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)".

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".

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".

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.
Register
Stephanorhinus hemitoechus8
"Dicerorhinus hemitoechus"
Equus ferus ferus498422 kg
"Equus caballus": hunted wild horses
Equus hemionus hydruntinus41 grazer
"Equus hydruntinus"
Bos primigenius112
Cervus elaphus1176142 kg browser-grazer
Capreolus capreolus8722 kg browser
Capra ibex2637 kg
Rupicapra rupicapra9327 kg browser-grazer
Sus scrofa654 kg herbivore
Ursus spelaeus13
Ursus arctos3156 kg frugivore-carnivore
Canis lupus2343 kg carnivore
Vulpes vulpes95.3 kg carnivore-insectivore
Crocuta sp.8
"Crocuta crocuta": possibly C. spelaea
Panthera spelaea1
Lynx pardinus spelaeus111 kg
"Lynx spelaea"
Felis silvestris14.5 kg carnivore
Meles meles210 kg invertivore-herbivore
Oryctolagus cuniculus1092.5 kg browser-grazer