Les Canalettes (Layer 3)
Basic information
Sample name: Les Canalettes (Layer 3)
Reference: D. Cochard, J. P. Brugal, E. Morin, and L. Meignen. 2012. Evidence of small fast game exploitation in the Middle Paleolithic of Les Canalettes Aveyron, France. Quaternary International 264:32-51 [ER 3711]
Geography
Country: France
State: Occitania
Coordinate: 43° 58' 47" N, 3° 15' 28" E
Coordinate basis: based on nearby landmark
Time interval: Late Pleistocene
Section: 3711
Unit number: 2
Unit order: above to below
Ma: 0.0735
Age basis: thermoluminescence
Geography comments: "Les Canalettes is a mid-altitude (700 m) rockshelter located at the southern border of the Massif Central in the Aveyron region of France".
"Climatic data and a Thermoluminescence date of 73.5 ± 6 ka on burnt flint from layer 2 suggest that the site was occupied at the end of MIS 5a (71–85 ka)".
"Climatic data and a Thermoluminescence date of 73.5 ± 6 ka on burnt flint from layer 2 suggest that the site was occupied at the end of MIS 5a (71–85 ka)".
Environment
Lithology: not described
Taphonomic context: human accumulation,rock shelter
Archaeology: stone tools
Habitat comments: "The site faces south-southwest and lies underneath a 4-m high overhang that provides 60–70 m2 of protected area".
"The Les Canalettes layers contain rich and well-preserved faunal assemblages associated with a typical Mousterian lithic assemblage".
"The faunal assemblages appear to be mostly anthropogenic, a phenomenon that is characteristic of several French Mousterian sites".
"The Les Canalettes layers contain rich and well-preserved faunal assemblages associated with a typical Mousterian lithic assemblage".
"The faunal assemblages appear to be mostly anthropogenic, a phenomenon that is characteristic of several French Mousterian sites".
Methods
Life forms: carnivores,ungulates,other small mammals
Sampling methods: quarry,screenwash
Sample size: 2217 specimens
Years: 1980 - 1997
Sampling comments: "The first excavations at Les Canalettes were initiated shortly after the discovery of the site in 1964. More systematic excavations followed between 1980 and 1997".
"These excavations, which were concentrated in the central zone of the rockshelter, enlarged the excavated area to around 30 m2, and defined three stratigraphic layers (from bottom to top: 4, 3, and 2). The layers were sieved using a 2-mm mesh screen".
"These excavations, which were concentrated in the central zone of the rockshelter, enlarged the excavated area to around 30 m2, and defined three stratigraphic layers (from bottom to top: 4, 3, and 2). The layers were sieved using a 2-mm mesh screen".
Metadata
Sample number: 3932
Contributor: Benjamin Carter
Enterer: Benjamin Carter
Created: 2022-03-28 11:51:50
Modified: 2023-05-30 00:36:08
Abundance distribution
19 species
3 singletons
total count 2217
geometric series index: 25.0
Fisher's α: 2.854
geometric series k: 0.6752
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.6591
Shannon's H: 1.5389
Good's u: 0.9986
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
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Register
| †Stephanorhinus hemitoechus | 8 | |
| "Dicerorhinus hemitoechus" | ||
| Equus ferus ferus | 498 | 422 kg |
| "Equus caballus": hunted wild horses | ||
| Equus hemionus hydruntinus | 41 | grazer |
| "Equus hydruntinus" | ||
| †Bos primigenius | 112 | |
| Cervus elaphus | 1176 | 104 kg |
| Capreolus capreolus | 87 | 22 kg browser |
| Capra ibex | 26 | 37 kg |
| Rupicapra rupicapra | 93 | 27 kg browser-grazer |
| Sus scrofa | 6 | 54 kg herbivore |
| †Ursus spelaeus | 13 | |
| Ursus arctos | 3 | 156 kg frugivore-carnivore |
| Canis lupus | 23 | 43 kg carnivore |
| Vulpes vulpes | 9 | 5.3 kg carnivore-insectivore |
| Crocuta sp. | 8 | |
| "Crocuta crocuta": possibly C. spelaea | ||
| †Panthera spelaea | 1 | |
| Lynx pardinus spelaeus | 1 | 11 kg |
| "Lynx spelaea" | ||
| Felis silvestris | 1 | 4.5 kg carnivore |
| Meles meles | 2 | 11 kg invertivore-herbivore |
| Oryctolagus cuniculus | 109 | 2.5 kg browser-grazer |