Stegodon orientalis from Panxian Dadong, a Middle Pleistocene archaeological site in Guizhou, South China: taphonomy, population structure and evidence for human interactions

Abstract

Panxian Dadong is a large karstic cave in the mountains of western Guizhou province. Archaeological excavations at Dadong have yielded a rich Ailuropoda-Stegodon faunal sample in association with stone artifacts and human remains dating to 130–300 ka. Stegodon orientalis is an important component of the faunal sample, which is dominated by large-bodied mammals. This study describes the sample of stegodont dental and skeletal material, provides an age at death profile for the stegodont sample, and evaluates the results in terms of taphonomy, site formation processes, and comparisons with other Middle Pleistocene archaeological sites with evidence for human use of proboscideans. The Dadong stegodont sample consists primarily of dental remains of young individuals less than 12 years of age with a minimum of 12 stegodonts represented. Based on the available archaeological, faunal and taphonomic data, the stegodont faunal assemblage at Dadong is probably a result of hominid activities (either hunting or scavenging) and the natural accumulation of young stegodonts from accidental deaths. This study supports the results of other analyses (Schepartz et al., 2003) that suggest humans played an important role in the formation of the Dadong faunal assemblage.