Sample name: Oumm Qatafa Cave (layer D2)

Sample aka: Umm Qatafa

Reference: N. Marom, I. A. Lazagabaster, R. Shafir, F. Natalio, V. Eisenmann, and L. K. Horwitz. 2022. The Late Middle Pleistocene mammalian fauna of Oumm Qatafa Cave, Judean Desert: taxonomy, taphonomy and palaeoenvironment. Journal of Quaternary Science 37(4):612-638 [ER 3989]

Lithology: claystone

Taphonomic context: cave,human accumulation

Archaeology: bone tools,stone tools

Habitat comments: layer D2 is "a ~1 m thick layer, characterised by a light brown clay matrix"
there are 10 burnt bones from "Layers D1–D2" and "Human butchery marks were observed only on five bones from Layers D1 and D2"
"evidence for carnivore involvement in the assemblage formation is scarce... Humans are therefore favoured as the major bone‐accumulating agent, at least in Layer D"
Late Acheulian based on "handaxe typology" and "Vaufrey identified five bones that had been used as artefacts and retouched with flint tools" of which two were from D2

Life forms: carnivores,ungulates,other large mammals,other small mammals

Sampling methods: quarry

Sample size: 58 specimens

Years: 1928, 1932, 1949

Sampling comments: "excavated by Rene Neuville in three seasons – 1928, 1932 and 1949 "
"three hominin phalanges" are mentioned in the text but not described and possibly not "in situ" but "derived from the overlying layer A"
micromammals, reptiles, and birds were described in older literature
some of the large mammal fossils described in older literature could not be recovered and were not counted

Sample number: 4404

Contributor: John Alroy

Enterer: John Alroy

Created: 2023-12-10 16:19:19

Modified: 2023-12-10 05:19:19