IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Pickering, T.R. | |
| Cave bears and modern human origins, the spatial taphonomy of pod hradem cave, Czech Republic | |
| 1998 International Journal of Osteoarcheaology (8): 457 -465 | |
Zooarchaeologists working on the taphonomy of Plio-Pleistocene sites have long recognized the ubiquitous and confounding role that the phenomenon of equifinality has played in patterning skeletal part representation and bone modifications at these ancient sites. Thus, a considerable amount of research has been devoted to understanding the various nonhominid actors and processes that are capable of patterning animal remains in ways previously attributed solely to the consequences of hominid behavior. The results of this type of actualistic work are often criticized as 'cautionary tales'. But, this criticism is unfounded, and these studies are, to the contrary, absolutely essential to archaeologists attempting to interpret sites of any complexity. Because ascertaining hominid behavior from material remains is the very objective of study for the archaeologist, it is vital that acultural physical and biotic processes are ruled-out before invoking the actions of hominids as being responsible for material patterning at a site. |
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