Mousterian fauna from Dederiyeh Cave and comparisons with Fauna from Umm El Tlel and Douara Cave

Abstract

Currently, Dederiyeh Cave (in northwest Syria) is one of the key sites in the Middle East for better understanding Neanderthal behaviour. The stratigraphie sequence, based on excavations carried out to date, and the large quantity of faunal remains recovered make palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic reconstructions possible. Comparisons with assemblages recovered from the sites of Umm El Tlel and Douara Cave (central Syria) illustrate the significant aptitude of Neanderthals for environmental adaptation. Taphonomic and archaeozoological analyses show that humans alone are responsible for the bone accumulation in Dederiyeh Cave. Middle-sized mammals (wild goat, red deer, fallow deer and gazelle) were hunted by Neanderthals and carried whole into the cave. Large species, specifically wild ox and rhinoceros, are represented in Dederiyeh Cave by teeth, skull fragments and phalanges, and appear to have been scavenged. Faunal studies carried out on collections from Dederiyeh Cave, Umm el Tlel and Douara Cave indicate elaborate behaviour and social organization for different groups present in Syria during the Middle Palaeolithic period.