Neandertal hunting in the Atlantic Pyrenees: Mousterian faunal remains from Gatzarria Cave

This poster presents the results of the first detailed zooarchaeological and taphonomic study of faunal remains from Gatzarria, a cave site in the French Basque Country. Gatzarria contains a detailed sequence across the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition. However, existing archaeostratigraphic divisions of the Middle Ensemble (Ej) at Gatzarria are problematic and were re-evaluated during this research. This study focuses on a stratigraphically-secure sample of faunal remains from Mousterian level Cj. This assemblage demonstrates a predominantly human occupation of the cave during the time period sampled. Hominid hunting practices focused on large ungulate species, primarily red deer. Nevertheless, smaller, less profitable ungulates were included in the maximum diet breadth. The sample is dominated by major marrow-bearing elements, suggesting that transport decisions were conditioned by the marrow content of bones. The spectrum of hunted fauna and patterns of carcass transport and utilization at Gatzarria are consistent with other late Mousterian faunal assemblages in both Cantabria and southwestern France.