Articles producció científica> Història i Història de l'Art

Who peeled the bones? An actualistic and taphonomic study of axial elements from the Toll Cave Level 4, Barcelona, Spain

  • Identification data

    Identifier: imarina:9138901
    Authors:
    Blasco RArilla MDomínguez-Rodrigo MAndrés MRamírez-Pedraza IRufà ARivals FRosell J
    Abstract:
    © 2020 Elsevier Ltd Equifinality constitutes a challenge when interpreting agency in archaeological sites. The fact that a specific type of damage frequently cannot be linked to a single actor, behavior, or ecological context, handicaps correct interpretations of site formation processes. Actualistic studies have been used to address this type of problem by creating models and analogies to infer the processes that occurred in the past and explain the formation processes of fossil faunas found at archaeological sites. Here, we apply this approach using observational data from Arilla et al. (2014) describing the consumption of ungulate carcasses by wild brown bears (Ursus arctos arctos). We focus on a specific type of damage, peeling, which was observed to be one of the most significant modifications of axial skeletal elements of carcasses eaten by bears. This fact was especially relevant because the peeling damage was initially attributed to the feeding activities of primates (humans and chimpanzees—Pan troglodytes) and only anecdotally to other taphonomic agents. The observational data are then applied to Level 4 of Toll Cave (Moià, Barcelona, Spain), dated to >49,000 14C BP, which has been interpreted to be a hibernation lair with significant activity by carnivores and sporadic human presence. Rib and vertebral peeling have also been identified at Level 4 bone assemblage, casting doubt on the agent responsible for this damage (effector) in the cave. The aim of our study is to address the equifinality problems that involve peeling as a taphonomical signature in archaeological sites, taking the Pleistocene site of Toll Cave as a case study.
  • Others:

    Author, as appears in the article.: Blasco R; Arilla M; Domínguez-Rodrigo M; Andrés M; Ramírez-Pedraza I; Rufà A; Rivals F; Rosell J
    Department: Història i Història de l'Art
    URV's Author/s: Ramírez Pedraza, Iván / Rivals, Florent Joseph Louis / Rosell Ardévol, Jordi
    Keywords: Toll cave Taphonomy Ribs Pleistocene Peeling Bear Axial bones Actualism
    Abstract: © 2020 Elsevier Ltd Equifinality constitutes a challenge when interpreting agency in archaeological sites. The fact that a specific type of damage frequently cannot be linked to a single actor, behavior, or ecological context, handicaps correct interpretations of site formation processes. Actualistic studies have been used to address this type of problem by creating models and analogies to infer the processes that occurred in the past and explain the formation processes of fossil faunas found at archaeological sites. Here, we apply this approach using observational data from Arilla et al. (2014) describing the consumption of ungulate carcasses by wild brown bears (Ursus arctos arctos). We focus on a specific type of damage, peeling, which was observed to be one of the most significant modifications of axial skeletal elements of carcasses eaten by bears. This fact was especially relevant because the peeling damage was initially attributed to the feeding activities of primates (humans and chimpanzees—Pan troglodytes) and only anecdotally to other taphonomic agents. The observational data are then applied to Level 4 of Toll Cave (Moià, Barcelona, Spain), dated to >49,000 14C BP, which has been interpreted to be a hibernation lair with significant activity by carnivores and sporadic human presence. Rib and vertebral peeling have also been identified at Level 4 bone assemblage, casting doubt on the agent responsible for this damage (effector) in the cave. The aim of our study is to address the equifinality problems that involve peeling as a taphonomical signature in archaeological sites, taking the Pleistocene site of Toll Cave as a case study.
    Thematic Areas: Interdisciplinar Historia y filosofía de la ciencia Historia Global and planetary change Geosciences, multidisciplinary Geosciences, interdisciplinary Geology Geography, physical Geociências Ecology, evolution, behavior and systematics Ciencias sociales Ciencias humanas Ciências biológicas i Ciências ambientais Ciências agrárias i Biotecnología Biodiversidade Archeology (arts and humanities) Archeology Archaeology
    licence for use: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/
    Author's mail: jordi.rosell@urv.cat florent.rivals@urv.cat ivan.ramirez@estudiants.urv.cat
    Author identifier: 0000-0002-6758-6291 0000-0001-8074-9254 0000-0001-8673-212X
    Record's date: 2023-06-17
    Papper version: info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersion
    Link to the original source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0277379120306235?via%3Dihub
    Papper original source: Quaternary Science Reviews. 250 (106661):
    APA: Blasco R; Arilla M; Domínguez-Rodrigo M; Andrés M; Ramírez-Pedraza I; Rufà A; Rivals F; Rosell J (2020). Who peeled the bones? An actualistic and taphonomic study of axial elements from the Toll Cave Level 4, Barcelona, Spain. Quaternary Science Reviews, 250(106661), -. DOI: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106661
    Licence document URL: https://repositori.urv.cat/ca/proteccio-de-dades/
    Article's DOI: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106661
    Entity: Universitat Rovira i Virgili
    Journal publication year: 2020
    Publication Type: Journal Publications
  • Keywords:

    Archeology,Archeology (Arts and Humanities),Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics,Geography, Physical,Geology,Geosciences, Interdisciplinary,Geosciences, Multidisciplinary,Global and Planetary Change
    Toll cave
    Taphonomy
    Ribs
    Pleistocene
    Peeling
    Bear
    Axial bones
    Actualism
    Interdisciplinar
    Historia y filosofía de la ciencia
    Historia
    Global and planetary change
    Geosciences, multidisciplinary
    Geosciences, interdisciplinary
    Geology
    Geography, physical
    Geociências
    Ecology, evolution, behavior and systematics
    Ciencias sociales
    Ciencias humanas
    Ciências biológicas i
    Ciências ambientais
    Ciências agrárias i
    Biotecnología
    Biodiversidade
    Archeology (arts and humanities)
    Archeology
    Archaeology
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