Evaluating the Economic Significance of Sharks,Skates, and Rays (Elasmobranchs) in Prehistoric Economies

Establishing the significance of elasmobranchs in ancient economies is complicated by a variety of biological and taphonomic problems that hinder NISP, MNI, and weight measures and comparisons with other fish or faunal classes. To help address these problems, we present length and live weight estimates for 53 elasmobranch specimens, along with bone weight to edible meat weight ratios for 38 specimens. We argue that quantification is best accomplished using NISP and MNI measures in conjunction with meat weight estimates obtained from modern specimens. These data illustrate the importance of using multiple quantitative measures (i.e., NISP, MNI, weight, etc.) when evaluating the economic significance of various taxa within faunal assemblages.     

Tertiary megafossil flora of Maslin Bay,South Australia: a preliminary report

The Maslin Bay flora of South Australia is of lower Middle Eocene age and contains diverse, well preserved angiosperm assemblages. It has yielded 2700 specimens belonging to approximately 200 leaf taxa.

Physiognomic analysis (sensu Webb, 1959; Wolfe 1970) indicates greatest similarity to extant Simple Mesophyll Vine Forest and Complex Notophyll Vine Forest found currently in Queensland.

Preliminary taxonomic studies have confirmed the presence of taxa closely resembling Podocarpus (Podocarpaceae), Agathis (Araucariaceae), Fatsia (Araliaceae) and Banksia (Proteaceae). Microfloral analysis of the deposit confirms the presence of the latter three families, but suggests far greater occurrence of Proteaceae than the number of leaf specimens of this family indicates. Nothofagus pollen is the dominant type, although leaves of this genus are absent from collections. Based on sedimentation, physiognomy and systematic studies of leaves and fungi (Lange, 1969) it is concluded that the Maslin Bay region supported tropical to subtropical rain forest during the lower Middle Eocene.     

δ18O Analyses of the Humpbacked Conch (Gibberulus gibberulus): Evaluating a Proxy for Reconstructing Sea-Surface Temperature at Chelechol ra Orrak,Palau

ABSTRACT

In Palau, Micronesia, marine resources, particularly shellfish, played a vital role in human subsistence for millennia. Despite the vast array of molluscan species in archaeological assemblages, there is a dearth of data on nearshore palaeoecology or prehistoric shellfish foraging practices. In this study, we analysed stable oxygen isotopes (δ¹⁸O) values present in the calcium carbonate shell of Gibberulus gibberulus from the Chelechol ra Orrak archaeological site to reconstruct average nearshore sea-surface temperatures (SST) from approximately 1500–1100 cal BP. Modern shellfish samples and environmental data were collected from intertidal zones near the site and x-ray diffraction (XRD) was employed to identify the biomineralogical composition of G. gibberulus. These steps provide necessary information for the selection of the proper oxygen isotope-to-SST conversion formula. The selected formula was applied to δ¹⁸O samples from archaeological shells to reconstruct prehistoric SST averages. The results of this proxy validation study verify that G. gibberulus accurately records ambient SST and can be used to reconstruct ancient nearshore conditions. These findings also contribute to the establishment of an environmental baseline, which can be used to examine how environmental changes may have influenced the availability of molluscan taxa that in turn influenced human subsistence practices through time.     

Eocene palynology of the Mulga Rocks deposits,southern Gunbarrel Basin,Western Australia

Mack, C.L. & Milne, L.A., 19.2.2015. Eocene palynology of the Mulga Rocks deposits, southern Gunbarrel Basin, Western Australia. Alcheringa 39, xxx–xxx. ISSN 0311-5518

Late Eocene palynomorph assemblages have been recovered from carbonaceous sediments within a tenement centred on the Mulga Rocks uranium deposits, currently under exploration by Energy and Minerals Australia. The Mulga Rocks deposits occur in a palaeovalley incised into rocks of the Cretaceous southern Gunbarrel Basin, and the underlying Neoproterozoic to Late Devonian southern Officer Basin, Western Australia. The palynomorph assemblages recovered from the Mulga Rocks deposits most closely resemble the Middle Nothofagidites asperus Zone equivalent of the Murray Basin. Many of the species recovered, and the abundance and diversity at which they are present, are considerably different from most of the southeastern Australian palynoassemblages of similar age. Common in the assemblages are species belonging to Nothofagus, Casuarinaceae, Myrtaceae and Picrodendraceae. Proteaceous species are diverse, with Banksia affiliates being prominent. Of most significance are assemblages dominated by Myrtaceidites species, which also contain affiliates of Petrophile and Xylomelum that occur in modern heathland, woodland and dry sclerophyll forests. The prominence of these taxa, and their co-occurrence, suggests that sclerophylly, at present linked closely with xeromorphy and now ubiquitous in the vegetation of Western Australia, was present in the late Eocene of southern Australia and suggests that at that time this trait may have been more prevalent than previously interpreted.

Charlotte Mack [charlotte.mack@postgrad.curtin.edu.au] and Lynne Milne [l.milne@curtin.edu.au], Department of Applied Geology, Curtin University of Technology, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845, Australia. Received 4.7.2014; revised 11.2.2015; accepted 19.2.2015.     

A Donkey (Equus asinus L.) Partial Skeleton from a Mid-Late Anglo-Saxon Alluvial Layer at Deans Yard Westminster,London SW1

Abstract

A domestic donkey (Equus asinus) partial skeleton has been recovered from a mid-late Anglo-Saxon alluvial deposit situated below the present Westminster School at Deans Yard, Westminster, London. The remains have been radiocarbon dated to the 8th-9th century AD and, therefore, pre-date both the abbey of Edward the Confessor and the earlier foundation of St Dunstan. The skeleton is of particular importance as it is the only well dated specimen of its species recovered thus far in England from the Anglo-Saxon and Medieval periods.     

Black Cyclope neritea Marine Shell Ornaments in the Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic of Franchthi Cave,Greece: Arguments for Intentional Heat Treatment

Abstract

The prehistoric site of Franchthi Cave yielded an exceptionally rich collection of personal ornaments. A reassessment of the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic ornaments from the site led to the hypothesis that a variable fraction of at least one type of personal ornaments, i.e. marine shell beads belonging to the species Cyclope neritea, may have been intentionally heated to change their natural whitish color to black. The limited conditions in which blackening can occur through heating, as well as comparison with the percentage of burnt land snails, animal bones, fish bones, and marine molluscan food remains in the Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic sequence, supports a special heat treatment for Cyclope neritea shells at Franchthi Cave.     

Coleoptera from Late Medieval Smoke-Blackened Thatch (SBT): their Archaeological Implications

Abstract

Distinctive assemblages of Coleoptera (beetles) recovered from seven samples of smoke-blackened thatch (SBT)from a range of late medieval roofs in the south of England are listed. The age, ecology and possible origins of this fauna are discussed. Although its precise origin is known, it is suggested that its occurrence is not limited to thatch, and so cannot be used as a 'finger print' for thatch per se. A find of Sitophilus granarius, the 'granary weevil', suggests that thatch may represent another route by which this species has been incorporated into the archaeological record.     

Archaeocyaths from Yorke Peninsula,South Australia and archaeocyathan Early Cambrian zonation

Zhuravlev, A. Yu., & Gravestock, D. I., 1994:03:28. Archaeayaths from Yorke Peninsula, South Australia and archaeocyathan Early Cambrian zonation. Alcheringa 18, 1–54. ISSN 0311-5518.

Two assemblages of archaeocyaths are documented from Lower Cambrian outcrops and drillholes on Yorke Peninsula. South Australia. The older assemblage (11 species) occurs in the uppermost Kulpara Formation and conformably overlying basal Parara Limestone, and is equivalent to Lower Faunal Assemblage II in the Flinders Ranges. The younger assemblage (28 species plus Acanthhcyathus and Rodiocyathus) occurs in the Koolywurtie Member near the top of the Parara Limestone. Equivalent taxa are widespread in the Flinders Ranges, western New South Wales and Antarctica. Archaeocyathan distribution is now sufficiently well known to propose three assemblage zones and two informal assemblages for regional correlation. No new taxa have been added, but Erugatocyathus scutatus (Hill) and Pycnoidocyathus latiloculatus (Hill), hitherto known only from Antarctica, are found in the upper assemblage on Yorke Peninsula. Irregular archaeocyathan systematics are discussed, the ontogeny of Archaeopharetra irregularis (Tylor) clarified, and Kruseicnema Debrenne. Gravestock & Zhuravlev, represented by K. gracilis (Gordon), is fully described.     

Water Separation and Flotation Processes

Abstract

The water separator, a mechanical flotation device which is finding increasing usage among Mediterranean archaeologists, is compared with “tub” flotation which is widely practiced by North American archaeologists. The water separator was found to be two to three times more efficient than tub flotation. A redesigned separator is presented which should further improve this figure.

The problem of sample size and the attendant aspects of representativeness are evaluated by a comparison of items of various classes recovered in a 100% separator sample compared to the much smaller tub flotation sample.

Finally, the specific biasing effects of various recovery techniques with particular emphasis on fish remains is discussed.     

Modelling land use around an early Neolithic timber ‘hall’ in north east Scotland from high spatial resolution pollen analyses

A methodology is described by which spatial patterns of land use were reconstructed from pollen analyses on anthropogenic sediments at a recently excavated early Neolithic timber ‘hall’ in north east Scotland. The anthropogenic sediments were from a deep, small diameter pit within the building. They present numerous taphonomic and interpretative challenges to the analyst, but from this type of deposit, the power to estimate quantitatively the vegetation structure around the archaeological site makes such difficult deposits very significant. A rigorous methodology is firstly described, therefore, by which confidence in ecological interpretation can be established. Secondly, the source of pollen in the deposit is evaluated. Thirdly, the possible pollen source area and structure of the surrounding vegetation are estimated by quantitative simulation modelling. Finally, these analyses are compared with region-scale pollen analyses from nearby conventional wetland deposits with much larger pollen source areas. The pollen assemblages recovered probably reflect land uses adjacent to the ‘hall’ and up to 2.5 km around. Cereal cultivation was the most important land use immediately around the ‘hall’, possibly grown between stands of scrub Corylus (hazel) woodland. These intensive but local-scale land uses cannot be discerned in region-scale pollen analyses.     

On the Possible Origins of an Unusual (Mid to Late Holocene) Coastal Deposit,Old Punt Bay,South‐East Australia

An unusual coarse, shelly sedimentary unit is found elevated above present mean sea level in a sheltered pocket embayment at Old Punt Bay in south‐eastern Australia. The coarse sediments, diverse microfauna, and large shelly macrofauna of mixed affinity suggest that the deposit is the result of high‐energy deposition. The deposit was previously thought to have been deposited 1000–1300 cal bp based on one shell dated using ¹⁴C and amino acid racemisation. However, additional ¹⁴C dating indicates a likely age of ～2500 cal bp . Regardless of age constraints, the presence of rock‐encrusting oyster shells and large articulated bivalves, suggests that the depositional event must have been capable of removing and transporting coarse sediments (rock clasts), bivalves, and oysters shells from a variety of seaward environments and depositing them with little abrasion, something storm waves are unlikely to do. The deposit may be tsunamigenic. If a tsunami origin is accepted, the new dating results indicate that it is possibly coeval with a tsunami event previously reported to have affected several other sites along the coast of New South Wales at c. 2900 cal bp . Consequently, this deposit provides evidence for the event at a new site and importantly, a tighter constraint on the likely date of the events occurrence. It further adds weight to the developing catalogue of palaeotsunamis that may have affected the south‐eastern coast of Australia. Regardless of the deposit's origins, if viewed from a coastal planning perspective, this deposit indicates that this part of the coast has experienced large‐scale overwash events in the past that if repeated, would be catastrophic. There are serious implications for risk management.     

The Role of Bubo virginianus magellanicus as Rodent Bone Accumulator in Archaeological Sites: A Case Study for the Atuel River (Mendoza,Argentina)

Micromammalian bone assemblages from modern pellets of the strigiform Bubo virginianus magellanicus, from the upper Atuel River (southern Mendoza, Argentina), were taphonomically analysed. The results allow us to place B. v. magellanicus in the category of intermediate modification (Category 2). This sample has also been compared with results from other members of this genus, in order to classify B. v. magellanicus as a taphonomic agent. The participation of the Bubo species in archaeological accumulations has been documented, but in Argentina, the role of B. v. magellanicus has been reported up to the present. It is partly because of the sequence of one archaeological site in the south of Mendoza Province called Laguna El Sosneado‐3 (LS‐3). However, considering the absence of a current taphonomic model of this owl, this participation was mentioned as a hypothesis. In the current investigation, archaeological and modern samples have been compared. The results indicate that the skeletal element assemblages recovered from LS‐3 were accumulated by strigiform birds. Taphonomical evidence of light modifications on units I and IV indicates that Tyto alba (Category 1) was probably the main species involved in these units, whereas the taphonomical evidence on skeletal element assemblages recovered from units II and III suggests the action of a strigiform with a major category of modification such as B. v. magellanicus. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Early Holocene land snail exploitation in northern spain: the case of La Fragua cave

Abstract

The question of the anthropic or natural origin of land snail deposits within the archaeological record is the subject of debate all over the world. In the Cantabrian region of northern Spain land snail middens are routinely identified in the early Holocene archaeological record. La Fragua Cave (Cantabria, Spain), which contains an early Holocene layer dated to 9600±140 BP (10,932±196 cal BP), offers the opportunity to address this debate through the examination of Cepaea nemoralis (Linnaeus) land snails recovered in direct association with mammal bones, charcoal, lithic artefacts and other materials. It is therefore believed that their presence at the site is clearly anthropic in origin. In addition, the exploitation patterns indicate an occasional collection and consumption of land snails, which confirms the complementary character of these resources in the diet of hunter-gatherers in Cantabrian Spain during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition.     

Critical review of the MNI (minimum number of individuals) as a zooarchaeological unit of quantification

The use of minimum number of individuals (MNI) in the analysis of mammal archaeofaunal assemblages has received intense criticism for its derived nature and its dependence of biasing variables. Some authors have argued that similar taxonomic variability as documented by MNI can be achieved with other less biased measuring units, such as number of identified specimens (NISP) and derivates thereof. The present study is the first experimentally controlled test that shows the degree of bias of estimates of MNI and NISP by different analysts. It shows that the margins of error of both measuring units are independent and that MNI can be more accurately estimated than NISP, despite its “derived” inferential nature.     

Foraminiferal linings and other organic walled microfossils from the Devonian of the Tamworth Belt,northern New South Wales,Australia

Early to Late Devonian (Emsian to late Famennian) organic walled microfossils were recovered from nineteen localities throughout the Tamworth Belt, northern New South Wales. The microfossil assemblages included poorly preserved chitinozoans and scolecodonts, spores and moderately well preserved foraminiferal linings. Fourteen species of foraminiferal linings from six genera are documented. At least three species of foramininferal linings (Inauris tubulata, Saccammina mea and Thurammina pustulosa) show potential for global correlation. Saccammina sp. cf. S. ampullacea and Thurammina mirrka may have application for correlation within Australia.     

Fuelwood,crops and acorns from Iritegi cave (Oñati,Basque Country)

Abstract

We present the analyses of plant macroremains from Iritegi, a cave from Northern Iberia with archaeological levels dated from the Chalcolithic to the Iron Age. Wood charcoal assemblages are dominated throughout the sequence by Fraxinus. Other important taxa are Quercus subg. Quercus, followed by Corylus avellana, Fagus sylvatica, Ilex aquifolium, Taxus baccata and Ulmus. Acer, Alnus and Maloideae occur in very low numbers. The high percentages of Fraxinus are possibly result from the selection of ash for fodder. Evidence for the use of crops (Hordeum vulgare, Triticum aestivum/durum) comes only from the Chalcolithic contexts. The identification of acorns in one Chalcolithic hearth shows that roasting of these nuts was taking place maybe to improve taste and to facilitate further processing or to improve storage conditions. The results show that plant food gathering still played a role within the subsistence of farming human groups in the region.     

Animal dung from arid environments and archaeobotanical methodologies for its analysis: An example from animal burials of the Predynastic elite cemetery HK6 at Hierakonpolis,Egypt

Abstract

Paraffin flotation has been used extensively in archaeoentomology and paleoentomology in the last four decades but not tested systematically. Its efficiency is here assessed. Eighty-five per cent of the identifiable coleopteran remains were recovered regardless of any variables. Some explanations of the method's variable efficiency given in published literature were tested, namely the experience of the technician, the nature of the residue, and the taxon and body part. Difference in recovery rates between four categories of workers proved significant. Residue type influences the efficiency of the method but the type of sclerite was of little importance in the process. Overall, however, paraffin flotation was shown to be sufficiently efficient and its continued use is recommended.     

Avian Remains from Khonkho Wankane,an Urban and Ceremonial Center in the Southern Lake Titicaca Altiplano

The urban and ceremonial center Khonkho Wankane flourished in the southern Lake Titicaca Altiplano region during the Late Formative prior to the rise of Tiwanaku as a dominant urban center. This site yielded an avifaunal number of identified specimens (NISP) = 631, with a minimum of 26 taxa represented among 539 skeletal elements or fragments. A total of 92 egg shell fragments also were recovered. The avifauna inhabited two major ecological zones: Lake Titicaca, its margins/wetlands and other water margins; and the dry Altiplano grassland (or puna). Lake/wetland taxa include Phoenicopterus chilensis (Chilean flamingo), Nycticorax nycticorax (night heron) and multiple taxa in the Order Anseriformes (ducks, geese, etc.) including Chloephaga melanoptera (Andean goose), Anas georgica (yellow‐billed pintail), A. flavirostris (speckled teal) and Oxyura jamaicensis (Andean ruddyduck). Also present are Fulica ardesiaca (Andean coot), Gallinago andina (puna snipe), Himantopus mexicanus (black‐necked stilt) and Charadrius alticola (puna plover). Puna taxa include Nothoprocta cf. ornata (ornate tinamou), Nothura cf. darwinii (Darwin's nothura), Metropelia sp. (ground doves), Athene cunicularia (burrowing owl), and multiple Passeriformes (songbirds, etc.). Taxa with a cosmopolitan distribution include Falco cf. femoralis (aplomado falcon) and Tyto alba (barn owl). Taphonomic analysis indicates that the avifauna were used in ceremonial contexts, including multiple Falco cf. femoralis burials, and for dietary and possibly tool‐making purposes. Other sources of introduction into the site deposits likely include natural mortality of taxa directly inhabiting the site area. These findings are compared to the avifauna recovered from the Formative site of Chiripa along the Lake Titicaca margin, which included a much higher proportion of lake bird fauna. At Khonkho Wankane, the importance of wetland avifauna may have been enhanced by the alteration of the local environment to include qochas, or artificial reservoirs/ponds, and continued despite reliance upon multiple domesticated plant and mammal species. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Plant macroremains from the Roman harbour of Pisa (Italy)

Abstract

Results relating to the identification of macroscopic plant remains (leaves, fruits, seeds) discovered during the archaeological excavation of the Roman harbour of Pisa, in Tuscany, Italy are reported. The plant samples include the cultivated species Prunus spp., Corylus, Olea, Vicia, Juglans and the nemoral wild species Salix spp., Quercus spp., Fagus, Ulmus, Alnus. The remains of cultivated plants — fragments of fruits and seeds — were perhaps part of the boats' cargo or stores for the crew's meals. In the case of the wild taxa, the simultaneous presence of fruit and leaves, suggests that the remains recovered came from the forest vegetation bordering the area of excavation and the adjacent higher grounds, thus delineating a new vegetation landscape for the ager pisanus.