La importància del conill (Oryctolagus cuniculus) en la dieta humana dels últims caçadors-recolectors al sud de Catalunya

Abstract

The sistematic exploitation of small prey is a phenomenon that seems to have increased during the Upper Paleolithic. This shift in human subsistence strategies could be motivated by multiple factors (economical socio-cultural, or ecological, among others) and it is still a widely discussed topic. The present study attemps to clarify which procurement strategies were used by human populations during the Late Upper Paleolithic in NE Iberia, through the study of the faunal assemblage of Molí del Salt site (Vimbodí i Poblet, Conca de Barberà, Tarragona). Our analyses have shown that humans hunted different taxa, but rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) were by far the most exploited species. This taxon presents multiple evidence of human processing (cut-marks, intentional bone breakage), and it also show high incidence of burnt bones. The optimal state of preservation of the remains and the high human-induced damage on bones allow us to make inferences about the acquisition of animal resources by human populations in the site, where long and stable occupstions seem to take place.