Environmental conditions in the Massif Central during the Upper Palaeolithic using stable isotope tracking ($^{13}$C, $^{15}$N) of bone collagen from large herbivores
International audience The environmental conditions experienced by hunter‐gatherers during the second part of the Upper Palaeolithic (ca. 28 000–15 000 cal BP) are poorly known in the mid‐elevation volcanic mountains of the Massif Central in southern France. The stable isotope ratios of carbon and n...
Published in: | Journal of Quaternary Science |
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Main Authors: | , |
Other Authors: | , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
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HAL CCSD
2024
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Online Access: | https://shs.hal.science/halshs-04525378 https://shs.hal.science/halshs-04525378/document https://shs.hal.science/halshs-04525378/file/J%20Quaternary%20Science%20-%202024%20-%20Drucker%20-%20Environmental%20conditions%20in%20the%20Ma.%20using.pdf https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.3617 |
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ftunivparis1:oai:HAL:halshs-04525378v1 |
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openpolar |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne: HAL |
op_collection_id |
ftunivparis1 |
language |
English |
topic |
environment horse ibex reindeer south-central France [SHS.ARCHEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Archaeology and Prehistory [SDE]Environmental Sciences |
spellingShingle |
environment horse ibex reindeer south-central France [SHS.ARCHEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Archaeology and Prehistory [SDE]Environmental Sciences Drucker, Dorothée, G Fontana, Laure Environmental conditions in the Massif Central during the Upper Palaeolithic using stable isotope tracking ($^{13}$C, $^{15}$N) of bone collagen from large herbivores |
topic_facet |
environment horse ibex reindeer south-central France [SHS.ARCHEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Archaeology and Prehistory [SDE]Environmental Sciences |
description |
International audience The environmental conditions experienced by hunter‐gatherers during the second part of the Upper Palaeolithic (ca. 28 000–15 000 cal BP) are poorly known in the mid‐elevation volcanic mountains of the Massif Central in southern France. The stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen (13C/12C and 15N/14N expressed as δ13Cand δ15N values) in bone collagen of large herbivores can track their diet and habitat, reflecting local abiotic conditions (temperature, aridity, altitude). Due to poor preservation of skeletal organic matter in the region, new radiocarbon dating was conducted on a limited number of quality‐controlled collagen samples, based on a minimum carbon content of 30%. They document three main phases of occupation corresponding to the Final Gravettian, the Badegoulian and the Magdalenian, each of which is represented in different regions of the Allier and Loire valleys. Over time, a decrease in horse δ15N values, the best documented species of large herbivores, is found between the Final Gravettian (ca. 26 700–25 600 cal BP), around the Last Glacial Maximum and the Badegoulian (ca. 21 900–19 200 cal BP), followed by an increase in δ15N and δ13C values during the Magdalenian (ca. 19 100–16 600 cal BP). During the Badegoulian, the δ15N values of the horses were lower than those of their counterparts in southwestern France, testifying to harsh climatic conditions favourable to a tundra‐like landscape, also reflected in the higher horse and reindeer δ13C values in the Allier valley compared to those in southwestern France. The relatively high δ13C and low δ15N values of a Final Gravettian wolf from the Allier valley suggests reindeer as a preferred prey, in line with their high abundance in the archaeological sites. Game access, rather than climatic conditions or lithic resources, seems to have motivated human groups to occupy the Massif Central during the Upper Palaeolithic. |
author2 |
Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment (HEP) Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen = University of Tübingen Archéologies environnementales Archéologies et Sciences de l'Antiquité (ArScAn) Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (UP1)-Université Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis (UP8)-Université Paris Nanterre (UPN)-Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication (MCC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (UP1)-Université Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis (UP8)-Université Paris Nanterre (UPN)-Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication (MCC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Drucker, Dorothée, G Fontana, Laure |
author_facet |
Drucker, Dorothée, G Fontana, Laure |
author_sort |
Drucker, Dorothée, G |
title |
Environmental conditions in the Massif Central during the Upper Palaeolithic using stable isotope tracking ($^{13}$C, $^{15}$N) of bone collagen from large herbivores |
title_short |
Environmental conditions in the Massif Central during the Upper Palaeolithic using stable isotope tracking ($^{13}$C, $^{15}$N) of bone collagen from large herbivores |
title_full |
Environmental conditions in the Massif Central during the Upper Palaeolithic using stable isotope tracking ($^{13}$C, $^{15}$N) of bone collagen from large herbivores |
title_fullStr |
Environmental conditions in the Massif Central during the Upper Palaeolithic using stable isotope tracking ($^{13}$C, $^{15}$N) of bone collagen from large herbivores |
title_full_unstemmed |
Environmental conditions in the Massif Central during the Upper Palaeolithic using stable isotope tracking ($^{13}$C, $^{15}$N) of bone collagen from large herbivores |
title_sort |
environmental conditions in the massif central during the upper palaeolithic using stable isotope tracking ($^{13}$c, $^{15}$n) of bone collagen from large herbivores |
publisher |
HAL CCSD |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
https://shs.hal.science/halshs-04525378 https://shs.hal.science/halshs-04525378/document https://shs.hal.science/halshs-04525378/file/J%20Quaternary%20Science%20-%202024%20-%20Drucker%20-%20Environmental%20conditions%20in%20the%20Ma.%20using.pdf https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.3617 |
genre |
Tundra |
genre_facet |
Tundra |
op_source |
ISSN: 0267-8179 EISSN: 1099-1417 Journal of Quaternary Science https://shs.hal.science/halshs-04525378 Journal of Quaternary Science, In press, ⟨10.1002/jqs.3617⟩ |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1002/jqs.3617 halshs-04525378 https://shs.hal.science/halshs-04525378 https://shs.hal.science/halshs-04525378/document https://shs.hal.science/halshs-04525378/file/J%20Quaternary%20Science%20-%202024%20-%20Drucker%20-%20Environmental%20conditions%20in%20the%20Ma.%20using.pdf doi:10.1002/jqs.3617 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.3617 |
container_title |
Journal of Quaternary Science |
_version_ |
1802650902871408640 |
spelling |
ftunivparis1:oai:HAL:halshs-04525378v1 2024-06-23T07:57:19+00:00 Environmental conditions in the Massif Central during the Upper Palaeolithic using stable isotope tracking ($^{13}$C, $^{15}$N) of bone collagen from large herbivores Drucker, Dorothée, G Fontana, Laure Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment (HEP) Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen = University of Tübingen Archéologies environnementales Archéologies et Sciences de l'Antiquité (ArScAn) Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (UP1)-Université Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis (UP8)-Université Paris Nanterre (UPN)-Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication (MCC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (UP1)-Université Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis (UP8)-Université Paris Nanterre (UPN)-Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication (MCC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) 2024 https://shs.hal.science/halshs-04525378 https://shs.hal.science/halshs-04525378/document https://shs.hal.science/halshs-04525378/file/J%20Quaternary%20Science%20-%202024%20-%20Drucker%20-%20Environmental%20conditions%20in%20the%20Ma.%20using.pdf https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.3617 en eng HAL CCSD Wiley info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1002/jqs.3617 halshs-04525378 https://shs.hal.science/halshs-04525378 https://shs.hal.science/halshs-04525378/document https://shs.hal.science/halshs-04525378/file/J%20Quaternary%20Science%20-%202024%20-%20Drucker%20-%20Environmental%20conditions%20in%20the%20Ma.%20using.pdf doi:10.1002/jqs.3617 info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess ISSN: 0267-8179 EISSN: 1099-1417 Journal of Quaternary Science https://shs.hal.science/halshs-04525378 Journal of Quaternary Science, In press, ⟨10.1002/jqs.3617⟩ environment horse ibex reindeer south-central France [SHS.ARCHEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Archaeology and Prehistory [SDE]Environmental Sciences info:eu-repo/semantics/article Journal articles 2024 ftunivparis1 https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.3617 2024-06-10T23:58:17Z International audience The environmental conditions experienced by hunter‐gatherers during the second part of the Upper Palaeolithic (ca. 28 000–15 000 cal BP) are poorly known in the mid‐elevation volcanic mountains of the Massif Central in southern France. The stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen (13C/12C and 15N/14N expressed as δ13Cand δ15N values) in bone collagen of large herbivores can track their diet and habitat, reflecting local abiotic conditions (temperature, aridity, altitude). Due to poor preservation of skeletal organic matter in the region, new radiocarbon dating was conducted on a limited number of quality‐controlled collagen samples, based on a minimum carbon content of 30%. They document three main phases of occupation corresponding to the Final Gravettian, the Badegoulian and the Magdalenian, each of which is represented in different regions of the Allier and Loire valleys. Over time, a decrease in horse δ15N values, the best documented species of large herbivores, is found between the Final Gravettian (ca. 26 700–25 600 cal BP), around the Last Glacial Maximum and the Badegoulian (ca. 21 900–19 200 cal BP), followed by an increase in δ15N and δ13C values during the Magdalenian (ca. 19 100–16 600 cal BP). During the Badegoulian, the δ15N values of the horses were lower than those of their counterparts in southwestern France, testifying to harsh climatic conditions favourable to a tundra‐like landscape, also reflected in the higher horse and reindeer δ13C values in the Allier valley compared to those in southwestern France. The relatively high δ13C and low δ15N values of a Final Gravettian wolf from the Allier valley suggests reindeer as a preferred prey, in line with their high abundance in the archaeological sites. Game access, rather than climatic conditions or lithic resources, seems to have motivated human groups to occupy the Massif Central during the Upper Palaeolithic. Article in Journal/Newspaper Tundra Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne: HAL Journal of Quaternary Science |