Gueldaman Cave GLD1 (UA4)
Basic information
Sample name: Gueldaman Cave GLD1 (UA4)
Reference: S. Merzoug, F. Kherbouche, N. Sehil, R. Chelli, and S. Hachi. 2016. Faunal analysis of the Neolithic units from the Gueldaman Cave GLD1 (Akbou, Algeria) and the shift in sheep/goat husbandry. Quaternary International 410:43-49 [ER 3653]
Geography
Country: Algeria
State: Bejaia
Coordinate: 36° 27' N, 4° 33' E
Coordinate basis: based on nearby landmark
Time interval: Holocene
Section: 3653
Unit number: 4
Unit order: below to above
Ma: 0.003945
Age basis: radiocarbon (uncalibrated)
Geography comments: "The GLD1 cave is one of the six caves located on the southeast slope of Adrar Gueldaman (basis of coordinate), an eastern Mediterranean ridge of the western Tellian Babors"
"It is situated near the town of Akbou (Bejaia, Algeria), on the southwest side of the Soummam River"
There are a total of "five archaeological units", with "Units UA1 to UA4 related to the Neolithic culture"
UA4 has a Median Carbon-14 calibrated date of 4403 calendar years BP.
"It is situated near the town of Akbou (Bejaia, Algeria), on the southwest side of the Soummam River"
There are a total of "five archaeological units", with "Units UA1 to UA4 related to the Neolithic culture"
UA4 has a Median Carbon-14 calibrated date of 4403 calendar years BP.
Environment
Lithology: limestone
Taphonomic context: cave
Archaeology: bone tools,ceramics,stone tools,other artifacts
Habitat comments: "The caves consist of a large karst network formed in Jurassic limestone" (Kherbouche et al. 2014)
The GLD1 cave is about 80 metres long and consists of a long dome-shaped corridor, ending at the main room, the "Grande Salle"
"The first excavations at GLD1 in the 1920s provided a large collection of artefacts: polished bone tools, fragments of pottery, some lithic tools such as polished axes, faunal bones, and a few human remains"
The findings of the new excavations initiated in 2010 "comprise lithic artifacts, grinding equipment, potsherds, ornaments, bone tools, human and faunal remains"
The GLD1 cave is about 80 metres long and consists of a long dome-shaped corridor, ending at the main room, the "Grande Salle"
"The first excavations at GLD1 in the 1920s provided a large collection of artefacts: polished bone tools, fragments of pottery, some lithic tools such as polished axes, faunal bones, and a few human remains"
The findings of the new excavations initiated in 2010 "comprise lithic artifacts, grinding equipment, potsherds, ornaments, bone tools, human and faunal remains"
Methods
Life forms: carnivores,ungulates,other small mammals
Sampling methods: quarry,screenwash
Sample size: 649 specimens
Years: 2011 - 2012
Sampling comments: From Kherbouche et al. 2014. Preliminary results from excavations at Gueldaman Cave GLD1:
"The surface of the cave was divided into four sectors" (S1, S2, S3, S4)
"In 2010, we removed the disturbed sediments from S2 and S3, a volume of ∼100 m3. Only 4 m3 were water-screened through 2 mm and 4 mm mesh"
"Excavations in 2011 and 2012 concentrated mainly on two areas of 7 m2 in S2 and 1 m2 in S3"
"During these excavations, all sediments were water-screened through 1.5 mm and 4 mm mesh and subjected systematically to flotation, with collection in 250 μm mesh"
The register data below correspond to the macromammal remains recovered from Sectors S2 and S3 in Neolithic unit UA4 during the 2011–2012 excavations (as reported in Merzoug et al. 2016)
"The surface of the cave was divided into four sectors" (S1, S2, S3, S4)
"In 2010, we removed the disturbed sediments from S2 and S3, a volume of ∼100 m3. Only 4 m3 were water-screened through 2 mm and 4 mm mesh"
"Excavations in 2011 and 2012 concentrated mainly on two areas of 7 m2 in S2 and 1 m2 in S3"
"During these excavations, all sediments were water-screened through 1.5 mm and 4 mm mesh and subjected systematically to flotation, with collection in 250 μm mesh"
The register data below correspond to the macromammal remains recovered from Sectors S2 and S3 in Neolithic unit UA4 during the 2011–2012 excavations (as reported in Merzoug et al. 2016)
Metadata
Sample number: 3838
Contributor: Benjamin Carter
Enterer: Benjamin Carter
Created: 2021-08-14 15:03:35
Modified: 2023-04-29 04:13:17
Abundance distribution
7 species
1 singleton
total count 649
extrapolated richness: 8.7
Fisher's α: 1.096
geometric series k: 0.3522
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.3374
Shannon's H: 0.7709
Good's u: 0.9985
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
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Register
| Bos spp. | 42 | |
| "Bos primigenius/Bos taurus" | ||
| Gazella spp. | 5 | |
| Ammotragus lervia | 22 | 80 kg |
| Caprinae indet. | 524 | |
| "Ovis aries/Capra hircus" | ||
| Sus scrofa | 40 | 54 kg herbivore |
| "Sus scrofa/Sus domesticus" | ||
| Canis aureus | 1 | 9.9 kg carnivore-frugivore |
| Leporidae indet. | 15 | |
| "Lepus capensis/Oryctolagus cuniculus" | ||