Were bears or lions involved in salmon accumulation in the Middle Palaeolithic of the Caucasus? An isotopic investigation in Kudaro 3 cave
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Publication Date
August 2014
Abstract
Bone fragments of large anadromous salmon in the Middle Palaeolithic archaeological layers of Kudaro 3 cave (Caucasus) suggested fish consumption by archaic Hominins, such as Neandertals. However, large carnivores such as Asiatic cave bears (Ursus kudarensis) and cave lions (Panthera spelaea) were also found in the cave and could have been responsible for such an accumulation. The diet of these carnivores was evaluated using carbon, nitrogen and sulphur isotopes in faunal bone collagen. The results suggest that anadromous fish were neither part of the diet of either cave bear (vegetarian) or cave lion (predators of herbivores from arid areas) and therefore provide indirect support to the idea that Middle Palaeolithic Hominins, probably Neandertals, were able to consume fish when it was available.
Keywords
Bears, Lions, Salmon Accumulaiton, Middle Paleolithic, Isotopic Investigation, Kudaro 3 Cave
Document Type
Article
Notes
Quaternary International, Vol. 399-340 (2014-08-07).
Identifier
SFS0072245_00001
Recommended Citation
Bocherens, Hervé; Baryshnikov, Gennady; and Van Neer, Wim, "Were bears or lions involved in salmon accumulation in the Middle Palaeolithic of the Caucasus? An isotopic investigation in Kudaro 3 cave" (2014). KIP Articles. 5733.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/kip_articles/5733