Hominid butchers and biting crocodiles in the African Plio-Pleistocene.

ABSTRACT: Zooarchaeologists have long relied on linear traces and pits found on the surfaces of ancient bones to infer ancient hominid behaviors such as slicing, chopping, and percussive actions during butchery of mammal carcasses. However, such claims about Plio-Pleistocene hominids rely mostly on very small assemblages of bony remains. Furthermore, recent experiments on trampling animals and biting crocodiles have shown each to be capable of producing mimics of such marks. This equifinality-the creation of similar products by different processes-makes deciphering early archaeological bone assemblages difficult. Bone modifications among Ethiopian Plio-Pleistocene hominid and faunal remains at Asa Issie, Maka, Hadar, and Bouri were reassessed in light of these findings. The results show that crocodi

SUBMITTER: Sahle Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5740633 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature