Abstract
Studies of modern carnivore accumulations of bone (i.e., neo-taphonomy) are crucial for interpreting fossil accumulations in the archaeological and paleontological records. Yet, studies in arid regions have been limited in both number and detailed taphonomic data, prohibiting our understanding of carnivore bone-accumulating and -modifying behavior in dry regions. Here, we present a taphonomic analysis of an impressive carnivore-accumulated bone assemblage from the Umm Jirsan lava tube in the Harrat Khaybar region, Saudi Arabia. The size and composition of the bone accumulation, as well as the presence of hyena skeletal remains and coprolites, suggest that the assemblage was primarily accumulated by striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena). Our findings (1) identify potentially useful criteria for distinguishing between accumulations generated by different species of hyenas; (2) emphasize the need for neo-taphonomic studies for capturing the full variation in carnivore bone-accumulating and modifying behavior; (3) suggest that under the right settings, striped hyena accumulations can serve as good proxies for (paleo)ecology and livestock practices; and (4) highlight the potential for future research at Umm Jirsan, as well as at the numerous nearby lava tube systems. We encourage continued neo-taphonomic efforts in regions important in human prehistory, particularly in arid zones, which have received little research attention.
Highlights
Taphonomic studies of fossil bone accumulations are powerful tools for elucidating the interactions between hominins, animals, and the environment and have been central in discussions surrounding early hominin evolution and human prehistory (Pante et al 2012)
Dates obtained from the excavation and elsewhere in the lava tube suggest that there may have been a hiatus in den use after ~ 2500 BP up until more recent times, more dates are needed to confirm this
The faunal material has accumulated over thousands of years, attesting to the excellent preservational conditions at Umm Jirsan and highlighting the potential for future research at this site, as well as at other nearby lava tubes
Summary
Taphonomic studies of fossil bone accumulations are powerful tools for elucidating the interactions between hominins, animals, and the environment and have been central in discussions surrounding early hominin evolution and human prehistory (Pante et al 2012). The early recognition of this prompted a series of experimental and naturalistic studies that set out to identify how different bone accumulators and modifiers might be differentiated when studying fossil bone assemblages (e.g., Brain 1981; Blumenschine 1986 1988; Stiner 1990; Marean and Spencer 1991; Marean et al 1992; Selvaggio 1994) These studies demonstrated that the kinds of prey and their ages (e.g., Stiner 1990; Bunn and Pickering 2010), skeletal part representation and fragmentation (e.g., Blumenschine 1986 1988; Marean and Spencer 1991; Marean et al 1992), and the types of bone surface modifications, their locations, and frequencies (e.g., Blumenschine 1986 1988; Capaldo 1997; Domínguez-Rodrigo 1999) provide reliable insights into the agent(s) responsible for the accumulation of fossil bone assemblages. In addition to these more traditional methods, researchers are employing a variety of sophisticated high-resolution imaging (e.g., Pante et al 2017; Courtenay et al 2019), multivariate analyses (e.g., Domínguez-Rodrigo and Yravedra 2009; DomínguezRodrigo and Pickering 2010), and machine learning (e.g., Harris et al 2017; Domínguez-Rodrigo 2019; Moclán et al 2020) techniques
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