Spatial patterning of the archaeological and paleontological assemblage at Dmanisi, Georgia: An analysis of site formation and carnivore-hominin interaction in Block 2

Reed Coil; Martha Tappen; Reid Ferring; Maia Bukhsianidze; Medea Nioradze; David Lordkipanidze

doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102773

Spatial patterning of the archaeological and paleontological assemblage at Dmanisi, Georgia: An analysis of site formation and carnivore-hominin interaction in Block 2

Reed Coil, Martha Tappen, Reid Ferring, Maia Bukhsianidze, Medea Nioradze, David Lordkipanidze

Anthropology (Twin Cities)

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

15 Scopus citations

Abstract

This study addresses the roles of biotic agents in site formation in the B1 strata of Block 2 at Dmanisi, Georgia, using theoretical and analogous frameworks for the interpretation of spatial behaviors of carnivores and hominins. For this study, stone material, faunal remains, and coprolites are analyzed to determine if any spatially distinct behaviors can be identified, located, and attributed to either hominins or carnivores. Faunal, stone, and coprolite assemblages are compared with each other, and lithic, taxonomic, and taphonomic subassemblages are compared with the overall distribution of their parent material. The spatial and taphonomic signatures suggest that hominin activity was only a small part of the contributing factors to site formation, whereas carnivores played a major role in the accumulation of bone.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	102773
Journal	Journal of Human Evolution
Volume	143
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102773
State	Published - Jun 2020

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This research was funded primarily by the Leakey Foundation , National Science Foundation (NSF) grants ( #1019408 , #1025245 ), the University of Minnesota , and a Social Policy Research Grant from Nazarbayev University . Field work at Dmanisi was funded by the NSF , the Leakey Foundation , and the John Templeton Foundation . This project benefitted greatly from the help of Sophia Panchulidze, Giorgi Kopaliani, Teona Shelia, and many others at the Georgian National Museum. Aaron Armstrong and Katherine Erdman provided helpful comments on earlier drafts of this manuscript. The authors thank two anonymous reviewers, the associate editor, and Mike Plavcan for comments and advice that ultimately improved the manuscript.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Elsevier Ltd

Keywords

Carnivore-hominin interaction
Caucasus
Paleolithic
Site formation
Spatial analysis
Taphonomy

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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title = "Spatial patterning of the archaeological and paleontological assemblage at Dmanisi, Georgia: An analysis of site formation and carnivore-hominin interaction in Block 2",

abstract = "This study addresses the roles of biotic agents in site formation in the B1 strata of Block 2 at Dmanisi, Georgia, using theoretical and analogous frameworks for the interpretation of spatial behaviors of carnivores and hominins. For this study, stone material, faunal remains, and coprolites are analyzed to determine if any spatially distinct behaviors can be identified, located, and attributed to either hominins or carnivores. Faunal, stone, and coprolite assemblages are compared with each other, and lithic, taxonomic, and taphonomic subassemblages are compared with the overall distribution of their parent material. The spatial and taphonomic signatures suggest that hominin activity was only a small part of the contributing factors to site formation, whereas carnivores played a major role in the accumulation of bone.",

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Spatial patterning of the archaeological and paleontological assemblage at Dmanisi, Georgia: An analysis of site formation and carnivore-hominin interaction in Block 2

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

UN SDGs

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