Zooarchaeology and the biogeographical history of the mammals of Corsica and Sardinia since the last ice age

Abstract

Abstract This paper presents the main results of a 10‐year zooarchaeological study on the origin of the present‐day terrestrial mammals of Corsica. Thousands of teeth and bones from Corsican archaeological sites comprise an almost complete succession from the end of the Pleistocene ( c. 10,000 years BP) to the present. Human activities brought about the extinction of the entire autochthonous mammalian fauna and the gradual introduction of more than 25 taxa which constitute the present wild and domestic fauna. Such a complete turnover has also been recorded on other large Mediterranean islands and on some of the smaller ones. Preliminary data indicate how these events may have occurred in Corsica. This article emphasizes the important role which zooarchaeology can play in biogeographical research.