A taphonomic and zooarchaeological study of the early middle pleistocene 3 colluvio level from Isernia La Pineta (Molise, Italy)

Abstract

The early Middle Pleistocene site of Isernia La Pineta (MIS 15), discovered in the 1970s, is one of the oldest archaeological sites excavated in Western Europe. Since its discovery, this Lower Palaeolithic open-air site has provided an interesting opportunity for the study of human behaviour during this early period of human evolution. Taphonomic studies conducted at the site, mostly of archaeosurface 3a in sector I, the level containing the most artefacts, have indicated that there was strong anthropogenic influence on the formation of the deposit, which is supported by the rich technological record. In this paper, we present a taphonomic study of the 3 colluvio level, in which bison is the most abundant taxon, and on which preliminary studies have highlighted the anthropogenic component. Our aim is to identify the involvement of hominins and carnivores in the accumulation, modification, and destruction of animal carcasses. The coexistence of hominins and carnivores is well-documented at the site, although co-occurrence of both predators over the same remains is rare. The almost total absence of modification on bone surfaces produced by hominins (cut marks) and carnivores (tooth marks) could be the result of taphonomic processes of alteration of bone surfaces, as hominins and carnivores seem to have acted as modificatory agents. Our study reveals that these groups probably acted independently, in different events, as part of the foraging and resources acquisition activities that these predators carried out in this environments.