The archaeology and paleoenvironment of an Upper Pleistocene hyena den: An integrated approach

Data of high resolution for reconstructions of archaeological site formation processes can be obtained only by the use of precise excavation methods and comprehensive recovery techniques using fine-mesh water screening, followed by meticulous sorting and quantitative studies of all the small organic components from the screens. These methods are generally used at human occupation sites, but are not often employed at paleontological or mixed human-carnivore sites. At the site of Bois Roche, an Upper Pleistocene hyena den, we have used these meticulous recovery techniques in combination with absolute dating, geoarchaeological observations, taphonomic analyses, studies of microvertebrates and pollen analysis. Correlation of the site environmental data from pollen and microvertebrate assemblages with the vegetation record of a deep-sea core taken in the Bay of Biscay have allowed us to constrain the ages provided by ESR dating of bovid teeth and to reconstruct the physical environment of the site with a degree of confidence rarely achieved by the use of fossil remains from archaeological sites alone. Prior to our excavations, the site was interpreted as containing a mixed assemblage with evidence of hyena activities and human occupation in situ. Quantitative analysis of the small organic components present in large quantities in the sediments (deciduous hyena teeth, coprolite fragments, digested small bone fragments) prove, more than all other lines of evidence, that hyenas were in residence at Bois Roche, thus providing diagnostic criteria for distinguishing between occasional visitors and the main inhabitants of mixed human-carnivore sites. The analytical procedures presented in this paper have a value beyond the significance of the Bois Roche site because they can be applied to other sites.