Zooarchaeological and Palaeoenvironmental Reconstruction of Newly Excavated Middle Pleistocene Deposits from Elandsfontein, South Africa
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City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 2-2017 Zooarchaeological and Palaeoenvironmental Reconstruction of Newly Excavated Middle Pleistocene Deposits from Elandsfontein, South Africa Frances L. Forrest The Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/1891 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] Zooarchaeological and palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of newly excavated Middle Pleistocene deposits from Elandsfontein, South Africa by Frances Lynn Forrest A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Anthropology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, the City University of New York 2017 © 2017 FRANCES LYNN FORREST All Rights Reserved ii This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Anthropology in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Date Thomas W. Plummer Chair of Examining Committee Date Gerald Creed Executive Officer Supervisory Committee: Eric Delson William Harcourt-Smith David Braun THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iii ABSTRACT Zooarchaeological and palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of newly excavated Middle Pleistocene deposits from Elandsfontein, South Africa by Frances Lynn Forrest Adviser: Thomas Plummer Increased consumption of animal tissue is arguably one of the most important adaptive transitions in early hominin behavior. A dietary shift toward regular tool-assisted meat consumption and increased competition with the carnivore paleoguild likely helped shape many important hominin adaptations such as foraging patterns, habitat preferences, and social behaviors. Yet, the ecological and behavioral implications for increased hominin carnivory remain poorly understood. This dissertation examines the zooarchaeological and paleoenvironmental history of an important Acheulean hominin locality, Elandsfontein, South Africa (ca. 1.0 – 0.6 Ma). The goal is to begin addressing under-investigated aspects of Acheulean hominin behavioral ecology and place Acheulean hominin subsistence behavior within an environmental context. The first part of this dissertation is focused on the mechanisms of large mammal bone accumulation and alteration. Although there is a long history of research at Elandsfontein, the majority of the original EFTM faunal material was collected from deflation surfaces and lacks sufficient contextual information. As such, it is unsuitable for placing hominin behavioral iv ecology within a resolved spatial and temporal framework. I conduct a comprehensive zooarchaeological analysis of fauna from four recent excavations across the Elandsfontein dunefield. Findings indicate that earlier zooarchaeological studies at Elandsfontein underestimate the degree of hominin contribution to the fossil assemblage and do not take into account the complex taphonomic history across the paleolandscape. The second part of this dissertation contributes to the growing body of paleoenvironmental data at Elandsfontein by incorporating bovid ecomorphological analysis. I conducted a traditional ecomorphological analysis of bovid radii, astragali, and proximal phalanges using caliper measurements. Results suggest a mix of habitats including a predominantly open landscape with significant woody or bushy components. Finally, I introduce a new technique for conducting ecomorphological analysis on bovid mandibles and metapodials using 3D geometric morphometrics (3D GM). This study marks the first use of 3D GM to explore morphological correlates to diet and locomotor behavior in African antelopes. Results are consistent with previous habitat reconstructions at Elandsfontein suggesting a mix of habitats with significant grass, tree, and/or shrub components. v Acknowledgements This dissertation would not have been possible without the support and encouragement of many people. First I would like to thank my advisor Tom Plummer for his inspiration, enthusiasm, and support since I was just an undergraduate. His depth of knowledge and excitement about human evolution has kept me motivated and energized through this entire process. This dissertation would not have been possible without his guidance. I would also like to thank the rest of my dissertation committee: Eric Delson, William Harcourt-Smith, and David Braun for providing valuable feedback and suggestions. I am grateful to the staff at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), and Iziko South African Museum for allowing me access to their collections. In particular I would like to thank Eileen Westwig, Darrin Lunde, and Graham Avery. Thank you to the University of Cape Town and students Jessica Robinson (Plasket) and Mathew Shaw. I would also like to acknowledge the West Coast Fossil Park and Elandsfontein Private Nature Reserve. I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to work with members of various field teams including the West Coast Research Project (David Braun, Naomi Levin, Deano Stynder, Laura Bishop, David Patterson, and Sophie Lehmann), the Homa Peninsula Paleoanthropological Project (Tom Plummer, Laura Bishop, Jim Oliver, Fritz Hertel, Julien Louys, and Pete Ditchfield), and the Rusinga Island Project (William Harcourt-Smith, Holly Dunsworth, Kieran McNulty, and Thomas Lehman). This research was financially sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and a CUNY doctoral dissertation grant. Thanks to the Graduate Teaching Fellowship Program for vi providing financial assistance. I am also grateful for the support provided by The New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology (NYCEP) for funds to conduct pilot research and attend academic conferences. I would particularly like to thank Eric Delson for his tireless effort in providing a stimulating and encouraging academic environment and a supportive graduate community. Fellow NYCEP students Jennifer Parkinson, Scott Blumenthal, Shahrina Chowdhury and Raquel Lamela-Lopez all provided greatly appreciated friendship and support. I would like to thank the anthropology department at Queens College for fostering my love of paleoanthropology and providing continued support throughout my undergraduate and graduate education. Thank you to the CUNY Graduate center, especially Ellen DeRiso, for all of your assistance. Special thanks to Julia Zichello for her friendship and for being the best boss I have ever had! I would also like to thank Brian Levine and Kate Miller from the American Museum of Natural History for the opportunity to spread knowledge to the public and excite future generations of scientists. I am lucky to have had the support of my loving family. Thanks go to my parents Barry and Sydna, my brother Sam, my sisters Rose, Annie, and Alexys, my nephews Joey, Justin, Joshua, and Jacob, my nieces Emily and Paige, and my late grandparents Irving, Sylvia, George, and Cecelia. I would also like to thank my second family the Mangans, especially Heather and Kevin for their invaluable friendship through the years. Most of all I would like to thank my wonderful boyfriend Leo Fernandez. Thank you so much for your unwavering patience through this process. Your loving and kind nature has been a constant source of motivation and I am truly grateful to have you as a partner and best friend. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vi LIST OF TABLES x LIST OF FIGURES xii Chapter 1. Introduction and Background 1 PAST RESEARCH AT ELANDSFONTEIN 4 Geology 5 Dating 6 Taphonomy/zooarchaeology 8 Paleoenvironmental analysis 9 GOALS OF THIS STUDY 11 REFERENCES 15 Chapter 2. Zooarchaeological Analysis of Newly Excavated Middle Pleistocene 28 Deposits from Elandsfontein, South Africa ABSTRACT 28 INTRODUCTION 29 MATERIALS AND METHODS 32 RESULTS 34 DISCUSSION 37 CONCLUSIONS 41 REFERENCES 43 Chapter 3. Ecomorphological Analysis of Bovid Radii, Astragali, and Proximal 74 Phalanges from Elandsfontein, South Africa. ABSTRACT 74 INTRODUCTION 75 MATERIALS AND METHODS 81 Extant bovid sample 81 Fossil bovid sample 83 RESULTS 83 Distal radius results 83 Astragalus results 84 Proximal phalanx results 84 Combined fossil results 85 DISCUSSION 86 CONCLUSIONS 89 REFERENCES 91 Chapter 4. New Method for Conducting Ecomorphological Analysis Using 3D 134 Geometric Morphometrics: Implications for Paleohabitat Reconstruction at Elandsfontein, South Africa. viii ABSTRACT 134 INTRODUCTION 135 Mandible hypotheses 137 Metapodial hypotheses 139 MATERIALS AND METHODS 141 Extant mandible sample 141 Fossil mandible sample 142 Extant metapodial samples 142 Fossil metapodial samples 143 Multivariate analysis 143 RESULTS 145 Complete mandible results 145 Mandibular corpus results 146 Complete metacarpal results 147 Distal metacarpal results 148 Complete metatarsal results 149 Distal metatarsal results 150 DISCUSSION 151 CONCLUSIONS 158 REFERENCES 160 Chapter 5: Conclusions and Future Research Directions 240 MAJOR CONTRIBUTIONS 240 SYNTHESIS OF ZOOARCHAEOLOGICAL AND PALEOENVIRONMENTAL 242 DATA FROM ELANDSFONTEIN HOMININ CARNIVORY AND CONTEMPERANEOUS ARCHAEOFAUNAL 244 ASSEMBLAGES ACROSS THE OLD WORLD SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH 255 REFERENCES 257 ix LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1 Volume and number of fossils and artifacts