Zooarchaeological and taphonomic analysis of the Die Kelders Cave 1 Layers10 and 11 Middle Stone Age larger mammal fauna

Middle Stone Age (MSA) and Middle Paleolithic (MP) faunal assemblages have gained widespread attention due to their relevance to the debate over the m odernity of hominid behavior during the MSA/MP. A recent critique of the sc avenging argument for MSA/MP behavior drew on a summary presentation of the skeletal abundance and surface modification data from Die Kelders Cave I L ayer 10 (Marean, 1998). This paper provides a more complete presentation of those data, adds the smaller Layer 11 sample, and provides a detailed anal ysis of the taphonomic history of both samples. Bone fragment density is hi gher in Layer 1.0 than in Layer II. Bone densities vary horizontally as wel l, with Layer 10 showing greater deposition in the exposed areas of the cav e. An analysis of long bone breakage patterns indicates that non-nutritive breakage on the Layers 10 and II samples was present but not intense. Size 1 mammals were predominantly accumulated by owls and/or other large raptors , not hominids, in Layer 10. Hominids were the predominant accumulator of S izes 2-4 mammals in Layers 10 and 11 as indicated by the frequency of hamme r-stone percussion marks and carnivore tooth-marks. After discard by homini ds, a significant portion of these remains were discovered and scavenged by carnivores. Overall, the larger mammal fauna of Layer 10 is dominated by S izes 3 and 4 bovids, mostly young and adult eland, and thus hominids were f ocusing on the high-ranked prey items. Shaft portions of long bones, the po rtions with the most flesh, have the highest frequencies of cutmarks. A com parison of the Layers 10 and II cutmark frequencies to Selvaggio's (1998) s cavenging model shows that the frequencies are significantly outside the ra nge of variation documented in Selavaggio's scavenging sample. (C) 2000 Aca demic Press.