In Search of Total Animal Exploitation – Case Studies from the Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic

Description

The contributions gathered in this book constitute attempts at analysing the global exploitation of animal resources in the Palaeolithic period, both at site level, to examine local exploitation patterns, and at regional scale, to shed light on the wider economy of animal resources. Data are presented from the study of Aurignacian sites (French Pyrénees and north-eastern France), Gravettian sites (Swabian Jura and Moravia), Magdalenian sites (Massif Central, south-western France, Spanish and French Pyrénees), Epigravettian sites (southern Italy), and Sauveterrian sites (southern French Massif Central). Each contribution documents the global exploitation of one or more animals (mammoth, reindeer, red deer, horse, ibex, birds), formulating essential questions and addressing methodological problems such as the difficulty of identifying priorities in terms of animal products (meat, fur, cervid antlers) and quantifying the contribution of each product.