Palaeoecology and Forager Subsistence Strategies during the Pleistocene–Holocene Transition: A Reinvestigation of the Zooarchaeological Assemblage from Spirit Cave, Mae Hong Son Province, Thailand

This reanalysis uses the zooarchaeological assemblage recovered from Spirit Cave to understand hunter-gatherer use and occupation at the site during the Pleistocene– Holocene transition. We analyze bone fragmentation, sample size, and relative abundance to establish the preservation and overall comp...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Asian perspectives (Honolulu) 2016-01, Vol.55 (1), p.2-27
Main Authors: CONRAD, CYLER, HIGHAM, CHARLES, EDA, MASAKI, MARWICK, BEN
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
Archaeology
Bats
Book publishing
Deer
Excavation
Fauna
Foraging
Gorman, Chester
Hares
Hunter gatherers
Paleoecology
Prehistoric era
Specimens
Turtles
Zooarchaeology
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Summary:This reanalysis uses the zooarchaeological assemblage recovered from Spirit Cave to understand hunter-gatherer use and occupation at the site during the Pleistocene– Holocene transition. We analyze bone fragmentation, sample size, and relative abundance to establish the preservation and overall composition of the remaining fauna. Identification of several new taxa, including roundleaf bats (Hipposideros larvatus and bicolor), elongated tortoise (Indotestudo elongata), black marsh turtle (Siebenrockiella crassicollis), Burmese hare (Lepus cf. peguensis) and a potential red junglefowl (Phasianidae—? Gallus gallus) provide insights into hunter-gatherer occupation, palaeoecology, and subsistence strategies between 12,000 and 7000 years B.P. Our results indicate that Spirit Cave was occupied more sporadically than originally suggested; additionally, we identify new evidence for landscape disturbance during the early Holocene. Although this Spirit Cave zooarchaeological assemblage is incomplete, it remains an important component of Southeast Asian prehistory, providing evidence for human adaptations during a period of climatic change and instability.
ISSN:0066-8435
1535-8283
1535-8283
DOI:10.1353/asi.2016.0013