PXD051309-1

PXD051309 is an original dataset announced via ProteomeXchange.

Title	Neanderthal exploitation of birds in north-western Europe: Avian remains from Scladina Cave (Belgium).
Description	For a long time, Neanderthals were considered hunters of large mammals, whereas the diversification of the exploited faunal spectrum to include smaller taxa, including birds, was assumed to be specific to anatomically modern humans. In recent decades, archaeozoological analyses of faunal remains from layers associated with Middle Palaeolithic lithic industries have revealed traces of human manipulation of small taxa, indicating the exploitation of a wider range of animals than previously thought, including small or fast-moving animals such as molluscs, leporids and birds. These new data have challenged the view that Neanderthals did not exploit small animals, thereby narrowing the behavioral gap with anatomically modern humans. Nevertheless, the information currently available comes almost exclusively from southern Europe and the nature of Neanderthal small fauna exploitation in northern Europe remains largely unknown. The present study aims to fill this gap by applying archaeozoological methods, including detailed taphonomic and traceological analyses, to 118 bird remains recovered from levels containing Middle Palaeolithic industries at Scladina cave, southern Belgium. Analyses of proteomics were applied to clarify the taxonomic identity of two morphologically non-diagnostic elements. Compared to mammal remains, bird bones, most of which belong to the order Galliformes, are scarce at Scladina Cave. This is likely due to conservation bias. Traces of non-human predators or scavengers, suggest that mammalian carnivores are responsible for accumulating a considerable portion of the avian assemblage. In total, seven bird bones exhibit anthropogenic traces, and one element presents questionable traces. Various Galliformes and a cormorant were exploited likely for their meat, during MIS 5 and/or 6 and MIS 6. The terminal posterior phalanx (talon) of a raptor of the size of a pomarine eagle displays intense polishing that could be linked to human manipulation of this element (MIS 5 and/or 6), although in the absence of tool marks this remains hypothetical at this stage. On the radius of a Western capercaillie, two deep incisions may indicate bone working, and intense use-wear on one of the fractured ends indicates that the bone has been utilized, potentially on soft organic material (MIS 6). This study provides the first evidence of the exploitation of birds during the Middle Palaeolithic in Belgium and constitutes the only detailed archaeozoological analysis of bird material in northwestern Europe. The likely transformation and use of a bird bone is only the second example recovered from Neanderthal occupations. The novel taxa identified as Neanderthal prey highlight the plasticity of Neanderthal ecological behavior, adapting to different landscapes and climates and exploiting the full spectrum of locally available prey.
HostingRepository	PRIDE
AnnounceDate	2024-09-03
AnnouncementXML	Submission_2024-09-03_01:04:50.166.xml
DigitalObjectIdentifier
ReviewLevel	Peer-reviewed dataset
DatasetOrigin	Original dataset
RepositorySupport	Unsupported dataset by repository
PrimarySubmitter	BRAY FABRICE
SpeciesList	scientific name: Tetraoninae; NCBI TaxID: 466585;
ModificationList	deamidated residue
Instrument	Q Exactive Plus

Revision	Datetime	Status	ChangeLog Entry
0	2024-04-09 07:41:44	ID requested
⏵ 1	2024-09-03 01:04:50	announced

10.3389/FEARC.2024.1441926;

submitter keyword: taphonomy, traceology, Neanderthal-birds relationship, tool marks, Middle Paleolithic, use-wear analysis,archaeozoology

fabrice bray
contact affiliation	​​Laboratoire MSAP UAR 3290 CNRS Bâtiment C4 Avenue Paul Langevin Cité Scientifique 59655 Villeneuve D'ascq 03 20 33 71 12
contact email	fabrice.bray@univ-lille.fr
lab head
BRAY FABRICE
contact affiliation	MSAP USR 3290
contact email	fabrice.bray@univ-lille.fr
dataset submitter

Dataset FTP location NOTE: Most web browsers have now discontinued native support for FTP access within the browser window. But you can usually install another FTP app (we recommend FileZilla) and configure your browser to launch the external application when you click on this FTP link. Or otherwise, launch an app that supports FTP (like FileZilla) and use this address: ftp://ftp.pride.ebi.ac.uk/pride/data/archive/2024/09/PXD051309

PRIDE project URI

• PRIDE
  1. PXD051309
     1. Label: PRIDE project
     2. Name: Neanderthal exploitation of birds in north-western Europe: Avian remains from Scladina Cave (Belgium).