Butchering patterns and the implication for hominin feeding behaviour at HWK EE in Olduvai Gorge, Northern Tanzania
Date
2022
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Abstract
Meat-eating by early hominins played an important role in the biological and cultural evolution of humans. Butchery marks such as cut and percussion marks are the direct evidence of meateating by early human ancestors, dating back to at least 2.6 Mya. However, the manner in which early hominins obtained carcasses, particularly during the Early Stone Age (ESA), is highly debated. While some researchers proposed hunting, others have suggested that early hominins were scavenging carcasses from large felids. Consequently, the two views have stimulated debate concerning the primary and secondary access of carcasses by the early hominins. The frequency of butchery and carnivore marks left on the faunal remains has been one the criteria used to understand the order of hominins’ and carnivores’ feeding on the carcass. Although there isa voluminous publication on this topic, the majority of them focus on a few sites due to a lack of well-preserved fossil remains. The recent excavation at the HWK EE site in Olduvai has revealed rich and well-preserved fossil remains with evidence of both carnivore and hominin modifications marks. Bone surface modifications (butchery, carnivore, and crocodile marks) were analysed using a 16x hand lens under strong light. These marks were recorded by a simple tally of absent or present and interpreted based on the established model of hominin feeding behaviours. The results of hominin butchery and carnivore modification marks demonstrate that hominins at the site exploited a range of small to large mammal taxa and a variety of carcass resources including meaty appendicular elements, crania, and ribs. The study also revealed that hominins at the site were selective on long bone depending on the quantity of marrow content for different taxa. The study of traces of butchery marks and percussion marks on the faunal sample support that hominins gained primary access to small mammals and secondary access to most of the medium and large mammals. These resources were likely obtained from large felids kills of carnivores such as lions and leopards. The study has also shown that in the absence of limb elements, butchery marks on well-preserved ribs and crania elements can be used to infer the order of hominin access to carcasses. Moreover, the data also show that butchery patterns are consistent in both LAS and LEMUTA interval
Description
A dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Palaeontology to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022
Keywords
Butchering Patterns, Hominin Feeding Behaviour, Meat-eating