Articles producció científicaHistòria i Història de l'Art

Assessing seasonality and mobility from a fragmented faunal assemblage: the case of Amud Cave (Israel)

  • Identification data

    Identifier:  imarina:9452935
    Authors:  Jallon, Anaelle; Rivals, Florent; Hovers, Erella; Rabinovich, Rivka
    Abstract:
    In this paper we investigate the seasonality of site occupation at Amud Cave (Israel). This site presents a long sedimentary sequence featuring two main late Middle Paleolithic occupation phases (70 - 55 Ka BP) rich in anthropogenic remains, and displaying very high densities of lithic artifacts, faunal remains and evidence of combustion. The abundance of these features appears high relative to the thickness of the sequence, thus raising the question of the duration and frequency of site occupation(s). We aim here to unravel this issue implementing a multiproxy approach to the dental fraction of the faunal assemblage. Combining teeth replacement and wear patterns coupled with micro- and mesowear analyses, we provide insights into the seasonality of occupation and hunting strategies at the site. We found that hunting activities at Amud Cave were conducted mainly in the course of the winter months with possible expansion into the late fall and early spring. This result is consistent with regional and local climate reconstructions and resources procurement locations evidenced in previous works. Assuming a fast depositional rate, we suggest that the sequence results from frequent seasonal returns to the site, forming a palimpsest of short-term occupations. This scenario is compatible with settlements and mobility patterns inferred for the late Middle Paleolithic in the Southern Levant.
  • Others:

    Link to the original source: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12520-025-02231-5
    Paper original source: Archaeological And Anthropological Sciences. 17 (5): 115-
    Article's DOI: 10.1007/s12520-025-02231-5
    Journal publication year: 2025
    Entity: Universitat Rovira i Virgili
    Paper version: info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
    Record's date: 2025-05-12
    URV's Author/s: Rivals, Florent Joseph Louis
    Department: Història i Història de l'Art
    Licence document URL: https://repositori.urv.cat/ca/proteccio-de-dades/
    Publication Type: Journal Publications
    Author, as appears in the article.: Jallon, Anaelle; Rivals, Florent; Hovers, Erella; Rabinovich, Rivka
    licence for use: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/
    Thematic Areas: Anthropology, Antropología, Antropologia / arqueologia, Archaeology, Archeology, Archeology (arts and humanities), Ciencias humanas, Ciencias sociales, Geociências, Geosciences, multidisciplinary, Historia
    Author's mail: florent.rivals@urv.cat
  • Keywords:

    Age profile
    Dental wear
    Fallow deer
    Faunal analysis
    Microwear
    Middle
    Neanderthal
    Neanderthals
    Paleolithic settlement-patterns
    Raw-material
    Red deer
    Site
    Southern levan
    Southern levant
    Space-use
    Tooth eruption
    Wea
    Anthropology
    Archaeology
    Archeology
    Archeology (Arts and Humanities)
    Geosciences
    Multidisciplinary
    Antropología
    Antropologia / arqueologia
    Ciencias humanas
    Ciencias sociales
    Geociências
    Historia
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