Abstract
Visual conditions around Palaeolithic sites determine how the landscape was perceived by prehistoric hunter-gatherers. By placing the site in different landscapes, different visual foci were encoded in the locational characteristics of the different places. For the Early Ahmarian sites in the Levant, it can be shown that visual characteristics differ significantly with the combination of large ungulate prey exploited at the respective location. A Higuchi viewshed approach was combined with total viewsheds of the study area to introduce a human scale into the viewshed modelling. While diverse prey locations in the Mediterranean biome provide an overview over the landscape, specialised prey locations in the steppe biomes of the Irano-Turanian and Saharo-Arabian biome have their focus on the immediate vicinity of the sites. This correlates with the placement of sites in the context of highly humid environments which can be best exemplified with the site of Al-Ansab 1 in the escarpments of the Jordanian Rift Valley. Here, the environmental conditions acted as a magnet, focusing gazelles on the migration between different environments.
Highlights
This situation is contrasted by the dominance of deer (Dama mesopotamica) and mountain gazelles (Gazella gazella) in sites situated in the Mediterranean biome along the shores of the Mediterranean (Rabinovich, 2003)
We argue for the hunting of the goitered gazelle at highly humid locations in the dry environment of the southern Levant based on prey predictability by the Early Ahmarian hunter-gatherers
What can be seen and what cannot be seen is relevant for the decision-making processes of prehistoric hunter-gatherers
Summary
Given their recurrent and dominant presence in archaeological sites of the Early Ahmarian in the Levant, it is likely that their exploitation played an important role in human subsistence in the region (Rabinovich, 2003; Yeshurun et al, 2019)1 3 Vol.:(0123456789) 22 Page 2 of 24J Paleolit Archaeol (2021) 4: 22 and that larger ungulates were the favoured prey in the available spectrum (Stiner, 2005). In the arid southern and south-eastern parts of the Early Ahmarian, steppic vegetation promotes the dominant presence of Gazella subgutturosa in the archaeological assemblages This situation is contrasted by the dominance of deer (Dama mesopotamica) and mountain gazelles (Gazella gazella) in sites situated in the Mediterranean biome along the shores of the Mediterranean (Rabinovich, 2003). 46,000 a and 28,000 a cal BP, the extent of the Mediterranean biome (MB) was smaller than today, favouring the presence of arid environments like the Irano-Turanian (ITB) and Saharo-Arabian biomes (SAB) (Miebach et al, 2019).
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
