The Exploitation of Plant Resources by Neanderthals in Amud Cave (Israel): The Evidence from Phytolith Studies

Authors: Madella M.¹; Jones M.K.¹; Goldberg P.²; Goren Y.³; Hovers E.⁴

Source: Journal of Archaeological Science, Volume 29, Number 7, July 2002 , pp. 703-719(17)

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Abstract:

The depositional environments of Amud Cave indicate that phytolith assemblages retrieved from the cave's sediments are an integral part of the Middle Palaeolithic sequence. As such, they provide direct evidence for plant use. The Amud Neanderthals emphasized both wood and grass exploitation. Ligneous parts of trees and shrubs were used mainly for fuel. Herbaceous plants were used for bedding, possibly fuel, and for food. There is clear and repetitive evidence for the exploitation of mature grass panicles, inferred to have been collected for their seeds. These findings suggest that, as with the pattern recently discerned for faunal resources, a broad spectrum of plants has been exploited from at least the end of the Middle Palaeolithic. Phytolith analysis now provides a tool for testing models explaining subsistence and mobility patterns during the Levantine Middle Palaeolithic and for better understanding the role of vegetal resources in shaping these patterns.Copyright 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Language: English

Document Type: Research article

Affiliations: 1: McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB1 2ER, U.K. 2: Department of Archaeology, Boston University, 675 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, U.S.A. 3: Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, 69978, Israel 4: Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 91905, Israel

Publication date: 2002-07-01