Human Prey Choice during the Middle and Upper Paleolithic in Southwestern France

在国家科学基金会的支持下，唐纳德·格雷森博士将分析从洞穴VXI遗址恢复的考古动物，这是一座俯瞰法国西南部Ceou河的岩石避难所。该遗址正在进行的挖掘揭示了一系列分层的文化遗迹：最近的日期可以追溯到大约13,000年前的马格达勒尼亚，而穆斯特尔人的最低水平可能超过10万年。矿藏还没有触底。这一序列意义重大，因为它包括了标志着生物现代智人在欧洲出现的边界。虽然摩斯特文化的承担者尼安德特人属于现代人类物种，但他们在身体上足够独特，可以被赋予亚种地位；无论是在生物学上还是在所生产的石器组合中，他们都与旧石器时代晚期的同类明显分开。考古证据表明，现代人在大约4万年前取代了欧洲的尼安德特人，科学家们希望了解这一过程。尼安德特人在冰河时代的欧洲生活了超过10万年，因此很好地适应了这种环境。在试图理解这一转变的过程中，研究人员分析了这两个群体的考古遗迹，以洞察文化习俗，格雷森博士的工作就属于这一传统。他将研究在石窟十六世所代表的穆斯特尔和旧石器时代的多种传统的动物遗骸，并在此基础上重建生存习俗。该遗址中的大多数动物群代表着食物残骸--这是人类狩猎和拾取的结果。格雷森博士将特别研究饮食广度的问题，因为它反映了狩猎采集策略的基本方面。这种类型的研究复杂的事实是，包括样本大小和不同的骨骼保存在内的多种因素会影响观察到的模式，而且很难梳理出清晰的人类信号。格雷森博士已经开发出了做到这一点的技术。这项研究解决了一个重要的人类学问题，并应阐明导致生物学和行为现代人出现的过程。它将提供许多考古学家感兴趣的数据。格雷森博士开发的分析技术应该在许多考古情况下都有广泛的实用价值。

With National Science Foundation support Dr. Donald Grayson will analyze archaeological fauna recovered from the site of Grotte VXI, la rock shelter which overlooks the Ceou River in Southwestern France. Ongoing excavation at the site has revealed a stratified series of cultural remains: the most recent dates to the Magdalenian, ca. 13,000 years ago while the lowest Mousterian levels are possibly over 100,000 years in age. The bottom of the deposits has not yet been reached. The sequence is significant because it includes the boundary which marks the appearance of biologically modern Homo sapiens in Europe. While Neanderthals, the bearers of Mousterian culture, fall within the modern human species, they are physically enough distinct to be accorded subspecific status; both biologically and in the stone tool assemblages produced they are clearly separated from their later Upper Paleolithic counterparts. Archaeological evidence indicates that modern humans replaced Neanderthals in Europe ca. 40,000 years ago and scientists wish to gain insight into this process. Neanderthals existed in Ice Age Europe for well over a hundred thousand years and were therefore well adapted to this environment. In their attempt to understand this transition researchers analyze archaeological remains of both groups to gain insight into cultural practices and Dr. Grayson's work falls into this tradition. He will study the faunal remains from the Mousterian and multiple Upper Paleolithic traditions represented at Grotte XVI and on this basis reconstruct subsistence practices. Most, although not all, faunal from the site represent food remains - the result of human hunting and scavenging. In particular Dr. Grayson will examine the question of diet breadth since it reflects underlying aspects of hunter gatherer strategy. A study of this type is complicated by the fact that multiple factors, including sample size and differential bone preservation, affect observed patterns and it is difficult to tease out a clear human signal. Dr. Grayson has developed techniques to do this. This research addresses an important anthropological question and should shed light on the process which led to the emergence of biologically and behaviorally modern humans. It will provide data of interest to many archaeologists. The analytic techniques developed by Dr. Grayson should have wide utility in a number of archaeological situations.