Browsing by Author "Val, Aurore"

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    The macrovertebrate fossil assemblage from the Name Chamber, Sterkfontein: taxonomy, taphonomy and implications for site formation processes
    (2015-11-27) Val, Aurore; Stratford, Dominic J
    The Name Chamber contains some of the deepest fossiliferous deposits in the Sterkfontein Caves, at ~20 metres below the surface deposits of Members 4 and 5. Recent excavations complemented by detailed studies of the geological context, as well as of the microfaunal and lithic (i.e. Oldowan artefacts) assemblages, have shed some light on the complex history of sediment accumulation in that part of the Sterkfontein karstic system. The Name Chamber has a long and intricate history of deposition that is of particular value for understanding the redistribution of Oldowan-bearing sediments from Member 5 into the deep chamber below. Recognizing sediment movement and sources through multidisciplinary investigations is of key importance to reconstructing primary lithic assemblages and ultimately the behavioural proxies associated with them. Here, we present the results of a taxonomic and taphonomic analysis of the macrofaunal assemblage recovered during excavations of the decalcified sediments of the Western Talus in the Name Chamber. The taxonomic composition of the faunal spectrum is similar to that of Member 5 East Oldowan, with an overrepresentation of medium-sized bovids and the occurrence of taxa associated with grasslands. The taphonomic features of the fossil remains are characteristic of a mixed assemblage with indications of contributions by carnivores, slope wash and gravity collecting bones from the catchment surface (including carnivore-gnawed and butchery-marked specimens). The results independently corroborate lithic and microfaunal analyses and support the hypothesis of multiple origins for the sediments of the Name Chamber, with a main contribution from Member 5 East Oldowan (notably illustrated in the Name Chamber assemblage by the identification of several cut-marked remains and a bone tool), shortly after it accumulated at about 2.18 Ma. There is also indication of a minor contribution from Member 4 but no evidence for a noticeable contribution from Post-Member 6 (L/63 Infill).
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    Taxonomic and taphonomic interpretations of newly excavated in situ GD 2 faunal remains at Gondolin
    (The Evolutionary Studies Institute, 2024-01) Engelbrecht, Micke; Val, Aurore; Kibii, Job M.; Steininger, Christine
    Gondolin is one of the fossil-bearing karstic localities in the Cradle of Humankind, South Africa. Periodic excavations of calcified and decalcified sediments at several loci (GD 1,GD2 andGDA) over the last few decades have yielded a sizeable sample of Plio-Pleistocene fauna, including two hominin teeth from ex situ deposits. In 2015, renewed excavations were conducted at the GD 2 locality, which consists of decalcified in situ deposits, in order to shed more light on the site’s complex formation processes as well as to try finding new hominin material from a stratigraphically secured context. While these excavations did not yield any hominin material, abundant macrovertebrate remains were recovered. This paper presents the taxonomic composition and taphonomic characteristics of this new faunal assemblage. The occurrence of Equus sp. as well as the extinct species Metridiochoerus andrewsi and Hystrix makapanensis places the assemblage in a depositional age bracket of 2.33–1.78 Ma, which is consistent with ages already proposed forGD2. No primate material was recovered. The assemblage displays a taxonomic and bodyweight bias towards small-bodied (size classes I and II) bovids. The taphonomic characteristics of the bovid remains suggest the selective action of a leopard-like carnivore and while there is no direct evidence that the locality was used as a hyaena den, secondary scavenging by hyaenids cannot be excluded. Porcupines played an ancillary role in the bone accumulation. We performed intra- and inter-site taxonomic and taphonomic comparisons between this faunal sample and fossil assemblages from previously excavated localities at Gondolin (GD 1, GD 2 and GD A), as well as from other Paranthropus robustus-bearing sites in the Cradle of Humankind. These comparisons indicate that this new sample closely resembles the faunal assemblage previously collected from in situ calcified sediments at the GD 2 locality, in terms of species composition, bovid size class distribution, carnivore to ungulate ratio, and general taphonomic characterization.