Tonight our second student to talk about the study of human-animal relationships from archaeological sites (#zooarchaeology) is Amanda B., who will be discussing the archaeology of...the dik dik! The following thread is her work. #WLCrittersClass#2023MMM
2/? #WLCrittersClass#2023MMM The dik-dik is a small mammal from the family Bovidae found in both south and east Africa, in small pockets of Somalia and Tanzania as well as Namibia and Angola.
3/? #WLCrittersClass#2023MMM
The dik-dik has been seen throughout archaeological history as food for communities that practice hunting and gathering in times of food insecurity and large-game overhunting.
4/? #WLCrittersClass#2023MMM
In a stable isotope study at a site called Mezber, dik-dik skeletal remains compared to human remains from the pre-Aksumite and Proto-Aksumite (1600 BCE-1CE) eras prove that dik-dik was consumed, though rarely.
5/? #WLCrittersClass#2023MMM
Most archaeological data from Mezber suggests that humans at this time had a largely plant-based diet; however, the evidence for dik-dik consumption suggests that hunting these smaller mammals may have been vital in periods of food insecurity.
6/? #WLCrittersClass#2023MMM
There are many reasons why food insecurity that led to dik-dik consumption occurred. Studies of the MIS & MIS1 periods in Somalia suggest environmental changes & overhunting led to resource scarcity, meaning people had to hunt less desirable animals
7/? #WLCrittersClass#2023MMM
Ultimately, research suggests dik-diks were not a staple food item for early communities in these locations. Studies have shown that they may have helped people survive & adapt when the environment forced changes in their usual diet & food supply.
8/? #WLCrittersClass#2023MMM
CITATIONS
D'Andrea, A., et al. "Stable isotopic analysis of human and animal diets from two pre-Aksumite/Proto-Aksumite archaeological sites in northern Ethiopia," J of Archaeological Science,Vol 38, Issue 2, 2011, p. 367-374,doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.…
Jones, M., & S. Brandt, “20,000 years of small game hunting in southern Somalia,” Quaternary International, Vol 634, 2022, p. 14-26, doi.org/10.1016/j.quai….
11/? #WLCrittersClass#2023MMM
Ruiz Giralt, A. et al. “Human woodland interactions during the Pre Aksumite & Aksumite pds in NE Tigray, Ethiopia: insights from the wood charcoal analyses from Mezber & Ona Adi,” In Vegetation History & Archaeobotany (2021) 30:713–728 .
2/x #2023MMM#WLCrittersClass The wolverine (Gulo gulo) is found in N America & N Eurasia. Wolverines were historically found in more southern areas of Europe, but this changed due to humans, as we’ll see at the site of Dolní Věstonice I!
3/x #WLCrittersClass#2023MMM
Dolní Věstonice I is one of the most significant localities known from southern Moravia belonging to the Pavlovian culture (29-25kya), a local variant of the Upper Paleolithic Gravettian culture. Excavations began there in 1924.
1/x And now for student #zooarchaeology thread #2 for tonight's Mighty Stripes battles: #TEAMWILDCAT which should have gone last week but I told the student THAT OBVIOUSLY THEY WOULD WIN so she could wait until next week. Ooops. Thread by Taylor M. #WLCrittersClass#2023MMM
2/x My beloved combatant for #2023MMM is the wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris) AKA the European Wildcat. It’s the FIERCEST animal of the Mighty Stripes! Archaeological evidence from Cyprus and Göbekli Tepe reveal more about their significance. #WLCrittersClass
3/x #2023MMM#WLCrittersClass The Felis genus first appeared ~3.4 million years ago. Felis sylvestris is NOT the wild ancestor of domesticated cats, which came from the African wildcat, Felis lybica. The skull below is Felis lybica (citation in AltTxt).
2/? The striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) has the largest range of any dolphin! They live in every ocean other than the Arctic! They prefer warmer tropical waters though. #2023MMM#WLCritters#Teamstripeddolphin
3/? In the Late Bronze Age of the Mediterranean region, paintings of striped dolphins were done using special blue paint. This began with the Late Minoans at the Palace of Knossos in Crete in what is known as the “Marine Style”. #2023MMM#WLCritters#stripeddolphin
1/? #WLCrittersClass#2023MMM
Sea otters are a member of the Mustelidae family, and the only mammal that gives birth underwater. I’m going to focus on their history, ecological importance, and what we know about them due to archaeology, mainly from Alaskan indigenous Nations.
#WLCrittersClass#2023MMM
Sea Otters were endangered for a long time because they were overhunted in the 18th-20th centuries for their pelts. By 1911, sea otters were extinct from Oregon; their population was believed to be ~1500 in the world. (U.S Government 2017).