Naslov
Vertebrate Remains from the Pleistocene-Holocene transition to the Bronze Age at Vela Cave, Preliminary Results

Autori
Radović, Siniša ; Spry-Marqués, Victoria Pía ; Oros Sršen, Ankica ; Brajković, Dejana ; Radić, Dinko ; Miracle, Preston Thor

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Izvornik
Knjiga sažetaka 3. znanstveni INQUA skup Geologija kvartara u Hrvatskoj s međunarodnim sudjelovonjem / Book of Abstracts 3rd scientific INQUA meeting Quaternary geology in Croatia with international participation / - Zagreb, 2013, 48-49

Skup
3. znanstveni INQUA skup Geologija kvartara u Hrvatskoj s međunarodnim sudjelovonjem / Book of Abstracts 3rd scientific INQUA meeting Quaternary geology in Croatia with international participation

Mjesto i datum
Zagreb, Hrvatska, 21.03.2013. - 23.03.2013

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Nije recenziran

Ključne riječi
Vela Cave; Pleistocene-Holocene transition; Mesolithic; Neolithic; Copper Age; Bronze Age; vertebrate remains

Sažetak
Vela Spila is a cave on the western end of Korčula island, Croatia. The first archaeological excavations date back to the mid-20th century, and since the 1970s systematic research has been carried out. The zooarchaeological analysis of larger mammal remains shows interesting shifts in taxonomic representation. They are interpreted in terms of the nature and intensity of human occupations, changes in past human diet, ecological changes (climate and sea level rise), and demographic/cultural changes caused by the spread of farming in the Eastern Adriatic region. This paper presents an analysis of animal remains from Trench 2 (NISP = 1784) excavated in 2010 and 2011. During the final stages of the Late Pleistocene and transition to the Early Holocene a significant increase in leporid remains can be seen, while big game (e.g. red deer) is decreasing and in some layers is almost completely missing. This could indicate a somewhat different pattern of use of the cave by people during that period, in which other animals used it more often. Later in the early Holocene and on into the Mesolithic one finds a very different assemblage composed of small to medium-sized carnivores (mostly red fox), roe deer, marine mammals (dolphins), and a small number of other small animals (e.g. hedgehog) of which some remains have clear cut marks indicating human agency. Significantly, hare is absent from this assemblage. These data suggest a very specialized diet focused mostly on foxes and roe deer. Although relatively common, none of the dolphin remains have evidence of human activity, so the significance of their presence in the assemblage has yet to be determined. The Early Neolithic is characterized by the appearance of domestic taxa (mainly sheep and/or goat with occasional pig remains), indicating a dramatic shift in human diet. During the initial stages of the Early Neolithic remains of small to medium-sized carnivores (red fox in particular) can still be traced in the assemblage suggesting that certain elements of the Mesolithic tradition continue during the first Neolithic occupations at the cave. There is little evidence of the hunting of larger game (e.g. roe and red deer). These layers also revealed a few dog remains. In overlying Neolithic layers (Early, Middle, and Late Neolithic) the fauna is composed almost exclusively of sheep and/or goat remains. At the end of Neolithic and continuing into the Copper and Bronze Ages, other domestic taxa (pig and especially cattle) become more common.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Geologija, Arheologija

POVEZANOST RADA