Evidence of diverse animal exploitation during the Middle Paleolithic at Ghar-e Boof (southern Zagros)
Abstract Although Middle Paleolithic (MP) hominin diets consisted mainly of ungulates, increasing evidence demonstrates that hominins at least occasionally consumed tortoises, birds, leporids, fish, and carnivores. Until now, the MP zooarchaeological record in the Zagros Mountains has been almost ex...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2023-11-01
|
| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-45974-8 |
| _version_ | 1797636902028836864 |
|---|---|
| author | Mario Mata-González Britt M. Starkovich Mohsen Zeidi Nicholas J. Conard |
| author_facet | Mario Mata-González Britt M. Starkovich Mohsen Zeidi Nicholas J. Conard |
| author_sort | Mario Mata-González |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Although Middle Paleolithic (MP) hominin diets consisted mainly of ungulates, increasing evidence demonstrates that hominins at least occasionally consumed tortoises, birds, leporids, fish, and carnivores. Until now, the MP zooarchaeological record in the Zagros Mountains has been almost exclusively restricted to ungulates. The narrow range of hominin prey may reflect socioeconomic decisions and/or environmental constraints, but could also result from a research bias favoring the study of large prey, since archaeologists have undertaken no systematic taphonomic analyses of small game or carnivores in the region. Here, we report on the first comprehensive taphonomic analysis of an MP faunal assemblage from Ghar-e Boof (∼ 81–45 kyr), a Late Pleistocene site in the southern Zagros of Iran. Anthropogenic bone surface modifications point to hominins as the main agent of accumulation. Hominins preyed primarily on ungulates, particularly wild goat. However, we also found evidence for MP hominin exploitation of carnivores and tortoises at the site. Although small game represents only a minor portion of the diet, our results suggest that the hunting behavior of MP hominins in the Zagros was more diverse than previously thought, similar to what we find elsewhere in Eurasia. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T12:41:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7a052f1b45dd484a87166855a5d43928 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T12:41:47Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-7a052f1b45dd484a87166855a5d439282023-11-05T12:17:07ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222023-11-0113111610.1038/s41598-023-45974-8Evidence of diverse animal exploitation during the Middle Paleolithic at Ghar-e Boof (southern Zagros)Mario Mata-González0Britt M. Starkovich1Mohsen Zeidi2Nicholas J. Conard3Institute for Archaeological Sciences, University of TübingenInstitute for Archaeological Sciences, University of TübingenSenckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironment (SHEP)Institute for Archaeological Sciences, University of TübingenAbstract Although Middle Paleolithic (MP) hominin diets consisted mainly of ungulates, increasing evidence demonstrates that hominins at least occasionally consumed tortoises, birds, leporids, fish, and carnivores. Until now, the MP zooarchaeological record in the Zagros Mountains has been almost exclusively restricted to ungulates. The narrow range of hominin prey may reflect socioeconomic decisions and/or environmental constraints, but could also result from a research bias favoring the study of large prey, since archaeologists have undertaken no systematic taphonomic analyses of small game or carnivores in the region. Here, we report on the first comprehensive taphonomic analysis of an MP faunal assemblage from Ghar-e Boof (∼ 81–45 kyr), a Late Pleistocene site in the southern Zagros of Iran. Anthropogenic bone surface modifications point to hominins as the main agent of accumulation. Hominins preyed primarily on ungulates, particularly wild goat. However, we also found evidence for MP hominin exploitation of carnivores and tortoises at the site. Although small game represents only a minor portion of the diet, our results suggest that the hunting behavior of MP hominins in the Zagros was more diverse than previously thought, similar to what we find elsewhere in Eurasia.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-45974-8 |
| spellingShingle | Mario Mata-González Britt M. Starkovich Mohsen Zeidi Nicholas J. Conard Evidence of diverse animal exploitation during the Middle Paleolithic at Ghar-e Boof (southern Zagros) Scientific Reports |
| title | Evidence of diverse animal exploitation during the Middle Paleolithic at Ghar-e Boof (southern Zagros) |
| title_full | Evidence of diverse animal exploitation during the Middle Paleolithic at Ghar-e Boof (southern Zagros) |
| title_fullStr | Evidence of diverse animal exploitation during the Middle Paleolithic at Ghar-e Boof (southern Zagros) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evidence of diverse animal exploitation during the Middle Paleolithic at Ghar-e Boof (southern Zagros) |
| title_short | Evidence of diverse animal exploitation during the Middle Paleolithic at Ghar-e Boof (southern Zagros) |
| title_sort | evidence of diverse animal exploitation during the middle paleolithic at ghar e boof southern zagros |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-45974-8 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mariomatagonzalez evidenceofdiverseanimalexploitationduringthemiddlepaleolithicatghareboofsouthernzagros AT brittmstarkovich evidenceofdiverseanimalexploitationduringthemiddlepaleolithicatghareboofsouthernzagros AT mohsenzeidi evidenceofdiverseanimalexploitationduringthemiddlepaleolithicatghareboofsouthernzagros AT nicholasjconard evidenceofdiverseanimalexploitationduringthemiddlepaleolithicatghareboofsouthernzagros |