Tenggar Cave, Tulungagung: preliminary study and its paleontological potentials

Goa Tenggar or Tenggar Cave is situated in the karstic physiography of southern Tulungagung, East Java that made up of prehistoric caves. These include the Wajak complex (minimum age of 37.4 to 28.5 thousand years ago) and the Song Gentong (around 7000 BP). The formation of Tenggar Cave is influenced by the subterranean river that penetrates the limestone unit. This cave has a front width of ± 10 m and a roof height of ± 8 m. The east side of the cave floor is a layer of soil, and the western side is the river. The inside of the cave composed by very compact conglomerate deposits and paleosoil that contains faunal remains, including Cervus sp., Bos sp., Bubalus sp., and Bibos sp., which may have occurred during the Pleistocene. The fossilized faunal remains from Tenggar Cave show that there was a relatively open environment during that time, such as a savannah with large trees and flowing rivers around the cave. The paleoenvironment indicates late Pleistocene to early Holocene period, similar to paleoenvironment in the Sewu Mountains that stretch along the southern part Java from central to the eastern tip of the island includes the coastal towns of Gunung Kidul, Pacitan and Tulungagung. The situation is certainly a point of interest when associating the findings with the surrounding sites, starting from Wajak, Song Gentong, Pacitan, Ponorogo, and Gunung Kidul. However, absolute dating test is necessary to be more certain of the lifetime of the fossilized fauna. If the fossils were from the Late Pleistocene, it could be an important information for the fields of paleontology, paleoanthropology, and prehistoric archaeology given that the occurrence of sites with such antiquity are limited in Southeast Asia. It is essential to conduct intensive research in Tenggar Cave in the future.

Insect Marks on Bones from La Guillerma Archaeological Locality (Salado River Depression, Buenos Aires, Argentina)

The La Guillerma archaeological locality is located in the northeast sector of Buenos Aires province (Argentina). Two of its sites (LG1 and LG5), dated between ca. 1400- and 600-years BP, have a great amount of faunal remains including deer, rodents, fish and small birds that are subjected to taphonomic agents and processes (e.g., weathering, manganese, roots). Previous studies have shown osteophagic behaviour in different insects (e.g., Coleoptera, Blattodea). In this paper, we evaluate their incidence on La Guillerma faunal assemblage. We performed an analysis on marks that were identified in bone remains of various taxa and applied the criteria for identifying bone alteration by insects (i.e., by measuring each trace and comparing them with the types of insect marks described in the literature). Fifteen specimens (LG1 = 6 and LG5 = 9) exhibited different types of modifications (e.g., pits with striae in base, pits with emanating striae, striations) that are related to the action of insects. Although the proportion of affected bones is low in relation to the total sample, we highlight our study as the first detailed analysis of insect marks on archaeological bones from Argentina. We also emphasize the significance of addressing insect-produced modifications on Argentinean archaeological sites.

Bothersome burrowers: tracking gopher (Thomomys bottae) time-averaging in a late-Holocene site in California

Understanding the taphonomic biases affecting fossil deposits is necessary in order to extract their true ecological signals. In terrestrial sites, the mixing of fossil material by mammalian bioturbators can substantially increase time-averaging, obscuring or even erasing stratification. In particular, pocket gophers (Thomomys sp.) are known to burrow in Holocene sites and thereby complicate the contextualization of faunal remains. Not only is it unclear if bones have been transported vertically by gophers, but the gophers themselves have the potential to die in their burrows, adding young skeletal remains to older deposits. We establish the degree of bias introduced by gopher remains in a late-Holocene archaeological site in Woodside, California by radiocarbon dating skeletal remains of Thomomys bottae and non-fossorial small mammals from the same stratigraphic units. The ages of T. bottae bones are younger overall, and span a wider range, than the distribution of ages from other small mammals from the same site and sediment layers. This suggests that a significant number of gopher remains have been introduced after the site’s deposition as a consequence of burrowing. These results shed light on a common taphonomic process that affects archaeological and paleontological sites, and may prompt reevaluation of faunal community reconstructions from fossil deposits impacted by gophers and other fossorial mammals.

Chapter Two: Preliminary Findings from the Faunal Assemblage from Eleon

A relatively small, but well-preserved, assemblage of faunal remains centred on an apparent refuse heap in the southwest quadrant of Eleon has been analyzed to determine the relative representation of domesticated and wild taxa, as well as mortality profiles for sheep and goats. Although the total number of identified specimens is small, at 1059 fragments, several patterns that warrant further analysis have emerged in the data. The representation of deer among these remains is higher than at other sites on the Greek mainland. Lower-utility elements such as metapodials and tibiae are better represented than meatier portions of the skeleton, suggesting that entire carcasses were being processed on site. Mortality profiles developed from sheep and goat mandibles indicate a distinct management strategy for each species, with a large number of very young and juvenile goats, compared with many more mature sheep. Overall, the faunal remains from this deposit suggest a varied economy in the post-palatial period, exploiting a wide range of species for both primary and secondary animal products. Further faunal analysis at Eleon is warranted to allow comparisons across time periods and between locations at the site.

Faunal Remains From Diang Mahang In Kalimantan: Taxonomic Identification And Their Archaeological Context

Faunal remains, both vertebrates and invertebrates, are important discoveries in archaeological research. Such proxy may provide information on the identity of animal species which may associate with human at a site. This research aims to understand the existence of faunal remains in the rockshelter of Diang Mahang to further comprehend the interaction of humans and their environment in the past. No research involving animal remains in this region has been conducted before. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out a taxonomic identification of the faunal remains related to human activities in the past in Diang Mahang. This study applies a qualitative-analytic method with inductive reasoning. The analysis was performed by observing the diagnostic characteristics of a bone to determine its taxonomic identity. Results of diagnostic characteristics showed that vertebrate remains comprise three main classes, i.e., Mammals, Reptiles, and Pisces. The remains of the invertebrate consist of Molluscs and Arthropods. Marine Cypraeid also existed but was not of the edible variety. Contextually, faunal remains are associated with lithics and pottery, indicating a micro-scale activity in Diang Mahang related to humans’ daily life in the rockshelter.

Who Killed the Small Mammals of Ittenheim? An Integrative Approach and New Taphonomic Data for Investigating Bone Assemblages Accumulated by Small Carnivores

Small carnivores are susceptible to regularly accumulating small- to medium-sized mammal remains in both natural and archaeological sites. However, compared to nocturnal birds of prey, these accumulations are still poorly documented and are generally based on a limited number of samples, including those of relatively small size. Here, we present an analysis of European hamster remains from Ittenheim, which were recovered from an infilled burrow, 3m below the current surface. The remains are well preserved and exhibit large proportions of tooth marks. Comparisons with a new and existing reference collection combined with an analysis of all recovered faunal remains suggest the accumulation reflects the action of young red foxes. This is supported by the fact that, although these young individuals leave teeth mark, they do not necessarily consume all parts of medium-sized prey species, including the European hamster. Conversely, the remains of smaller rodents, such as microtine, show distinct patterns of digestion and tooth marks. Carnivore bone accumulations from scats are generally poorly preserved; however, our results demonstrate prey size plays a major role, both qualitatively and quantitatively, in skeletal representation, bone preservation, and bone surface modifications. The present paper underlines the need for more diversified taphonomic reference collections based on an integrative approach designed to evaluate multi-taxa accumulations.

Environment in the Islamic City of Termez (Uzbekistan)

The aim of this paper is to understand the ways of life for the inhabitants of Termez (Uzbekistan) and its surrounding environment through the analysis of the zooarchaeological, charcoal, and ceramic material found inside a domestic combustion structure (tannur) dated to the early Islamic period (8th and 9th centuries AD). The tannur was located in a manufacturing area outside the city walls of old Termez, discovered during the 2018–2019 archaeological campaigns of the Uzbek-Spanish team IPAEB. The analysis of the charcoal hints at an abundance of local floral taxa that was used as firewood. The faunal remains indicate the presence of birds, mammals and fish at the site. The zooarchaeological study reveals the exploitation of the fluvial resources through the presence of fish of the Cyprinidae family in the vicinity of the Amu Darya. The scarcity of cut marks on and thermoalteration of the mammalian remains inside the tannur lead us to believe that the presence of the bones inside the container is related to their disposal rather than the use of the oven for cooking. Finally, the ceramic items collected in the tannur belong to the same wares and types identified in the assemblages collected from a workshop area at the site and are typical of the early Islamic period.