More than ten thousands of bone fragments were recovered from the Lingjing site, Henan Province during 2005 and 2006. In this paper, through the quantification and statistical analyses of the skeletal elements of the ...More than ten thousands of bone fragments were recovered from the Lingjing site, Henan Province during 2005 and 2006. In this paper, through the quantification and statistical analyses of the skeletal elements of the two predominant species in this assemblage, aurochs (Bos primigenius) and horse (Equus caballus), the differential influences and weights of a variety of taphonomic agencies in the formation of the assemblage are assessed respectively. Compared to the natural agencies, hominid hunting and the subsequent disarticulation, slaughtering, and their transport of the bone elements of the prey species are the main factors accounting for the formation of the present assemblage. More importantly, this study initiatively identifies hominid's differential treatment of the bones of aurochs and horse in the Paleolithic record of East Asia and demonstrably suggests that hominids at the site have already practiced sophisticated hunting techniques and subsistence strategies and may be quite familiar with the ecological and anatomical characteristics and nutritional values of the large-sized prey animals and can accordingly take different processing and handling strategies at the hunting site.展开更多
基金supported by the Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant Nos. KZCX2-YW-Q1-04 and KZCX2-EW-QN110)the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. XDA05130302)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40602006 and 40872115)
文摘More than ten thousands of bone fragments were recovered from the Lingjing site, Henan Province during 2005 and 2006. In this paper, through the quantification and statistical analyses of the skeletal elements of the two predominant species in this assemblage, aurochs (Bos primigenius) and horse (Equus caballus), the differential influences and weights of a variety of taphonomic agencies in the formation of the assemblage are assessed respectively. Compared to the natural agencies, hominid hunting and the subsequent disarticulation, slaughtering, and their transport of the bone elements of the prey species are the main factors accounting for the formation of the present assemblage. More importantly, this study initiatively identifies hominid's differential treatment of the bones of aurochs and horse in the Paleolithic record of East Asia and demonstrably suggests that hominids at the site have already practiced sophisticated hunting techniques and subsistence strategies and may be quite familiar with the ecological and anatomical characteristics and nutritional values of the large-sized prey animals and can accordingly take different processing and handling strategies at the hunting site.
