Neanderthal selective hunting of reindeer? The case study of Abri du Maras (south-eastern France)

Fieldwork was supported by the Regional Office of Archaeology Rhône-Alpes, the French Ministry of Culture and Communication and the Ardèche Department through several scientific programs. M.G.Chacon, F. Rivals and E. Allué research are funded by ‘CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya’. Thanks to Jean-Jacques Hublin, Annabell Reiner and Steven Steinbrenner from the Max Planck Institute (MPI-EVA) for analytical support (isotope analysis). We are grateful to the two anonymous reviewers for their constructive remarks on this manuscript. The English manuscript was edited by L. Byrne, an official translator and native English speaker.Peer reviewedPostprin

Diverse responses of common vole (Microtus arvalis) populations to Late Glacial and Early Holocene climate changes – Evidence from ancient DNA

The harsh climatic conditions during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) period have been considered the cause of local extinctions and major faunal reorganizations that took place at the end of the Pleistocene. Recent studies have shown, however, that in addition many of these ecological events were associated with abrupt climate changes during the so-called Late Glacial and the Pleistocene/Holocene transition. Here we used ancient DNA to investigate the impact of those changes on European populations of temperate vole species (Microtus arvalis). The genetic diversity of modern populations and the fossil record suggests that the species may have survived cold episodes, like LGM, not only in the traditional Mediterranean glacial refugia but also at higher latitudes in cryptic northern refugia located in Central France, the northern Alps as well as the Carpathians. However, the details of the post-glacial recolonization and the impact of the Late Glacial and Early Holocene climate changes on the evolutionary history of the common vole remains unclear. To address this issue, we analysed mtDNA cytochrome b sequences from more than one hundred common vole specimens from 36 paleontological and archaeological sites scattered across Europe. Our data suggest that populations from the European mid- and high latitudes suffered a local population extinction and contraction as a result of Late Glacial and Early Holocene climate and environmental changes. The recolonization of earlier abandoned areas took place in the Mid- to Late Holocene. In contrast, at low latitudes, in Northern Spain there was a continuity of common vole populations. This indicates different responses of common vole populations to climate and environmental changes across Europe and corroborates the hypothesis that abrupt changes, like those associated with Younger Dryas and the Pleistocene/Holocene transition, had a significant impact on populations at the mid- and high latitudes of Europe

Nouvelles données sur les sites pléistocènes et holocènes à <i>Ursus arctos</i> du Vaucluse (sud-est de la France)

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Diversité morphologique des populations de bouquetin des Alpes (Capra ibex) dans le Sud de la France du Pléistocène moyen supérieur à l’Holocène

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The Pleistocene Biodiversity of the Zagros Mountains: Carnivores of the Chenar Cave (Kermanshah- Iran)

International audienceOver the past decades, several Pleistocene caves and rock shelters in the Zagros Mountains have been discovered with remarkable evidences of carnivore remains. This paper presents the assemblage of Chenar cave located in Kermanshah (West-Central Zagros), at 1630m asl, on the southern face of the Paraw Mountain. The cave was discovered through an archaeological survey in 2007 by FB and AMB. It included two shafts damaged by looters. The back-dirt sediment was systematically examined indicating 795 animal bones. The nature of the sediment and taphonomical features are undoubtedly an indication of Pleistocene cave. Carnivore remains (43%) consist of fox (Vulpes sp.), striped hyena (Hyaena hyeana), golden jackal (Canis aureus), lynx (Lynx sp.), leopard (Panthera pardus), brown bear (Ursus arctos), cave bear (U.spelaeus / Spelearctos deningeri), caracal (Caracal caracal) and spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta). The herbivore remains (37%: sheep, goat, boar and cattle) may have been the prey of these carnivores although any anthropogenic traces on the bones have been observed. The Chenar cave was used as a den alternatively for multiple carnivore species, similar to the profile of the Wezmeh cave (SW of the Chenar). Despite the disturbed character of the remains, the presence of spotted and striped hyenas and cave bear adds precious information about the evolution of these species on the Iranian Plateau. Along with Chenar, the past biodiversity of Iran during the Pleistocene is gradually documented by with zooarchaological studies from Wezmeh and Zilou caves in the Zagros and Darband cave in the Alborz Mountains

The Pleistocene Biodiversity of the Zagros Mountains: Carnivores of the Chenar Cave (Kermanshah- Iran)

International audienceOver the past decades, several Pleistocene caves and rock shelters in the Zagros Mountains have been discovered with remarkable evidences of carnivore remains. This paper presents the assemblage of Chenar cave located in Kermanshah (West-Central Zagros), at 1630m asl, on the southern face of the Paraw Mountain. The cave was discovered through an archaeological survey in 2007 by FB and AMB. It included two shafts damaged by looters. The back-dirt sediment was systematically examined indicating 795 animal bones. The nature of the sediment and taphonomical features are undoubtedly an indication of Pleistocene cave. Carnivore remains (43%) consist of fox (Vulpes sp.), striped hyena (Hyaena hyeana), golden jackal (Canis aureus), lynx (Lynx sp.), leopard (Panthera pardus), brown bear (Ursus arctos), cave bear (U.spelaeus / Spelearctos deningeri), caracal (Caracal caracal) and spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta). The herbivore remains (37%: sheep, goat, boar and cattle) may have been the prey of these carnivores although any anthropogenic traces on the bones have been observed. The Chenar cave was used as a den alternatively for multiple carnivore species, similar to the profile of the Wezmeh cave (SW of the Chenar). Despite the disturbed character of the remains, the presence of spotted and striped hyenas and cave bear adds precious information about the evolution of these species on the Iranian Plateau. Along with Chenar, the past biodiversity of Iran during the Pleistocene is gradually documented by with zooarchaological studies from Wezmeh and Zilou caves in the Zagros and Darband cave in the Alborz Mountains