An Upper Paleolithic horse mandible with an embedded lithic projectile : Insights into 16,500 cal BP hunting strategies through a unique case of bone injury from Cantabrian Spain
Cueto, Marián (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona)
Camarós, Edgard (Universidade de Santiago de Compostela. Departamento de Historia)
Chauvin, Adriana (Museo de Prehistoria y Arqueología de Cantabria)
Ontañón, Roberto (Museo de Prehistoria y Arqueología de Cantabria)
Arias Cabal, Pablo (Universidad de Cantabria. Instituto Internacional de Investigaciones Prehistóricas de Cantabria)

Date:	2024
Abstract:	Embedded artifacts in osteoarchaeological remains may be key to approaching hunting strategies and other behavioral-related issues such as technological development. However, that kind of evidence is not common within the archaeological record and often not well-characterized, especially for faunal remains from prehistoric sites. Here, we present and discuss a unique case of a horse (Equus caballus) mandible with an embedded lithic remains from the Upper Paleolithic (ca. 17,300-16,200 cal BP) from La Garma cave in Cantabria, Spain. Our macro- and microscopic faunal and lithic integrated analysis suggests that the case presented here is a potential perimortem hunting lesion, representing an uncommon hunting strategy during the Magdalenian period. Furthermore, this study, representing the first case of its kind in the Iberian Peninsula, emphasizes the importance of the taphonomic analysis of bone surfaces to approach the understanding of past human behaviors.
Grants:	Agencia Estatal de Investigación PID2020-112832RB-I00 Agencia Estatal de Investigación RYC2021-031120-I
Note:	Altres ajuts: acords transformatius de la UAB
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Archaeozoology ; Hunting lesion ; Iberian Peninsula ; Lithics ; Middle Magdalenian ; Prehistory ; Taphonomy
Published in:	International journal of osteoarchaeology, Vol. 34, Issue 5 (September-October 2024) , art. e3346, ISSN 1099-1212

DOI: 10.1002/oa.3346

9 p, 11.4 MB

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