Abstract
Abstract By the Upper Palaeolithic, there is considerable evidence that humans were very efficient communal hunters of large game. The significance of wild horses in the economy and ritual life of the Upper Palaeolithic people is attested to by the predominance of equids in European cave art and the frequency of their remains in archaeological deposits. The famous locality of Solutre, in east-central France, may be considered the best preserved example of a mass kill site in Western Europe. By integrating evidence from the regional topography, the faunal material from recent excavations, and modern equid behavioral studies, the hunting strategy employed throughout the span of time during which Solutre was utilized is reconstructured. Five basic hunting hypotheses are presented here and evaluated in light of the information obtained through current research. The most satisfactory reconstruction of activities leading to the formation of the site of Solutre involves the driving of bands of horses, during summer horse migrations, a short distance up from the valley floor into a cul-de-sac formed by the cliff-face were they were briefly corralled and killed with spears.
Published Version
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