Butchery activities associated with member 5 at Sterkfontein, South Africa

IF 2.1 2区 地球科学 Q1 ANTHROPOLOGY
Raphaël Hanon, Aurore Val, Recognise Sambo, Dominic Stratford
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The origin of animal tissue consumption within the hominin lineage remains a central question in palaeoanthropology and taphonomy. This question is mostly addressed through the study of bone surface modifications (e.g., butchery marks) observed on fossils from East African sites. Albeit somewhat overlooked compared to East Africa, South Africa provides an additional body of evidence regarding the evolution of hominin behaviours. Here, we provide a comprehensive description and analysis of a butchered bone assemblage from the Sterkfontein Name Chamber and Member 5 East Oldowan infill in South Africa, dated conservatively to between 1.4 and 2.18 Ma. Based on the anatomical location and morphology of the bone surface modifications, we demonstrate that hominins using Oldowan tools were capable of performing a complete butchery sequence that included skinning, disarticulation, defleshing and marrow extraction. Furthermore, comparison with the butchered bones from the neighbouring sites of Cooper’s D and Swartkrans shows a continuity, or the repeated emergence, of similar butchery patterns through the Early Pleistocene. The identification of distinct butchery patterns, the range of exploited animals, as well as the presence of bone tools in many sites highlight the diversity of hominin subsistence behaviours during the Early Pleistocene, which we interpret as a reflection of the likely non-linear evolution of such behaviours. Finally, we argue that the research focus of taphonomic analyses should address how hominins processed carcasses in addition to how and when these were acquired. Such analyses would help identifying the development of complex butchery practices in the archaeological record.

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来源期刊
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences GEOSCIENCES, MULTIDISCIPLINARY-
CiteScore
4.80
自引率
18.20%
发文量
199
期刊介绍: Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences covers the full spectrum of natural scientific methods with an emphasis on the archaeological contexts and the questions being studied. It bridges the gap between archaeologists and natural scientists providing a forum to encourage the continued integration of scientific methodologies in archaeological research. Coverage in the journal includes: archaeology, geology/geophysical prospection, geoarchaeology, geochronology, palaeoanthropology, archaeozoology and archaeobotany, genetics and other biomolecules, material analysis and conservation science. The journal is endorsed by the German Society of Natural Scientific Archaeology and Archaeometry (GNAA), the Hellenic Society for Archaeometry (HSC), the Association of Italian Archaeometrists (AIAr) and the Society of Archaeological Sciences (SAS).
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