International audienc
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17 pagesInternational audienc
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Research Interests: Art and Prospection
Small carnivores are susceptible to regularly accumulating small- to medium-sized mammal remains in both natural and archaeological sites. However, compared to nocturnal birds of prey, these accumulations are still poorly documented and... more
Small carnivores are susceptible to regularly accumulating small- to medium-sized mammal remains in both natural and archaeological sites. However, compared to nocturnal birds of prey, these accumulations are still poorly documented and are generally based on a limited number of samples, including those of relatively small size. Here, we present an analysis of European hamster remains from Ittenheim, which were recovered from an infilled burrow, 3m below the current surface. The remains are well preserved and exhibit large proportions of tooth marks. Comparisons with a new and existing reference collection combined with an analysis of all recovered faunal remains suggest the accumulation reflects the action of young red foxes. This is supported by the fact that, although these young individuals leave teeth mark, they do not necessarily consume all parts of medium-sized prey species, including the European hamster. Conversely, the remains of smaller rodents, such as microtine, show d...
Research Interests: Biology, Ecology, Taphonomy, Quaternary, Mammal, and 6 moreCarnivore, Small Mammals, Fossil record, Predation, Burrow, and European hamster
2 pagesNational audienc
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Research Interests: History, Paleobiology, Archaeology, Taphonomy, Mousterian, and 5 moreBurial, Neanderthal, Excavation, Paleo, and François Bordes
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Reindeer herding probably developed during the Late Iron Age onwards and is still an important part of the subsistence and culture of many peoples in northern Eurasia. However, despite the importance of this husbandry in the history of... more
Reindeer herding probably developed during the Late Iron Age onwards and is still an important part of the subsistence and culture of many peoples in northern Eurasia. However, despite the importance of this husbandry in the history of these Arctic people, the period and place of the origin as well as the spread of domestic reindeer is still highly debated. Besides the existence of different breeding methods in these territories, identifying domesticated individuals in the archaeological record is complicated because reindeers are considered to still be in the early phases of the domestication process. Indeed, the traditional morphological markers used in zooarchaeology to decipher the domestication syndrome are hardly perceptible in these early stages. In this work, we propose solutions for identifying domestic reindeer bones using 3D geometric morphometrics on isolated elements from the long bones of the forelimb (i.e. humerus, radio-ulna and metacarpal). These bones are important...
Research Interests: Geography, Archaeology, Geology, Zooarchaeology, Morphometrics, and 13 moreBiology, Medicine, Domestication (Zooarchaeology), Fossil record, Sámi Studies, Domestication, Rangifer tarandus, Captivity, archaeology Fennoscandia saami, Sámi Archaeology, Subspecies, Subsistence Agriculture, and Northern Fennoscandia
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Morphometric characteristics of the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) are regularly used in archaeological and palaeontological studies to explore aspects of prehistoric human hunting behaviour, to reconstruct past environments or... more
Morphometric characteristics of the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) are regularly used in archaeological and palaeontological studies to explore aspects of prehistoric human hunting behaviour, to reconstruct past environments or to define new species. However, the variability of these characteristics is still both poorly understood and under-documented due to a lack of population-level data that are essential for reliably interpreting the fossil record of this species. Here we address the morphometric diversity of wild rabbits in seven current populations from south-western Europe. Size variations in different skeletal parts were analysed to explore the potential impact of sexual dimorphism. A geometric morphometric analysis of the third lower premolar (p3) – a tooth commonly used to distinguish leporid species – was used to evaluate the relative effects of size, phylogeny, geographical location and climate on shape variation. The results show a negligible impact of sexual d...
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The understanding of Neanderthal societies, both with regard to their funerary behaviors and their subsistence activities, is hotly debated. Old excavations and a lack of taphonomic context are often factors that limit our ability to... more
The understanding of Neanderthal societies, both with regard to their funerary behaviors and their subsistence activities, is hotly debated. Old excavations and a lack of taphonomic context are often factors that limit our ability to address these questions. To better appreciate the exact nature of what is potentially the oldest burial in Western Europe, Regourdou (Montignac-sur-Vézère, Dordogne), and to better understand the taphonomy of this site excavated more than 50 years ago, we report in this contribution a study of the most abundant animals throughout its stratigraphy: the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). In addition to questions surrounding the potential bioturbation of the site's stratigraphy, analysis of the Regourdou rabbits could provide new information on Neandertal subsistence behavior. The mortality profile, skeletal-part representation, breakage patterns, surface modification, and comparison with modern reference collections supports the hypothesis that ...
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The early Pleistocene is the key period for understanding the evolutionary history and palaeobiogeography of rabbits (Genus Oryctolagus). In western Europe, many species were endemic, making them a reliable indicator of the evolution of... more
The early Pleistocene is the key period for understanding the evolutionary history and palaeobiogeography of rabbits (Genus Oryctolagus). In western Europe, many species were endemic, making them a reliable indicator of the evolution of the terrestrial ecosystems in which many species have evolved. However, the morphological variability of rabbit species is still poorly understood and their phylogeny remains a subject of debate. Through both qualitative (morphological description) and quantitative (linear measurements and two-dimensional geometric morphometrics) approaches, we address here the morphometric diversity of the third lower premolar (p3), a tooth commonly used to distinguish leporid species, in order to assess intra- and inter-regional morphological variations in several early Pleistocene rabbit populations. Our results suggest that the different approaches are complementary and allow, on different levels, a full characterization of the p3 variability of early Pleistocene rabbits and to imply relations between populations. The size and shape variations of this tooth reflect the taxonomic and phylogenetic signals of the different species but were probably also significantly impacted by geographical position and local climatic conditions. In view of the great morphometric variability highlighted in this work, we suggest a careful reconsideration of certain dental criteria previously considered ‘diagnostic’ in the characterization of these species. However, the overall results allowed us to discuss the phylogeny of the genus Oryctolagus and to hypothesize the ecological requirements and different phases of the dispersal of taxa in western Europe, probably associated with global climate changes.
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The emergence of pastoralism and animal husbandry has been a critical point in the history of human evolution. Beyond profound behavioural changes in domesticated animals compared to wild ones, characterising the morphological changes... more
The emergence of pastoralism and animal husbandry has been a critical point in the history of human evolution. Beyond profound behavioural changes in domesticated animals compared to wild ones, characterising the morphological changes associated with domestication process remains challenging. Because reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) can be considered to still be in the early phases of the domestication process, the study of modern populations provides a unique opportunity to examine the impact of captivity and selective breeding on skeletal changes. In this work, we investigated the morphological changes in long limb bone cross-sections using 137 wild and domestic reindeer individuals bred in free-range, in captivity or used for racing and pulling. The shape and shaft cortical thickness of the six long limb bones (i.e., humerus, radioulna, metacarpal, femur, tibia and metatarsal) were measured using a 2D-geometric morphometrics approach taking into account subspecies, sex, body mass and lifestyle differences. These bones are important to understanding functional morphological changes because they can provide information on feeding and locomotor behaviours, as well as on body propulsion and weight bearing. Apart from the effects of taxonomy, etho-ecology and sex, we have found that captivity and selection induced important variations in the size and body mass of modern reindeer. Our results also showed that patterns of variation in cortical bone thickness of long limb bone crosssections were strongly impacted by body mass and human-imposed restrictions in roaming. This demonstrates that bone cross-sections can provide information on changes in locomotor, reproductive and feeding behaviours induced by the domestication process. These results are valuable not only for (paleo) biologists studying the impact of captivity and selection in ungulates but also for archaeologists exploring the origins of domestication and early herding strategies.
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For centuries, reindeer herding has been an integral part of the subsistence and culture among the Sámi of northern Fennoscandia. Despite the importance of this husbandry in their history, the timing and details of early reindeer... more
For centuries, reindeer herding has been an integral part of the subsistence and culture among the Sámi of northern Fennoscandia. Despite the importance of this husbandry in their history, the timing and details of early reindeer domestication are still highly debated. Indeed, identifying domesticated individuals in the archaeological record remains complicated because reindeer are still considered to be in the early phases of the domestication process. In this work, we propose solutions for identifying domestic individuals using 3D geometric morphometrics on isolated elements from the long bones of the hindlimb in modern reindeer populations. These bones are important for understanding both the mobility of reindeer and the effect of load carrying or draught. A good level of distinction between the size and shape variables of these bones was found among subspecies, sex and lifestyles. This demonstrates that the long bones of the hindlimb can provide information on changes in locomotor behaviour induced by the domestication process, such as control and reduction of reindeer mobility by humans. This also demonstrates that analysis in geometric morphometrics is useful for exploring the use of draught reindeer in early Sámi reindeer herding and the implications for understanding reindeer domestication and early reindeer herding strategies.
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Leporids (Lagomorpha, Mammalia), especially the mountain hare (Lepus timidus) and the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), have been among the most abundant small game in western Europe since the Pleistocene. These animals are... more
Leporids (Lagomorpha, Mammalia), especially the mountain hare (Lepus timidus) and the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), have been among the most abundant small game in western Europe since the Pleistocene. These animals are preferred prey for more than 40 predators, which increases the chances of finding their skeletal remains at archaeological or natural sites, and in particular karstic formations alternately occupied by Palaeolithic human societies and other predators. Moreover, specific eco-ethological characteristics for both species also offer the possibility to produce a substantial quantity of their bones accumulated by natural mortality without predation, making it more difficult to identify their origin in the fossil record. Despite this fact, the taphonomic signature of accidental-natural accumulations of leporids in karsts, such as pitfalls, has never been properly characterised. In order to address these issues, we carried out a detailed taphonomic study of leporid remains in a pitfall without any evidence of human activity, namely at Coulet des Roches (Monieux, Vaucluse, southeastern France). At this site, leporids are the most abundant species throughout the Last Glacial Maximum sedimentary sequence. The bone accumulation was analysed in order to determine the most relevant criteria to identify a natural accumulation that results from the accidental fall of individuals in the pitfall. The relative proportions of each species are consistent with their current ethology, and their mortality profiles are compatible with the structure of a living natural population. The completeness rate of the different skeletal portions for both species is relatively high, bones are less fragmented and, unlike what might be expected, very few anatomical connections were preserved. The observed anatomical representation, breakage, and bone surface modification patterns are discussed and compared with available data concerning accumulations with predation. Taken together, the identified criteria contribute valuable help in the recognition of accidental mortality in the fossil record, as well as to evaluate the proportion of leporid bones accumulated naturally and those accumulated by predation, human or not, in a deposit.
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Morphometric characteristics of the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) are regularly used in archaeological and palaeontological studies to explore aspects of prehistoric human hunting behaviour, to reconstruct past environments or... more
Morphometric characteristics of the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) are regularly used in archaeological and palaeontological studies to explore aspects of prehistoric human hunting behaviour, to reconstruct past environments or to define new species. However, the variability of these characteristics is still both poorly understood and under-documented due to a lack of population-level data that are essential for reliably interpreting the fossil record of this species. Here we address the morphometric diversity of wild rabbits in seven current populations from south-western Europe. Size variations in different skeletal parts were analysed to explore the potential impact of sexual dimorphism. A geometric morphometric analysis of the third lower premolar (p3) – a tooth commonly used to distinguish leporid species – was used to evaluate the relative effects of size, phylogeny, geographical location and climate on shape variation. The results show a negligible impact of sexual dimorphism, contradicting previous studies. We also demonstrate geography and climate to be the main factors driving variation in p3 shape, potentially calling into question criteria typically used to identify rabbit species. These results are valuable not only for palaeobiologists studying the taxonomy and the evolutionary history of the leporid family but also for archaeologists interested in the socio-economic and behavioural aspects of Palaeolithic human groups.
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The understanding of Neanderthal societies, both with regard to their funerary behaviors and their subsistence activities, is hotly debated. Old excavations and a lack of taphonomic context are often factors that limit our ability to... more
The understanding of Neanderthal societies, both with regard to their funerary behaviors and their subsistence activities, is hotly debated. Old excavations and a lack of taphonomic context are often factors that limit our ability to address these questions. To better appreciate the exact nature of what is potentially the oldest burial in Western Europe, Regourdou (Montignac-sur-Vézère, Dordogne), and to better understand the taphonomy of this site excavated more than 50 years ago, we report in this contribution a study of the most abundant animals throughout its stratigraphy: the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). In addition to questions surrounding the potential bioturbation of the site's stratigraphy, analysis of the Regourdou rabbits could provide new information on Neandertal subsistence behavior. The mortality profile, skeletal-part representation, breakage patterns, surface modification, and comparison with modern reference collections supports the hypothesis that the Regourdou rabbit remains were primarily accumulated due to natural (attritional) mortality. Radiocarbon dates performed directly on the rabbit remains give ages ranging within the second half of Marine Isotope Stage 3, notably younger than the regional Mousterian period. We posit that rabbits dug their burrows within Regourdou's sedimentological filling, likely inhabiting the site after it was filled. The impact of rabbit activity now brings into question both the reliability of the archaeostratigraphy of the site and the paleoenvironmental reconstructions previously proposed for it, and suggests rabbits may have played a role in the distribution of the Neandertal skeletal remains.
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Depuis la fin du XIXe siècle, l’Europe occidentale a fait l’objet de très nombreux travaux pour étudier les modes de subsistance des sociétés préhistoriques. À partir du Paléolithique moyen, les Hommes vont alors s’intéresser au petit... more
Depuis la fin du XIXe siècle, l’Europe occidentale a fait l’objet de très nombreux travaux pour étudier les modes de subsistance des sociétés préhistoriques. À partir du Paléolithique moyen, les Hommes vont alors s’intéresser au petit gibier, tels que les léporidés, taxons relativement abondants sur ce territoire. Or, distinguer l’origine de leur accumulation dans un site archéologique ne constitue pas une tâche aisée tant les agents pouvant en être responsables sont nombreux (i.e. mortalité naturelle, humains, carnivores terrestres, rapaces nocturnes ou diurnes). Dans cette contribution, nous avons mené des études taphonomique et paléontologique sur les léporidés de Regourdou, gisement moustérien ayant livré le squelette d’un Néandertalien. Les indices recensés suggèrent qu’aucun prédateur n’est intervenu dans les processus d’accumulation des restes de lièvres et de lapins, mais leurs assemblages seraient dus, respectivement, à une mortalité naturelle de type accidentelle et de type attritionnelle. La mise en évidence du premier processus montre que la cavité aurait fonctionné comme un aven-piège à un moment donné de son histoire, tandis que le second révèle l’existence d’une Garenne in situ, interprétée comme la dernière occupation du site durant le MIS 4 ou 3, avant la fin du comblement sédimentaire. Les variations morphologiques et de taille corporelle des individus permettent également de préciser les changements d’ordre paléo-environnementaux depuis le début du fonctionnement du site, confirmant l’attribution des niveaux inférieurs à la période tempérée du MIS 5, et les niveaux supérieurs à une phase plus récente du MIS 4 ou 3.
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The pelvis of the Antillean fruit-eating bat (Brachyphylla cavernarum) displays strong sexual dimorphism. Here, we describe osteological criteria for determining the sex of this bat species. These criteria are applied to fossil deposits... more
The pelvis of the Antillean fruit-eating bat (Brachyphylla cavernarum) displays strong sexual dimorphism. Here, we describe osteological criteria for determining the sex of this bat species. These criteria are applied to fossil deposits from the Blanchard Cave on the island of Marie-Galante (French West Indies), which contains abundant bat remains. This cave is currently occupied seasonally by a colony of Antillean fruit-eating bats as a nursery roost. Sex-ratios established for individuals from different fossil layers demonstrate the site to have been home to a nursery roost as early as 27,000 years ago, and probably going back as far as at least 40,000 years. These nursery roots are shown to alternate with periods where faunal assemblages were accumulated by owls.
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The position of the corpse of Regourdou 1 has never been discussed on the basis of available documents related to its 1957 discovery and the subsequent 1961-64 excavations. Considering new data (Bordes’ field notes, 2 unpublished... more
The position of the corpse of Regourdou 1 has never been discussed on the basis of available documents related to its 1957 discovery and the subsequent 1961-64 excavations. Considering new data (Bordes’ field notes, 2 unpublished drawings, 1957 and 1961 photographs, new human remains, labels or texts written on the bones, distribution of the1961 spatially recorded objects), we assume that the 1957 human remains were in square G2 of Bonifay’s 61-64 excavation grid, while the lower limb extremities were in square G3. Following the anatomical logic of the human body, we assume that Regourdou 1 was lying flat, perhaps on his left side, the head to the west. This hypothesis is different from that previously proposed. The question as to whether there is a Neandertal intentional burial at Regourdou is discussed.
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Fossil remains of small mammals of the Leporidae family (genus Oryctolagus and Lepus) are abundant in numerous paleontological and archaeological deposits from the Quaternary. Many species are endemic to Western Europe, which makes them... more
Fossil remains of small mammals of the Leporidae family (genus Oryctolagus and Lepus) are abundant in numerous paleontological and archaeological deposits from the Quaternary. Many species are endemic to Western Europe, which makes them reliable markers of change in the ecosystems in which prehistoric human societies evolved. Paradoxically, morphological variability of leporids is still poorly understood and current phylogeny remains a subject of debate. This work focuses on the morphometric diversity of rabbits (Oryctolagus) and hares (Lepus) over nearly two million years of evolution. We applied osteometry and geometric morphometric (2D and 3D) analyzes to bone and dental remains of current populations and 73 fossil samples from perimediterranean regions (Spain, France, Italy, Portugal) during different moments of the Pleistocene. These data provide insights concerning Leporidae adaptations to environmental change as well as more general evolutionary trends. Here we propose a new phylogeny for the genus Oryctolagus and present different dispersion phases for Western Europe. Several population expansion events coupled with the recolonization of refuge areas and local extinctions are highlighted in response to global climate change. These results allow us to discuss the presence of these small game species in the environment and contribute to the debate concerning relations between leporids and human communities. Humans have regularly consumed leporids since at least the Middle Paleolithic. Their significant increase in the diet at the end of the Upper Paleolithic, however, cannot be explained solely by cognitive, cultural or economic changes but rather coincides with biogeographic variations of these species.