PRELIMINARY RESULTS FROM APPLICATION OF GIS TO STUDY THE DISTRIBUTION OF SELECT TAPHONOMIC AGENTS AND THEIR EFFECTS ON THE FAUNAL REMAINS FROM 3 COLLUVIUM LEVEL OF ISERNIA LA PINETA

摘要

Prehistoric human occupation at the early Middle Pleistocene, Palaeolithic open-air site of Isernia La Pineta (Molise, Italy) is evidenced by an impressive repertoire of lithic tools and faunal remains recovered from four archaeosurfaces, identified in two sectors of the excavation set area within a complex stratigraphic series. Having been extensively excavated, well-documented and inter-disciplinarily researched for over four decades, these archaeosurfaces were ideal for and subjected to GIS-based spatial studies. In the faunal context, maps were designed and developed to analyse the frequency, density and distribution of osseous remains, different species determined and their representative skeletal parts for archaeosurfaces 3c, 3a and 3810. Recently, 3 colluvium became prominent for its first human remain discovery, a deciduous incisor (dated to 583-561 ka by 40Ar/39Ar). Updated archaeo-zoological and taphonomic analyses of this level's assemblage revealed the dominance of large ungulates. Systematic and intentional carcass utilisation process for nutrition-rich parts by hominins is supported by evidence of anthropic marks, fractures and notches in certain places. Alterations caused by natural agents included trampling, erosion, exfoliation, evidences of different stages of weathering and deposition of concretions as part of their post-depositional history. This paper, hence, aims to make initial attempts of further spatial queries through 2D maps for 3 colluvium faunal remains in conjunction with additional taphonomy variables like weathering, erosion and exfoliation to see if any patterns regarding their effect, emerge. Results show areas of intermittent dense and sparse concentrations of altered and unaltered remains. It is inferred that fewer remains, less distributed in the central part of the excavated area, probably remained exposed to the impact of these taphonomic factors longer than the higher quantity of remains, more densely distributed in the southern, south western and south eastern part which otherwise experienced quicker burial.