Horse, raindeer and bison hunters at Solutré: an archaeozoological analysis of a Magdalenian bone assemblage

40 Pages·1999·25.4 MB·English

by  Elaine Turner

Bonn. zool. Beitr. Bd. 50 H. 3 S. 143-182 Bonn. Dezember2002
Horse, reindeer and bison hunters at Solutré:
an archaeozoological analysis of a Magdalenian
bone assemblage
Elaine Turner
Abstract. The site at the base ofthe Roche de Solutré is the most famous prehistoric
locality in Burgundy, France. Excavations at Solutré have revealed five cultural levels
(Mousterian, Aurignacian, Gravettian, Solutrean and Magdalenian) in the thick deposits
preserved at this site, reflecting repeated use ofthe locality from the Middle Palaeolithic
through to the end ofthe Upper Palaeolithic. Solutré has been interpreted as a site where
mainly horses were hunted, killed and processed. In this paper, data collected during an
examination of faunal remains from Magdalenian deposits in sector P16 at Solutré are
presented. The paper focuses on skeletal part representation, age-structures, sexual demo-
graphy, seasonofdeathandtracesofmodification intheformofcutmarks, impactnotches
andcarnivoregnawingofthehorse,reindeerandbisonremains. Theresultsoftheanalyses
supportthetheorythattheMagdalenianshuntedmainlyhorsesatSolutré,butalsoshowthat
they took relatively high numbers ofreindeer and bison. Time ofdeath ofhorses, reindeer
and bison suggests that the site was probably used at varying times ofthe year, and that
groupsofjuvenilereindeerandjuvenilebisonwerepossiblyhuntedonaseasonalbasis.One
ofthecharacteristicsofthefaunalassemblageisthelownumberofhumanlymodifiedbones
andthecomparativelyhighnumberofbonesgnawedbycarnivores.
Key words. Magdalenian,kill-site, archaeozoology,horse,reindeer, bison, France.
Introduction
The site at the base of the Roche de Solutré is, without a doubt, the most famous
prehistoric locality in Burgundy, France. Discovered on the 27th September 1866 by
Adrien Arcelin, excavations at Solutré have revealed five cultural levels (Mousterian,
Aurignacian, Gravettian, Solutrean and Magdalenian) in the thick deposits preserved
at this site (Combier 1956, 1976), reflecting repeated use of the locality from the
Middle Palaeolithic through to the end ofthe Upper Palaeolithic. During these peri-
ods, the domination of horses in the faunas has earned Solutré a reputation as the
"best example ofa large game kill-site in western Europe." (Olsen 1989: 295).
In 1994, a joint project was arranged between the excavator of the site, Jean
Combier, the Service Régionale de l'Archéologie in Dijon and the Römisch-Germa-
nisches Zentralmuseum Mainz, Forschungsinstitut für Vor- und Frühgeschichte,
Forschungsbereich Altsteinzeit in Neuwied. The aim ofthe project was to analyse
various aspects ofthe Magdalenian faunal assemblages from the kill-site of Solutré
in order to allow a direct comparison with "horse-dominated" faunas from other
Magdalenian sites in Europe (Turner in press).
In this paper, data collected during an examination of faunal remains from
Magdalenian deposits in sector PI6 at Solutré are presented. The paper focuses on
skeletal part representation, age-structures, sexual demography, season ofdeath and
;
144 E. Turner
traces of modification in the form of cut marks, impact notches and carnivore
gnawing ofthe horse, reindeer and bison remains. The results ofthe analyses support
the theory that the Magdalenians hunted mainly horses at Solutré, but also show that
they took relatively high numbers of reindeer and bison. Time of death of horses,
reindeer and bison suggests that the site was probably used at varying times ofthe
year, and that groups ofjuvenile reindeer andjuvenile bison were possibly hunted on
a seasonal basis. One of the characteristics of the faunal assemblage is the low
number of humanly modified bones and the comparatively high number of bones
gnawed by carnivores.
The Solutré site
Solutré is located in the "Maconnais" region of Burgundy, France (fig. 1). The
Maconnais is a small region, some 45 kilometres long by approximately 20 kilo-
metres wide, situated in the southern part ofBurgundy in the French department of
Saone-et-Loire. The Maconnais is bordered to the east by the Saone River and to the
west by the Maconnais hills. The "Roche de Solutré" is one ofa series ofridges or
"cuestas" in the southern part of this region. The cuestas are oriented from east to
west and are separated by broad valleys with minor streams. The archaeological site
at Solutré is located at the base ofthe southern face ofthe "Roche de Solutré" (fig. 1
plate 1).
At the end of the last century, the discoverer and first investigator of the site,
Adrien Arcelin, tried to explain the mass ofhorse bones revealed during his excava-
tions by describing Palaeolithic hunters driving large herds ofhorses overthe edge of
the rock (Arcelin 1872/1977). The concept of Solutré as a "jump" site was upheld
until the 1950's, when Jean Combier (1956) re-interpreted Solutré as a site to which
hunters periodically returned to kill horses which were passing through the valley
between Solutré rock and the neighbouring rock of Mont de Pouilly, during their
seasonal wanderings from winter grazing grounds in the Saone Valley to summer
grazing pastures on the higher land to the west ofthe site. Systematic excavations
undertaken by Combier between 1968 to 1987, and several independent archaeozoo-
logical analyses of the faunas recovered during this period - in particular the
researches of Berke (1989), Gordon (1988), Levine (1979, 1983) and Olsen (1989,
1995) - not only supported Combier's theory, but also provided insights into hunting
practices and butchering activities at Solutré.
At the beginning ofthe 1990's, the interpretations ofthese researchers could be
summarised as follows: the site was used almost exclusively as a kill-site, at which
horses were the most frequently hunted species of large game. Small bands of
between 6 to 12 horses were intercepted in the valley below Solutré rock and either
driven up against the base ofthe rock and slaughtered there (Levine 1979) or chased
into a corral-like enclosure at the base of the rock and killed (Olsen 1989, 1995).
Levine (1979, 1983) reported a low proportion ofjuvenile horses and a slightly
higherproportion ofadult horses in heranalysis ofthe age-structure ofthese animals.
Low numbers of juvenile horses were interpreted by Olsen (1989) as possibly
resulting from the selective killing ofadults and releasing ofthe young. Olsen also
noted the vast numbers ofindividual horses, many articulated horse bones, scarcity
oftraces ofbutchery and lack ofevidence oftransportation ofskeletal elements away
fromthe site, suggestingthat large numbers ofhorses were killedatany one time, and
Hunters at Solutré 145
Fig. 1. The location of the the site of Solutré
(below) in the Maconnais region of Burgundy,
France (above). The topographical map below
shows the valley ofthe Saone Riverto the right of
the figure and the Máconnais hills rising to the
left. The four cuestas - Mont de Pouilly, Solutré,
Vergisson and Montsard - separated by valleys
are shown bottom left. The "Roche de Solutré" is
marked by a circle.
—
I
146 E. Turncr
that their intact carcasses were not fully exploited. Berke (1989) commented on the
low numbers of mandibles and portions ofthe upper rear leg (femurs and patellas)
which he interpreted as reflecting the transportation ofthese flesh-bearing portions of
the carcasses of horse to a settlement site elsewhere. He also noted the paucity of
evidence for the removal of hides. Seasonal evidence (cementum bands in teeth)
showed that horses died at Solutré from spring through to autumn, with the greatest
concentration occurring in summer (Olsen 1989). Reindeer were hunted at Solutré in
winter and in spring (Gordon 1988). In comparison to horse, the remains ofreindeer
showed more intensive traces of butchery indicative of full utilisation of reindeer
carcasses, possibly because fewer individuals ofreindeer were killed: bison remains
were only occasionally mentioned, due to their rarity or absence at the site (Olsen
1989).
The sector P16 site
The series of excavations at Solutré organized and led by Jean Combier began in
1968. In that year P16 was opened for the first time for excavation, and investi-
gations continued intermittantly in sector PI6 until 1974. Sector P16 is located in the
m
—————————————————— —————————————
40H0 I I I I 50I 1 I I 110I0I I I I1510I I I I20I0I I I I25¡0I I 1 I30I 0Im
Fig. 2. Location ofthe sector PI6 site at Solutré. The base ofthe rock (stippled line) and the
site area (the total area investigated since the discovery of the site in 1866) are indicated.
Combier concentrated his investigations in the area enclosed today by a security fence
(broken line). Sector PI6 is situated in the eastern part ofthe area; Radiocarbon dates are
shown inthe box.
6
.
Hunters at Solutré 147
south-eastern comer of the area enclosed today by a security fence (fig. 2) and
altogether a total of 95m2 of this sector were excavated under Combier's super-
vision, in which finds dating mainly to the Magdalenian period were revealed.
The lithic industry with many backed blades, borers and burins and a bone
industry which included a "báton de commandemenf were both attributed to the
Final Magdalenian (Combier 1976). A cut-marked tooth ofa horse from sector PI
recentlyyielded a radiocarbon age of 15,080± 130 BP (pers. comm. P. Pettitt, Oxford
Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit). A first Radiocarbon date of 12,580±250 BP was
obtained from a bone from P16 submitted to the Laboratoire de Radiocarbon in Lyon
(Delibras et al. 1976).
Documentation and quantífícation ofthe bones from sector P16
Faunal remains were classified into two categories during the excavation of sector
PI6: three-dimensionally recorded finds, which were given an individual catalogue
number and drawn on plans, and fragmentary finds which were simply collected
and bagged together with only an approximate location within a quadrat. All three-
dimensionally recorded finds from sector P16 were examined during the course of
this analysis. Bagged finds were sorted through by hand and when bones with cut
marks and impact notches or worked bones were found in the bags, these were
removed, numbered and stored with the three-dimensionally documented material.
Altogetheratotal of4,159 numbered bones were recorded duringthis analysis. These
finds include material studied by Berke, Levine and Olsen.
Twenty-six ofthese bones are fresh in appearance and may represent recent intru-
sive material. A further 16 bones were reddish in colouration and are possibly a small
assemblage of reworked Solutrean faunal remains observed during excavation and
mentioned in earlier site reports. The remaining 4,133 faunal remains represent the
Magdalenian fauna from this sector.
Altogether some 4,031 bones and bone fragments could be identified to skeletal
element and to specific level. These remains were recorded in a data-set in which
basic descriptions were given based on the skeletal element, portion and segment
system ofGifford & Grader (1977). Additional attributes included, where applicable,
side of the body and epiphyseal fusion. Bone modifications, including cut marks,
impactnotches, traces ofcarnivore gnawing, andcharringwere also noted. Basic data
recorded on remains identifiable to a species are summarised in table 1
Horse dominates the fauna and 3,577 bones (88.7%) were identified to this spe-
cies. Other species such as reindeer (6.6%), bison (3.5%)), wolf(3.5%), wolverine
(0.09%) and fox (0.17%) are present.
Horse remains comprise a minimum number of 2,672 skeletal elements. The
highest minimum number of individuals for this species - 45 - was counted on
acetabular portions ofpelves from the right side ofthe body. A much lower quantity
ofremains was identified as reindeer, comprising a total of271 finds and a minimum
of 216 elements. At least nine individuals of reindeer were counted on the left
astragali. Large bovids, identified by morphological criteria as bison, were repre-
sented by only 142 finds and a minimum of 119 elements. Five individuals ofbison,
counted on the left metacarpals, are present. A total of 30 finds from at least two
individuals could be attributed to the wolf. Four bones were attributed to the
148 E. Turner
Tnaubmlbeer1of. sBapseiccimdeantsa ifdoernttiafuinaabllerteomasipencsiefsr;omMNseEcto=rmPiIn6imiduemntinfuiambbleertoofaeslpeemceinetss.;NMINSIP ==
minimum number ofindi\iduals.
Species MNT MNI carnivore cm marks impact boneantler charred
gnawing notches tools hone
horse 3577 2672 45 262 70 44 3 -)
reindeer 216 9 18 10 -) 8 -)
bison 142 119 5 20 -) 6 0 0
wolf 30 30 ~> 5 1 0 0 0
woherine 4 j» 1 0 0 0 0 0
fox 7 7 1 0 0 0 • 0 0
wolverine and seven to fox. In general, wolverine and fox are characterized by very
low numbers ofremains and low numbers ofindividuals, reindeer, bison and wolfby
low numbers ofremains butrelativelyhighnumbers ofindividuals, and horse byhigh
numbers ofremains and high numbers of individuals. Another characteristic ofthe
faunal assemblage is the evidence of only minimal utilisation ofremains of horse,
reindeer and bison by humans in contrast to the relatively higher number ofbones
with traces ofcarnivore gnawing.
Skeletal part representation
When examining the skeletal pait representation ofthe species present at Solutré, we
are mainly interested in trying to establish how the Magdalenians utilized animal
remains as part oftheir food procurement strategies. It has long been known that the
skeletal representations ofanimals at Palaeolithic sites simply reflects what has been
found during excavation and does not necessarily represent the remains that were
actually left behind by the human inhabitants of the site, and changes in skeletal
representations can equally result from a number ofprocesses such as gnawing by
carnivores, bone weathering and sediment compaction (Binford 1971, Brain 1981,
Kreutzer 1992, Lyman 1985, Marean 1991, Marean & Spencer 1991, Marean et al.
1992).
Skeletal part representation and bone density
Processes ofbone destruction are density-mediated- in otherwords a solid, "robusf
type ofbone has a better chance ofsurvival than a fragile one, aphenomenon termed
"differential preservation". Thus a dominance of high-density elements in a faunal
assemblage is a good indicator that the assemblage has been strongly affected by
processes of bone destruction. A simple method of testing for this is to compare
counts ofteeth and bones in an assemblage, since teeth are generally the most dense
elements in the skeleton and are less affected by processes of bone destruction. A
total of 766 horse teeth, including 19 tooth fragments, and 2,811 horse bones have
been recorded at sector PI6. Expressed as percentages, teeth represent 21.4% and
bones 78.5% ofthe total number ofhorse remains given in table 1 (NISP = 3,577).
Hunters at Solutré 149
The dominance ofbone over teeth shows that the assemblage ofhorse remains from
PI6 is, in general, a well-preserved corpus of material which has hardly been
affected by differential destruction; Levine (1979) came to a similarconclusion about
the preservation ofbones from this sector. A comparable state ofbone preservation
was recorded for the remains of bison, where the propoitions of teeth/bones are
19.0%/80.9%. For reindeer remains the proportion is slightly lower - 32.1%/
67.8%) -, but bones are still the dominant skeletal type.
In the left side offigures 3, 5 and 6, the skeletal elements ofhorse, reindeer and
bison are depicted as percentages ofthe MNI (appendices 1-3: %)MNI, column 3).
%MNrs were calculated by taking the highest MNI (column 2) for each species
(eg: horse MNI 45=100%) and reckoning the MNI's ofeach skeletal element as a
percentage ofthis number. For comparative purposes only major skeletal elements
were included in figures 3, 5 and 6.
The percentages given in figure 3 show that practically all skeletal elements of
horse are presenteven ifsome horse bones are betterrepresentedthan others, andthat
100
Fig. 3. %MNI (minimum number ofindividuals) (left) and % NISP CA (carnivore gnawing)
(right) ofmajor bones ofhorse from sector PI6. The percentages are taken from columns 3
and 9 in appendix 1 and calculated from counts given in columns 2 and 8.
%MNrs calculated by taking the highest MNI (pelvis MNI 45=100%) and reckoning the
percentage MNI's for the remaining skeletal elements from this. % NISP CA expresses the
number ofbones with carnivore gnawing for each element ofthe skeleton as a percentage of
the total number ofbones for each element (NISP). Vertical lines in bold face mark the 50%
boundaryinbothfigures; forthe %NISP CAthe 50% linewas calculatedfromthehighest%
NISP CAthus: 54.5%-2=27.2=50%.
150 H. Turner
the bulk of the horse remains have percentages greater than 50.0%. The highest
%MN1 was recorded on the pelvis (100.0%), followed by the phalange (93.3%),
1
scapula (91.9%)) and the third metacarpal and astragalus (both 86.6%). Relatively
high %IVlNrs were calculated for the cranium, mandible, atlas, cervical vertebra,
third metatarsal and phalange 2 and 3. Low %MNI's were counted on axial elements
such as thoracic (17.7%), lumbar (15.5%) and caudal vertebra (25.0%)), and the
%MNrs
sacrum (20.0%), and lower than 50%) were recorded for small-sized
elements such as carpáis (35.5%)) and tarsals (40.0%).
The ribs and the sesamoids have the lowest %MNrs (4.4%). To some extent, the
low %MN1 forthe ribs is certainly due to the fragility ofthis bone, as testified by the
large number of rib fragments collected during excavation, but not three-dimen-
sionally recorded. According to horse bone density data published recently by Lam
et al. (1999), cervical vertebrae are more robust than other elements ofthe back and
tail of the horse (thoracic, lumbar and caudal vertebrae, and the sacrum), which
probably explains, to some extent, the extreme differential preservation between
these elements depicted in figure 3.
Differences in %)MNI representation were noted between the bones ofthe limbs
(eg humerus, radius, femur and tibia) and their skeletal neighbours (scapula, pelvis
and metapodials). For example, the %MNI ofthe femur (53.3%) is almost 50% less
A
than that ofits skeletal neighbour, the pelvis (100%). similar pattern ofdifferen-
Fig. 4. Representation ofportions offore-leg long bones (left) and portions ofthe pelvis and
rear-leg long bones (right) of horse from sector PI6. Percentages of all carpáis, tarsals,
phalanges,vestigialmetapodials(Mc2 and4)andsesamoidsnotindicated. Numbers incircles
are total numbers ofa particular element (e.g. 48 left scapulae), from which the percentages
were reckoned. Thus, 87.5% ofthe left scapulae are distal ends and only 12.5% are scapula
blades. Thepercentages are also expressed as groups "0-25%" and so on.
Hunters at Solutré 151
|—%nispca]
60 20
Fig. 5. %MN1 (minimum number ofindividuals) (left) and % NISP CA (carnivore gnawing)
(right) ofmajor bones ofreindeer from sector PI6. The percentages are taken from columns
3 and 9 in appendix 1 and calculated from counts given in columns 2 and 8. See figure 5 for
methodsofcalculatingpercentages. Vertical lines inboldfacemarkthe 50%boundaryinboth
figures; for the % NISP CA the 50% line was calculated from the highest % NISP CA thus:
45.4%-2=22.7=50%.
tiation can be seen in %MNrs for the humems and scapula (55.5% and 91.9%), for
the radius and third metacarpus (55.5% and 86.8%o) and, to a lesser extent, for the
tibia and third metatarsal {51.1% and 68.8%). Analyses ofbone preservation have
shown that scapulae, pelves, metacarpals and metatarsals do have better chances of
%MNrs
survival than major limb bones and, to a certain extent, the lower forthe leg
bones reflect this.
Some portions ofhorse limb bones are betterrepresentedthan others (fig. 4). None
ofthe scapulae were complete, but this was not surprising as the scapula consists of
a sturdy distal end and a very fragile blade. Thus, the marked differences in preser-
vation - or "intrabone variations" - between the distal ends and the blades ofhorse
scapulae from PI6 are clearly related to bone density and preservation (Brain 1981,
Kreutzer 1992, Lyman 1994, Lam et al. 1999).
Positive correlations between intrabone variation and bone density could also be
observed in the higher percentages of denser portions of some long bones - such
as the proximal ulna, the distal humerus, the diaphyses of the femur - and the
acetabular portion ofthe pelvis, and the low percentages ofportions of less dense
bones such as the proximal humerus and distal femur.
152 E. Turner
—
%MNl|
|
Fig. 6. %MNI (minimum number ofindividuals) (left) and % NISP CA (carnivore gnawing)
(right) of major bones of bison from sector PI6. The percentages are taken from columns
3 and 9 in appendix 1 and calculated from counts given in columns 2 and 8. See figure 5 for
methodsofcalculatingpercentages. Vertical lines inboldfacemarkthe 50%boundaryinboth
figures; for the % NISP CA the 50% line was calculated from the highest % NISP CA thus:
66.6%-2=33.3=50%.
Inverse or negative intrabone variations - that is the preservation of portions of
bones contrary to the expected preservation according to bone density - were
observed in the low percentages for the diaphyses of radii, tibias, metacarpals and
metatarsals, which are usually considered to be the densest portions of these
elements.
There are several characteristics commontothe skeletal representations ofreindeer
and bison despite differences in body-size between the two species. In contrast to
horse, both are underrepresented in terms oflow total NISP (table I) and low NISP
per element (appendices 2 and 3, column I). With low counts of MNI for many
elements, the bulk ofthe remains ofboth species have %MNrs lowerthan 50% (figs
5 and 6; appendices 2 and 3, columns 2 and 3). Several elements ofthe skeletons of
reindeer and bison are absent.
The presence or absence of the skeletal parts of reindeer appears to be strongly
related to the structural densities of the bones, as shown by the high %MNrs
recorded on robust elements (astragalus = 100%)) or the sturdier portions ofreindeer
bones (acetabularpart ofthe pelvis = 77.7%). Fragile bones, such as ribs, are absent,
and extremely low %)MNrs were recorded on all types ofreindeer vertebrae. Some
small bones, such as carpáis, tarsals, and sesamoids, are absent. The highest %oMNI