Laser ablation strontium isotopes and spatial assignment show seasonal mobility in red deer (Cervus elaphus) at Lazaret Cave, France (MIS 6)

Zooarchaeological analysis is a useful means of exploring faunal palaeoecology, paleoclimate and past human behaviours. The Middle Pleistocene archaeological site Lazaret Cave, located in modern-day Nice, France, features a vast assemblage of faunal remains pertinent to the understanding of early Neanderthal subsistence behaviours as well as red deer (Cervus elaphus) ecology during MIS 6. This pilot study examines materials from archaeological layer UA25, a short-term occupation layer at Lazaret dating to ~150,000 years ka, which has revealed 28 early Neanderthal remains as well as thousands of faunal bones, of which red deer and ibex (Capra ibex) are most abundant. Molars from three red deer mandibles and a single ibex were analysed for strontium (87Sr/86Sr) isotopic analysis using laser ablation mass spectrometry to determine animal movements during tooth formation, combined with intra-tooth oxygen (δ18O) isotope analysis to determine seasonality. The isotope data was modelled within a local 87Sr/86Sr isoscape and computational spatial assignment was undertaken to reconstruct potential summer and winter ranges of red deer. Results from this pilot study show seasonal mobility within 20 km of Lazaret, identifying two possible summer and winter ranges for the red deer excavated from UA25. Both possible summer ranges are located at higher elevations further from Lazaret while winter ranges have been assigned to lower elevations closer to the coastline and closer to Lazaret. The ibex shows no 87Sr/86Sr variation throughout the first, second and third molar and the spatial assignment indicates it lived proximal to the site during the period of tooth formation. In addition to providing the first evidence of red deer spatial ecology in southern France during MIS 6, we also infer from the faunal isotope data that hominins at Lazaret Cave were likely hunting red deer in autumn and winter when they were closer to the cave site, while hunting in summer would have required up to 20 km of travel

Laser ablation strontium isotopes and spatial assignment show seasonal mobility in red deer (Cervus elaphus) at Lazaret Cave, France (MIS 6)

Funding statement This research is part of the collective research project named “Paleoecology of the Lazaret cave: human-environment interactions on the coast of the meridional Alps during the late Middle Pleistocene (MIS6)”, granted by the DRAC PACA (French Ministry of Culture). SB thanks QUADRAT DTP NERC (NE/S007377/1) studentship for stipend support. KB and MLC thank the Leverhulme Trust (RPG-2017-410 and PLP-2019-284) for support during the production of this paper.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Animal husbandry and pastoralism in Provence and the Southern Alps during Protohistory : New perspectives in archaeozoology

Depuis près de huit millénaires, l’élevage et le pastoralisme ont joué un rôle moteur dans le développement des sociétés de Méditerranée nord-occidentale. Pour la Provence et les Alpes méridionales, toutefois, les caractéristiques et les dynamiques des systèmes d’exploitation des ressources animales sont moins bien connues entre la fin du Néolithique et le début de la romanisation. Cette recherche doctorale a pour objectif de mieux comprendre ces processus à partir de l’étude des données archéozoologiques disponibles pour ces périodes, et à travers l’analyse du matériel faunique de cinq sites archéologiques clefs : la grotte de Pertus II (Méailles, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence), l’habitat de Place Mariéjol (Antibes, Alpes-Maritimes), le sanctuaire de la Cime de Tournerie (Roubion, Alpes-Maritimes), l’oppidum d’Entremont (Aix-en-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône) et l’agglomération de Maritima Avaticorum (Martigues, Bouches-du-Rhône). Trois grandes questions ont été explorées dans cette perspective : la place des animaux domestiques dans l’alimentation des sociétés protohistoriques, la diversité morphotypique des moutons et des chèvres présents sur le territoire provençal et sud-alpin et les pratiques d’élevage développées, notamment pour les caprinés domestiques, au cours de cette période.Pour cela, en complément des méthodes classiques de l’archéozoologie (identification taxonomique, études des pratiques de boucherie et de consommation), nous avons appliqué et développé des outils qui bénéficient depuis ces dernières années d’avancées méthodologiques importantes : l’étude de la morphométrie du squelette et l’analyse des profils de mortalité des animaux domestiques. Grâce à la création d’un protocole d’analyse en morphométrie géométrique 2D/3D, nous avons mis en évidence l’existence de plusieurs morphotypes de moutons. En croisant ces résultats avec les données obtenues sur les stratégies de gestion des troupeaux et les principales productions recherchées (viande, lait et laine), nous avons montré que différents systèmes d’élevage ovin et caprin étaient présents en Provence. Cette diversité semble en partie déterminée par la configuration territoriale et culturelle de la région, avec des différences marquées entre le littoral et la haute montagne pour ce qui concerne l’exploitation des moutons, tandis que dans le bassin aixois et autour de l’étang de Berre semble s’individualiser un terroir particulier autour d’une spécialisation de l’élevage des chèvres. La fin de cette période est marquée par des modifications dans les pratiques alimentaires qui se manifestent, notamment, par une augmentation de la consommation en viande de bœuf et de porc dans certaines agglomérations, sous la double influence de l’urbanisation et de la conquête romaine.Cette recherche, en plus d’apporter des éléments nouveaux de connaissance sur l’histoire de l’alimentation et des productions animales, contribue à proposer de nouveaux outils méthodologiques pour explorer la biodiversité passée des espèces domestiques.For nearly eight millennia, animal husbandry and pastoralism have played a major role in the evolution of human societies in the northwestern Mediterranean. For Provence and the Southern Alps, however, the patterns and dynamics of the systems of exploitation of animal resources are little known from the end of the Neolithic to the beginning of Romanization. The aim of this PhD is to better understand these processes by studying the archaeozoological data available for these periods, and through the analysis of faunal material from five key archaeological sites: the cave of Pertus II (Méailles, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence), the settlement of Place Mariéjol (Antibes, Alpes-Maritimes), the sanctuary of the Cime de Tournerie (Roubion, Alpes-Maritimes), the oppidum of Entremont (Aix-en-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône) and the city of Maritima Avaticorum (Martigues, Bouches-du-Rhône). Three major issues have been explored in this perspective: the role of livestock in the diet of protohistoric societies, the morphotypical diversity of sheep and goats present in the Provencal and South-Alpine territory, and the development of breeding practices, particularly regarding the caprines, at that time.For this purpose, in addition to the classical methods used in archaeozoology (taxonomic identification, studies of butchery and consumption practices), we have applied and developed tools that have benefited from significant methodological advances in recent years: the study of bone morphometry and the analysis of mortality profiles of ungulates. Thanks to the elaboration of a specific protocol in 2D/3D geometric morphometrics, we evidenced the existence of several sheep morphotypes. By crossing these results with the data obtained on herd management strategies and livestock productions (meat, milk and wool), we showed that different sheep and goat breeding systems were in use in Provence. This diversity seems to be partly determined by the territorial and cultural configuration of the region, with marked differences between littoral and mountains regarding sheep husbandry, while in the Aix basin and around the Etang de Berre, a particular terroir seems to have favoured goat farming. The end of this period is characterised by changes in food practices reflected, notably, by an increase in the consumption of beef and pork in certain cities, under the double influence of urbanization and the Roman conquest. This research, in addition to providing new elements of knowledge on the history of food and animal production, contributes to proposing new methodological tools to explore the past biodiversity of domestic species

Rapport d’étude de la faune des niveaux E, F et G (fouilles Barral & Iaworsky): Fouille Archéologique de Pertus II à Méailles (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence). Rapport intermédiaire 2015 (opération programmée pluriannuelle 2015-2017)

Rapport d’étude de la faune des niveaux E, F et G (fouilles Barral & Iaworsky

L'élevage des petits ruminants au cours du second âge du Fer en Provence

International audienc

Rapport d’étude de la faune des niveaux E, F et G (fouilles Barral & Iaworsky): Fouille Archéologique de Pertus II à Méailles (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence). Rapport intermédiaire 2015 (opération programmée pluriannuelle 2015-2017)

Rapport d’étude de la faune des niveaux E, F et G (fouilles Barral & Iaworsky

L'élevage des petits ruminants au cours du second âge du Fer en Provence

International audienc

3D geometric morphometric analysis: Studying morphotypes of sheep (Ovis aries) and goat (Capra hircus) during from the Bronze and Iron Age archaeological sites in Provence and the Southern Alps (France)

International audience3D geometric morphometric analysis: Studying morphotypes of sheep (Ovis aries) and goat (Capra hircus) during from the Bronze and Iron Age archaeological sites in Provence and the Southern Alps (France

Au-delà des vestiges fauniques : les divers marqueurs de l’élevage en archéologie

Au-delà des vestiges fauniques : les divers marqueurs de l’élevage en archéologi

3D geometric morphometric analysis: Studying morphotypes of sheep (Ovis aries) and goat (Capra hircus) during from the Bronze and Iron Age archaeological sites in Provence and the Southern Alps (France)

International audience3D geometric morphometric analysis: Studying morphotypes of sheep (Ovis aries) and goat (Capra hircus) during from the Bronze and Iron Age archaeological sites in Provence and the Southern Alps (France