Eugène Morin

Presumed symbolic use of diurnal raptors by Neanderthals.

In Africa and western Eurasia, occurrences of burials and utilized ocher fragments during the late Middle and early Late Pleistocene are often considered evidence for the emergence of symbolically-mediated behavior. Perhaps less controversial for the study of human cognitive evolution are finds of marine shell beads and complex designs on organic and mineral artifacts in early modern human (EMH) assemblages conservatively dated to ≈100–60 kilo-years (ka) ago. Here we show that, in France, Neanderthals used skeletal parts of large diurnal raptors presumably for symbolic purposes at Combe-Grenal in a layer dated to marine isotope stage (MIS) 5b (≈90 ka) and at Les Fieux in stratigraphic units dated to the early/middle phase of MIS 3 (60–40 ka). The presence of similar objects in other Middle Paleolithic contexts in France and Italy suggest that raptors were used as means of symbolic expression by Neanderthals in these regions.

Foraging Goals and Transport Decisions in Western Europe during the Paleolithic and Early Holocene

In Eurasia, most studies of skeletal representation in prehistoric ungulate assemblages have used the FUI (Food Utility Index) as an interpretive model. Here, we test the explanatory power of this and other utility indices which focus on marrow, grease, and dried meat, by examining 167 cervid, equid, large bovine, and caprine assemblages dating from the Lower Paleolithic through to the early Holocene. For this analysis, we considered extant utility models, along with new indices that we created using data from the literature. Relationships with overall food utility are generally weak in the sample, which means that alternative utility models are necessary for explaining skeletal patterns in the assemblages. Moreover, contrary to our expectation, differences between shelter and open air assemblages are not pronounced. Lastly, our study indicates that density-mediated attrition and the type of measure used to estimate skeletal abundances can substantially influence correlations with the utility models.

Cutmark data and their implications for the planning depth of Late Pleistocene societies

Cutmarks provide empirical evidence for the exploitation of animal resources by past human groups. Their study may contribute substantially to our knowledge of economic behavior, including the procurement of prey and the analysis of butchery sequences. Butchering practices can be investigated using cutmark illustrations recorded on bone templates. In this paper, quantitative data on cutmarks were derived from published and unpublished cutmark drawings for 27 French assemblages dated between the late Middle Paleolithic and the final Upper Paleolithic. The analysis of cutmark data on meaty long bones (humerus, radio-ulna, femur, tibia) highlights strong variations in cutmark length and orientation in the sample that potentially reflect significant shifts in meat processing strategies during the Late Pleistocene. The present study shows that long longitudinal cutmarks are considerably more frequent during the Late Glacial Maximum than in the early Upper Paleolithic. Although the number of studies is small, actualistic data generated in controlled settings indicate that long longitudinal cutmarks are commonly produced during filleting, an activity closely associated with meat preservation, as is the case with drying and smoking. Because they provide information on possible changes in the capacity for anticipation, these results have potentially important implications for the logistical and economic organization of Paleolithic hominins.