The Acheulian Site of Gesher Benot Ya‘aqov Volume III: Mammalian Taphonomy. The Assemblages of Layers V-5 and V-6 (Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology Book 3)

Multidisciplinary research on the Early-Middle Pleistocene site of Gesher Benot Ya‘aqov has yielded abundant climatic, environmental, ecological and behavioral records. The 15 archaeological horizons form a sequence of Acheulian occupational episodes on the shore of the paleo-Lake Hula. These enable us to reconstruct numerous aspects of the survival and adaptation of ancient hominins, leading to a better understanding of their evolution and behavior. This book presents the faunal analyses of medium-sized and large mammals, providing taxonomic, taphonomic and actualistic data for the largest faunal assemblages. The study of modes of animal exploitation reveals valuable information on hominin behavior. Front Matter....Pages i-xlii Introduction....Pages 1-2 The Acheulian Site of Gesher Benot Ya‘aqov....Pages 3-14 Materials and Methodology....Pages 15-20 Systematic Paleontology....Pages 21-39 Taphonomic Analysis....Pages 41-91 Reconstructing Site-Formation Processes at GBY—The Experiments....Pages 93-222 A Reconstruction of the Taphonomic History of GBY....Pages 223-244 Summary and Conclusions....Pages 245-248 Back Matter....Pages 249-269 Featuring the earliest evidence in Eurasia of animal exploitation, this volume presents faunal analyses of medium-sized and large mammals at this Israeli site and provides taxonomic and actualistic data as well as beautifully illustrated studies in taphonomy