Food and Ornament: Use of Shellfish at Ifri Oudadane, a Holocene Settlement in NE Morocco (original) (raw)
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The seasonal pattern of shellfish foraging at the archaeological site of Haua Fteah in the Gebel Akhdar, Libya was investigated from the Epipaleolithic to the Neolithic via oxygen isotope (d18O) analyses of the topshell Phorcus (Osilinus) turbinatus. To validate this species as faithful year-round palaeoenvironmental recorder, the intra-annual variability of d18O in modern shells and sea water was analysed and compared with measured sea surface temperature (SST). The shells were found to be good candidates for seasonal shellfish forging studies as they preserve nearly the complete annual SST cycle in their shell d18O with minimal slowing or stoppage of growth. During the terminal Pleistocene Early Epipaleolithic (locally known as the Oranian, with modeled dates of 17.2e12.5 ka at 2s probability, Douka et al., 2014), analysis of archaeological specimens indicates that shellfish were foraged year-round. This complements other evidence from the archaeological record that shows that the cave was more intensively occupied in this period than before or afterwards. This finding is significant as the period of the Oranian was the coldest and driest phase of the last glacial cycle in the Gebel Akhdar, adding weight to the theory that the Gebel Akhdar may have served as a refugium for humans in North Africa during times of global climatic ex- tremes. Mollusc exploitation in the Latest Pleistocene and Early Holocene, during the Late Epipaleolithic (locally known as the Capsian, c. 12.7 to 9 ka) and the Neolithic (c. 8.5 to 5.4 ka), occurred predominantly during winter. Other evidence from these archaeological phases shows that hunting activities occurred during the warmer months. Therefore, the timing of Holocene shellfish exploitation in the Gebel Akhdar may have been influenced by the seasonal availability of other resources at these times and possibly shellfish were used as a dietary supplement when other foods were less abundant.
Quaternary International, 2014
Shells of terrestrial gastropods (Helicidae, Sphincterochilidae) are common in rock shelter sediments and open-air sites of Iberomaurusian to Neolithic age in NE Morocco. Excavations at numerous sites in the eastern Rif yielded new sites with a rich record of well-preserved terrestrial gastropods, among which species of the genera Otala, Sphincterochila and Alabastrina dominate. In sites with sediments younger than 7500 calBP, such as Taghit Haddouch, Hassi Ouenzga, Ifri Oudadane, Ifri Armas and Mtlili, a high percentage of shells were perforated in a regular manner. Narrow slots or squarish holes of a few millimetres width cut into the second or third whorl are regularly found in an apical position of the shell.We interpret these as evidence of human manipulation of the shell in order to facilitate consumption of the snail body. We discuss these new findings in the context of the settlement of this part of North Africa by different cultural groups.
Human manipulation of terrestrial gastropods in Neolithic culture groups of NE Morocco
Quaternary International, 2014
Shells of terrestrial gastropods (Helicidae, Sphincterochilidae) are common in rock shelter sediments and open-air sites of Iberomaurusian to Neolithic age in NE Morocco. Excavations at numerous sites in the eastern Rif yielded new sites with a rich record of well-preserved terrestrial gastropods, among which species of the genera Otala, Sphincterochila and Alabastrina dominate. In sites with sediments younger than 7500 calBP, such as Taghit Haddouch, Hassi Ouenzga, Ifri Oudadane, Ifri Armas and Mtlili, a high percentage of shells were perforated in a regular manner. Narrow slots or squarish holes of a few millimetres width cut into the second or third whorl are regularly found in an apical position of the shell. We interpret these as evidence of human manipulation of the shell in order to facilitate consumption of the snail body. We discuss these new findings in the context of the settlement of this part of North Africa by different cultural groups.
The Holocene, 2018
Processes behind the shift from hunting-gathering to food production lifestyle are multifaceted and not yet completely understood. The Mediterranean coast of NW Africa provides an eclectic transitional pattern, namely, a very hesitant transition to food production. The distribution and abundance of early Neolithic domesticated species is disparate and region specific. Climate and environmental change have been often considered as an important influencing factor for this transition. This hypothesis was tested using archeological shells of the rocky intertidal gastropod Phorcus turbinatus recovered from the Ifri Oudadane site in NE Morocco. The oxygen isotope composition (δ 18 O) of the shell was used to examine whether the hesitant transition to food production was linked to a local climate shift in the Mediterranean Maghreb. Intrashell δ 18 O values suggest a marked temperature increase from >7.6 to ~7.0 cal. ka BP, the time when Neolithic innovations first appear on site. An additional increase in temperature from ~7.0 to <6.8 cal. ka BP matches with the beginning of the main occupation phase and the doubtless breakthrough of cultivation at Ifri Oudadane. This apparent warming trend, although considered preliminary, seems to match well with warming tendency observed in several published regional climate proxies. Therefore, a temperature shift may have played a role in the timing and implementation of food production in the area. Last growth episode δ 18 O values suggest that shellfish were harvested throughout most of the year, with noticeable intensification during the cooler half of the year. This preliminary pattern was fairly consistent throughout the Epipaleolithic and early Neolithic phases, pointing to a probable near year-round site occupation rather than a single season settlement. Future research on Ifri Oudadane and other NW African archeological records are much needed to assess whether these patterns persist in Morocco and other Epipaleolithic and early Neolithic settlements in the western Mediterranean Maghreb.
Recent studies have shown that the use of aquatic resources has greater antiquity in hominin diets than previously thought. At present, it is unclear when hominins started to habitually consume marine resources. This study examines shellfish exploitation from a behavioural ecology perspective, addressing how and when past hunter-gatherers from the Levant used coastal resources for subsistence purposes. We investigate the seasonality of shellfish exploitation in the Levantine Upper Palaeolithic through oxygen isotope analysis on shells of the intertidal rocky shore mollusc Phorcus (Osilinus) turbinatus from the key site Ksâr 'Akil (Lebanon). At this rockshelter, multi-layered archaeological deposits contained remains of both marine and terrestrial molluscs in relatively large quantities, which were consumed and used as tools and ornaments by the occupants of the site. Our results indicate that at the start of the Initial Upper Palaeolithic (IUP), there is no evidence for shellfish consumption. Humans started to take fresh shellfish to the rockshelter from the second half of the IUP onward, albeit in low quantities. During the Early Upper Palaeolithic (EUP) shellfish exploitation became increasingly frequent. Oxygen isotope data show that shellfish exploitation was practised in every season throughout most of the Upper Palaeolithic (UP), with an emphasis on the colder months. This suggests that coastal resources had a central role in early UP foraging strategies, rather than a seasonally restricted supplementary one. Year-round shellfish gathering, in turn, suggests that humans occupied the rockshelter at different times of the year, although not necessarily continuously. Our oxygen isotope data is complemented with broader-scale exploitation patterns of faunal resources, both vertebrate and invertebrate, at the site. The inclusion of coastal marine resources signifies a diversification of the human diet from the EUP onward, which is also observed in foraging practices linked to the exploitation of terrestrial fauna.
Shells of marine molluscs exploited by prehistoric humans constitute archives of palaeoecological and palaeoclimatic data, as well as of human behaviour in coastal settings. Here we present our investigations on the mollusc assemblage from Ks^ar 'Akil (Lebanon), a key site in southwestern Asia occupied during the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic. The site plays an important role in understanding modern human dispersals into Eurasia. Taxa from intertidal rocky shore, subtidal soft bottom, and rocky littoral habitats dominate the marine component of the invertebrate assemblage. Terrestrial snails indicate wooded and open half shaded habitats in the vicinity of the site. Species composition suggests that these habitats were present throughout the Upper Palaeolithic. Humans transported marine molluscs to the rockshelter as ‘food packages’ for dietary purposes (e.g., Patella caerulea, Patella rustica, Phorcus turbinatus) and shells of other taxa to be used as tools (e.g., Glycymeris sp.) or possibly for ornamental purposes (e.g., Nassarius gibbosulus and Columbella rustica). In the Initial Upper Palaeolithic, collection focussed on empty shells as raw material for utilitarian purposes. In the subsequent Early Upper Palaeolithic and later periods, mollusc gathering was performed in an increasing number of habitats and shifted towards collection for human consumption, which was the main reason for the introduction of shells to the site during the Epipalaeolithic. Concurrent size shifts of live collected as well as beached specimens suggests that size changes were linked to environmental change rather than to potential overexploitation of dietary taxa by humans.
Gastropod consumption during the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene in the Haua Fteah, Libya
2019
Land snail shell is a frequent constituent of archaeological sites, but it is rarely clear whether it represents food refuse, the remains of scavengers, or evidence for natural processes. Piercing of land snail shells enables the animal to be extracted from the shell and thus provides direct evidence for human consumption. We report pierced land snails from the Haua Fteah, Libya. The earliest pierced land snail shell in the Haua Fteah pre-dates the Last Interglacial, while the most recent is Late-Classical in age, but the largest quantities are in layers of Late-Glacial and earliest Holocene age, where they are associated with atypical microliths. Introduction Marine gastropods are major components of shell middens worldwide and are usually regarded as evidence for human consumption of the animals, except in the cases of shell middens produced during the processing of Muricids for dye production (e.g. Reese 2000, 2010) and the use of gastropods for bait (Oliver 2015). The issue of c...