Faunal Exploitation during the Middle Palaeolithic in south‐eastern France and north‐western Italy

Abstract

Abstract Six Middle Palaeolithic sites (Lazaret, Madonna dell'Arma, Caverna delle Fate, Arma delle Manie, Santa Lucia Superiore and San Francesco), dated from Oxygen Isotopic Stages 6 to 3 (OIS 6 to 3), have been studied from a zooarchaeological and palaeoecological point of view. The sites have yielded faunal assemblages rich in cervids, generally dominated by Cervus elaphus . The frequency of other ungulate taxa is inextricably linked to the topography of each site, as well as to climatic and environmental conditions. Taphonomic analysis indicates that humans were the main agents of accumulation of the large mammal remains. Mortality and seasonality data show various patterns of age distribution of the ungulate species, and suggest that there is no relation between the occupation season of these sites and the hunting of a particular species. The dominance of red deer can be explained by their natural abundance and by their high rendering in terms of hunting transport, meat quantity, and other useful materials like skins, tendons, and soon. Neanderthal subsistence strategies do not show any evolution in the studied area during the period of Oxygen Isotopic Stages 6 to 3. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.