cm. consumption of small prey has also been observed C AMS dating shows an average value of 39.9 + at Crouzade (Gerber, 1973 cited by Costamagno & 0.6 ky BP (see Figure 2). This Mousterian level of Laroulandie, 2004), Les Canalettes (Cochard, the Arbreda sequence is rich in lithic industry 2004a), Pié Lombard, Salpètre de Pompignan and (N=638), cut essentially in quartz (75.9%). Tools Combe Grenal (Chase, 1986) in France. Further, it were classified by categories as scrapers (144, should be kept in mind that archaeological rabbit 55.6%), denticulates (87, 33.6%) and Upper Pale- accumulations may have other origins other than olithic type tools such as Chatelperronian points anthropogenic. Thus, in order to understand (28, 10.8%). A very large number of tiny blow human subsistence activities in the past it is essen- remains indicates that tool making took place in Archaeofauna 19 (2010): 99-119 05. ARCH. VOL. 19 (1ª):ARCHAEOFAUNA 19/8/10 08:06 Página 101 THE APPLICATION OF ACTUALISTIC STUDIES TO ASSESS THE TAPHONOMIC ORIGIN OF MUSTERIAN... 101 FIGURE1 Map of the Iberian Peninsula with the location of Arbreda Cave and a photograph of the Arbreda Cave site. Archaeofauna 19 (2010): 99-119 05. ARCH. VOL. 19 (1ª):ARCHAEOFAUNA 19/8/10 08:06 Página 102 102 LLUÍS LLOVERAS, MARTA MORENO-GARCÍA, JORDI NADAL, JULIÀ MAROTO, JOAQUIM SOLER & NARCÍS SOLER FIGURE2 Archaeological levels and 14C AMS dates from Arbreda Cave. the cave. Retouched tools make up 37.4% of all of the large to medium sized mammals (Table 1). findings over 1 cm - quite a high percentage Cave bear, mostly represented by newborns and (Maroto et al., 1996). Also, faunal remains analy- cubs, and small carnivores like the red fox, lynx sed from this level show that rabbits are the most and wild cat are also recorded. They most pro- abundant taxon. They constitute 87% of the NISP bably reflect natural deaths (Maroto et al., 1996). Archaeofauna 19 (2010): 99-119 05. ARCH. VOL. 19 (1ª):ARCHAEOFAUNA 19/8/10 08:06 Página 103 THE APPLICATION OF ACTUALISTIC STUDIES TO ASSESS THE TAPHONOMIC ORIGIN OF MUSTERIAN... 103 TABLE 1 Numbers, percentages and minimum number of individuals (MNI) of large and medium sized mammals (excluding rabbit) in Level I of Arbreda Cave (taken from Maroto et al., 1996). *Approximate number of remains from rabbits estimated by Maroto et al. (1996). Among the ungulate remains, red deer constitutes 2008c). In addition, a review of all these works the most
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