A taphonomic investigation of the agency of microfaunal accumulation at Elands Bay Cave

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dc.contributor.advisorParkington, Johnen_ZA
dc.contributor.advisorAvery, Margareten_ZA
dc.contributor.authorMatthews, Thalassaen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2016-08-22T12:21:06Z
dc.date.available2016-08-22T12:21:06Z
dc.date.issued1998en_ZA
dc.descriptionBibliography: pages 103-110.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractUp until the present, analyses of micromammal assemblages in South Africa have been based upon the premise that the agent responsible for the accumulation of these assemblages was the Barn owl. These micromammal assemblages were used to make extrapolations of past changes in vegetation and climate. It was assumed that the agent of accumulation, the Barn owl, remained constant. This thesis used taphonomy to analyse the micromammal bones from Elands Bay Cave in order to question the traditional assumption of the Barn owl as predator arid to ascertain which predator/s had been responsible for the accumulation of the microfaunal assemblages. The methods used to identify the accumulator of the microfaunal assemblages from Elands Bay Cave were based on those used by Andrews (1990a) in his investigation of the bone contents of pellets and scats of several species of owl, diurnal birds of prey and small carnivores. The results from Andrew's(1990a) analyses provided comparative information on breakage patterns of the cranial and postcranial bones and on the acid etching (produced during digestion) on micromammal bones and teeth, caused by the various species of predator. Information on the habits of various predators was collected. This information was used in combination with the results obtained from the analysis of the breakage patterns of the mandibles, maxillae and long bones, and from the acid etching on the incisors, in order to ascertain the agent of accumulation of the micromammal bones from Elands Bay Cave. The breakage patterns of the long bones and the acid etching on the incisors of the micromammals indicated that a variety of predators had contributed to the micromammal assemblages in the Holocene packages of the site. The Terminal Pleistocene packages appeared to have been deposited by a Bamowl but there was some circumstantial evidence that people may have also been responsible for the accumulation of some of the micromarnmal remains in these packages. The results from this thesis indicate that taphonomy should be used to ascertain the predator of micromammal assemblages prior to using the assemblages to trace palaeoenvironmental change. The use of taphonomy at Elands Bay Cave highlighted some of the problems that may arise when dealing with small samples and also raised the issue of the affect that the period of deposition of an archaeological assemblage could have on the micromammal population represented. This thesis found evidence that contradicts the traditional assumption, usually made in the analysis of micromammal assemblages in South Africa, that short-term fluctuations in rodent communities may be safely ignored during analysis.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationMatthews, T. (1998). <i>A taphonomic investigation of the agency of microfaunal accumulation at Elands Bay Cave</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Science ,Department of Archaeology. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/21405en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationMatthews, Thalassa. <i>"A taphonomic investigation of the agency of microfaunal accumulation at Elands Bay Cave."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Science ,Department of Archaeology, 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/21405en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationMatthews, T. 1998. A taphonomic investigation of the agency of microfaunal accumulation at Elands Bay Cave. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Matthews, Thalassa AB - Up until the present, analyses of micromammal assemblages in South Africa have been based upon the premise that the agent responsible for the accumulation of these assemblages was the Barn owl. These micromammal assemblages were used to make extrapolations of past changes in vegetation and climate. It was assumed that the agent of accumulation, the Barn owl, remained constant. This thesis used taphonomy to analyse the micromammal bones from Elands Bay Cave in order to question the traditional assumption of the Barn owl as predator arid to ascertain which predator/s had been responsible for the accumulation of the microfaunal assemblages. The methods used to identify the accumulator of the microfaunal assemblages from Elands Bay Cave were based on those used by Andrews (1990a) in his investigation of the bone contents of pellets and scats of several species of owl, diurnal birds of prey and small carnivores. The results from Andrew's(1990a) analyses provided comparative information on breakage patterns of the cranial and postcranial bones and on the acid etching (produced during digestion) on micromammal bones and teeth, caused by the various species of predator. Information on the habits of various predators was collected. This information was used in combination with the results obtained from the analysis of the breakage patterns of the mandibles, maxillae and long bones, and from the acid etching on the incisors, in order to ascertain the agent of accumulation of the micromammal bones from Elands Bay Cave. The breakage patterns of the long bones and the acid etching on the incisors of the micromammals indicated that a variety of predators had contributed to the micromammal assemblages in the Holocene packages of the site. The Terminal Pleistocene packages appeared to have been deposited by a Bamowl but there was some circumstantial evidence that people may have also been responsible for the accumulation of some of the micromarnmal remains in these packages. The results from this thesis indicate that taphonomy should be used to ascertain the predator of micromammal assemblages prior to using the assemblages to trace palaeoenvironmental change. The use of taphonomy at Elands Bay Cave highlighted some of the problems that may arise when dealing with small samples and also raised the issue of the affect that the period of deposition of an archaeological assemblage could have on the micromammal population represented. This thesis found evidence that contradicts the traditional assumption, usually made in the analysis of micromammal assemblages in South Africa, that short-term fluctuations in rodent communities may be safely ignored during analysis. DA - 1998 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 1998 T1 - A taphonomic investigation of the agency of microfaunal accumulation at Elands Bay Cave TI - A taphonomic investigation of the agency of microfaunal accumulation at Elands Bay Cave UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/21405 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/21405
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationMatthews T. A taphonomic investigation of the agency of microfaunal accumulation at Elands Bay Cave. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Science ,Department of Archaeology, 1998 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/21405en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Archaeologyen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Scienceen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherArchaeologyen_ZA
dc.titleA taphonomic investigation of the agency of microfaunal accumulation at Elands Bay Caveen_ZA
dc.typeMaster Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationnameMAen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
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