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Article Dans Une Revue Quaternary International Année : 2012

Monospecific faunal spectra in Mousterian context: implications for social behavior

William Rendu
Sandrine Costamagno
Marie-Cécile Soulier

Résumé

This paper focuses on the question of the existence of collective hunting in Neanderthal populations.While many Mousterian sites from Western Europe exhibit faunal assemblages clearly dominated by a particular taxon, faunal spectrum alone is not enough to discuss the hunting strategies developed for their acquisition and the relative importance of the prey in Neanderthal diet. Therefore, Neanderthal hunting strategies are examined using different proxies such as prey selection and carcass exploitation in two Late Pleistocene sites: Mauran and Les Pradelles. These sites share all the characteristics (high quantity of faunal material, specialized faunal spectrum, large number of prey, catastrophic mortality profile, seasonal slaughter, possible selective transport of the richest elements) usually recognized in communal hunting assemblages. The conclusions underline that the subsistence economy of the huntergatherers in question involves the planned procurement of animal resources with the intention of storing surplus in anticipation of future food needs. It demonstrates that Neanderthal populations in Southwestern Europe already possessed the necessary technical and cognitive capacities
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Dates et versions

hal-02066742 , version 1 (13-03-2019)

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  • HAL Id : hal-02066742 , version 1

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William Rendu, Sandrine Costamagno, Liliane Meignen, Marie-Cécile Soulier. Monospecific faunal spectra in Mousterian context: implications for social behavior. Quaternary International, 2012, 247, pp.50-58. ⟨hal-02066742⟩
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