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- Title
Who ate the birds: the taphonomy of Sarakenos Cave, Greece.
- Authors
Bochenski, Zbigniew M.; Tomek, Teresa; Wertz, Krzysztof; Kaczanowska, Małgorzata; Kozłowski, Janusz K.; Sampson, Adamantios
- Abstract
The taphonomic analysis of avian remains from Sarakenos Cave reveals that, contrary to previous suggestions, many bird bones excavated there represent food remains of the Eagle Owls rather than humans. The conclusion is based on the presence of traces of digestion, beak and claw punctures, and indirect evidence that includes relative preservation of particular elements, species composition, the lack of cut marks, and the absence of numerous traces of burning. Specimens with medullary bone and traces of digestion indicate that the owls killed breeding females in spring. Since it is unlikely that owls shared the cave with humans at the same time, it supports the notion based on archeological evidence that human groups did not inhabit it permanently.
- Subjects
GREECE; TAPHONOMY; BIRD remains (Archaeology); FOSSIL birds; BUBO; FOOD of animal origin; ARCHAEOLOGICAL excavations; TRACE element analysis
- Publication
Archaeological & Anthropological Sciences, 2018, Vol 10, Issue 7, p1603
- ISSN
1866-9557
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s12520-017-0488-3