Brief overview of zooarchaeological research within the framework of Middle Palaeolithic subsistence theories

• Autor(a) principal: Nabais, Mariana
• Data de Publicação: 2021
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10451/50633
• topic: Archaeological thought; Historiography; Zooarchaeology; Neanderthal; Taphonomy; Pensamento arqueológico; Historiografia; Zooarqueologia; Neandertal; Tafonomia

In the course of a general review of zooarchaeological studies, particular attention is given to the development of the thinking process associated with hominin dietary strategies. Since the dawn of archaeological studies animal bones were noticed and recovered in association with man‑made tools. Since then, faunal remains have been discussed as the result of human dietary practices. However, the way such feeding activities were conducted has been the focus of an ongoing heated debate. Different subsistence strategies – i.e. Hunting vs Scavenging; Specialization vs Broad Spectrum; Inland vs Coastal Adaptation – have a strong impact on the image we create about our ancestors. Indeed, depending on the mode of acquisition and processing of faunal remains, hominins have been assessed on their cognitive abilities and, therefore, stamped as more, or less, evolved. More recently, new insights have been provided by the development of actualistic studies, highlighting the need to understand in detail the origin of the faunal accumulations. The formation of faunal assemblages in archaeological sites is not only dependent on anthropogenic activities.