REINDEER, MEN AND WOLVES AT THE PORTEL-WEST CAVE OF THE PORTEL (ARIÈGE): A TAPHONOMICANALYSIS OF THE CARNIVORES FROM THE F-F3 UNIT.

• Published in: Quaternaire
• Main Authors: Fourvel, Jean-Baptiste, Frerebeau, Nicolas, Magniez, Pierre, Moigne, Anne-Marie, Vézian, Régis
• Other Authors: Laboratoire méditerranéen de préhistoire Europe-Afrique (LAMPEA), Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Ministère de la Culture (MC), IRAMAT-Centre de recherche en physique appliquée à l’archéologie (IRAMAT-CRP2A), Institut de Recherches sur les Archéomatériaux (IRAMAT), Université de Technologie de Belfort-Montbeliard (UTBM)-Université d'Orléans (UO)-Université Bordeaux Montaigne (UBM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Technologie de Belfort-Montbeliard (UTBM)-Université d'Orléans (UO)-Université Bordeaux Montaigne (UBM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Histoire naturelle de l'Homme préhistorique (HNHP), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Université de Perpignan Via Domitia (UPVD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Ecole d'Ingénieurs de Purpan (INP - PURPAN), Institut National Polytechnique (Toulouse) (Toulouse INP), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: French
• Published: HAL CCSD 2021
• Subjects: Paleolithic; Carnivores; Taphonomy; Paleoecology; Paléolithique; Taphonomie; Paléoécologie; [SHS.ARCHEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Archaeology and Prehistory; Canis lupus
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-03622182; https://hal.science/hal-03622182/document; https://hal.science/hal-03622182/file/Fourvel%20et%20al.,%202021-Quaternaire.pdf; https://doi.org/10.4000/quaternaire.15888

International audience The Portel-West Cave (Ariège) is a major archaeological site for our understanding of the modalities of acquisition and exploita­tion of meat resources in Middle Palaeolithic communities. The Mousterian F levels (MIS 3) is characterized by an important bone assemblage (mainly dominated by the reindeer) resulting of human activities as demonstrated by zooarchaeological studies. Even though the carnivore impact has been recognized, the precise identification of their specific role is essential to understand human­carnivore interactions as well as estimating the potential bias resulting of secondary scavenging on the primary bone deposit. Among the carnivores, the canids are abundant: 156 dental and postcranial remains belong to the wolf Canis lupus representing at least 12 individuals, while the red fox Vulpes vulpes is represented by 597 remains and 17 individuals. The previous researches have identi­fied the presence of these canids as resulting of a natural occupation of the cavity without any direct human interactions. Accord­ingly, the canids implication on the bone deposit dynamics (as potential secondary predators scavenging the bone remains firstly exploited by human communities) is questioned. This paper is focused on canids implication on the bone remains from the Portel-West Cave F level. We provide here a palaeoecological research describing both the canid populations (skeletal part distribution, population structure, subspecific identification) and their taphonomical implication on reindeer remains (toothmarks, bone morpho­types.). Finally, this study allows us to characterize the palaeoecological status of the canids as well as discuss their opportunistic behaviour (scavengers) resulting of competition with the human communities. La grotte Ouest du Portel (Ariège) est un gisement archéologique majeur pour la connaissance des modalités d'acquisition et d'exploitation des ressources carnées par les communautés humaines du Paléolithique moyen. L'ensemble moustérien F (MIS 3) ...