Kutikina Cave (Unit 1)
Basic information
Sample name: Kutikina Cave (Unit 1)
Reference: J. M. Garvey. 2006. Preliminary zooarchaeological interpretations from Kutikina Cave, south-west Tasmania. Australian Aboriginal Studies 1:57-62 [ER 3697]
Geography
Country: Australia
State: Tasmania
Coordinate: 42° 20' 8" S, 145° 47' 54" E
Coordinate basis: estimated from map
Time interval: Late Pleistocene
Section: 3697
Unit number: 1
Unit order: above to below
Max Ma: 0.01567
Min Ma: 0.01484
Age basis: radiocarbon (uncalibrated)
Geography comments: "Kutikina Cave (formerly Fraser Cave) is located on the east bank of the Franklin River in south-western Tasmania, at the head of a resurgence valley 35 m distant from and 10 m above the present river level".
Radiocarbon dates indicate Stratigraphic Unit 1 ranges from approximately 15 to 16 000 years BP.
Radiocarbon dates indicate Stratigraphic Unit 1 ranges from approximately 15 to 16 000 years BP.
Environment
Lithology: limestone
Taphonomic context: cave,human accumulation
Archaeology: hearths,stone tools
Habitat comments: "Kutikina is a large cave, with the main chamber more than 12 metres wide, almost 20 metres long, and 5 metres high, with the floor rising in 700 mm high banks littered with stone tools and burnt artefacts on three sides".
A total of 75 000 stone artefacts and 250 000 bone fragments were collected from the approximately 0.67 cubic metres excavated".
"In the uppermost complex (Unit 1), there are superimposed hearths with lenses of red-baked clay and abundant charcoal flecks".
"The overwhelming preponderance of a few large game species, substantial bone modification, and easy access to the cave, suggest the assemblage is a human accumulation".
A total of 75 000 stone artefacts and 250 000 bone fragments were collected from the approximately 0.67 cubic metres excavated".
"In the uppermost complex (Unit 1), there are superimposed hearths with lenses of red-baked clay and abundant charcoal flecks".
"The overwhelming preponderance of a few large game species, substantial bone modification, and easy access to the cave, suggest the assemblage is a human accumulation".
Methods
Life forms: rodents,other large mammals,other small mammals,birds
Sampling methods: quarry,screenwash
Sample size: 1687 specimens
Years: 1981
Sampling comments: "The excavation measured 1 metre wide and 1.3 metres deep. All material was wet-sieved using a three mm mesh sieve, with all stone, bone, charcoal and other artefacts collected".
Note: The faunal remains presented and discussed by Garvey (2006) do not include selected faunal material retained at the Australian National University. While this material has since been returned to Tasmania, this was sometime after the publication of the reference paper.
Note: The faunal remains presented and discussed by Garvey (2006) do not include selected faunal material retained at the Australian National University. While this material has since been returned to Tasmania, this was sometime after the publication of the reference paper.
Metadata
Sample number: 3884
Contributor: Benjamin Carter
Enterer: Benjamin Carter
Created: 2022-02-10 13:38:37
Modified: 2023-04-29 05:43:55
Abundance distribution
9 species
4 singletons
total count 1687
geometric series index: 21.2
Fisher's α: 1.248
geometric series k: 0.4012
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.2083
Shannon's H: 0.4014
Good's u: 0.9976
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
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Register
| Antechinus swainsonii | 1 | |
| Antechinus minimus | 1 | |
| also 1 Antechinus sp. | ||
| Sminthopsis leucopus | 1 | |
| Mastacomys fuscus | 3 | |
| also 4 Muridae indet. | ||
| Thylogale billardierii | 2 | 5.1 kg |
| Tribonyx mortierii | 3 | 1.3 kg |
| "Gallinula mortierii" | ||
| Notamacropus rufogriseus | 1489 | 14 kg |
| "Macropus rufogriseus" | ||
| Vombatus ursinus | 186 | 29 kg |
| Macropus giganteus | 1 | 38 kg grazer |
| also 5651 Mammalia indet. | ||