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Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) Remains from Cueva del Gato 2 (Épila, Zaragoza): A Contribution to Human Consumption Patterns in Inland Iberia During the Late Pleistocene

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Abstract

Since the Middle Pleistocene, rabbits have played a crucial role as a resource for subsistence in various parts of Europe. Their significance during the Upper Paleolithic period along the Iberian Mediterranean coast is well documented. However, the utilization of the rabbit as a resource in the interior lands of the Iberian Peninsula has received little attention. This paper presents an analysis of the rabbit remains from Cueva del Gato 2, a cave situated in the foothills of the Sierra de Rodanas with human Paleolithic occupation primarily dating back to approximately 22,925–22,632 to 21,714–21,330 years cal. BP. The main objectives of this study are to identify the origin of the leporid assemblage at the site, to assess the management and consumption patterns, and to determine their importance in the inland region of the Ebro Valley. The research involved taphonomic and zooarcheological analyses, and estimating age when possible. Additionally, the QGIS program was used in order to characterize the butchery pattern. The results indicate the systematic hunting, butchery, and consumption of rabbits in the Badegoulian levels of the site. This provides additional data regarding the occupation of the interior valleys during the cold periods of the Upper Paleolithic.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), INCUAPA-CONICET, Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Spanish Government, Gobierno de Aragón, and Generalitat de Catalunya. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the three reviewers for their valuable comments, which have significantly contributed to the improvement of this work.

Funding

This work has been funded by research project PID2020 113960 GB-100 of MINECO (Spanish Government) and SGR2021-00337 (Generalitat de Catalunya). Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) granted an external scholarship to one of the authors (CK) through which part of the analysis of the faunal analysis was carried out.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales, INCUAPA-CONICET, Instituto de Investigaciones Arqueológicas y Paleontológicas del Cuaternario Pampeano, Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Olavarría City, Argentina

    Cristian A. Kaufmann & María Clara Álvarez

  2. Departamento de Historia y Arqueología, SERP, Universidad de Barcelona, C/Montalegre 6-8, 08001, Barcelona City, Spain

    Jordi Nadal Lorenzo & Lluís Lloveras

  3. Grupo Primeros Pobladores y Patrimonio Arqueológico del Valle del Ebro (P3A), Instituto de Patrimonio y Humanidades (IPH), Universidad de Zaragoza, C/ Pedro Cerbuna 12. E-50009, Saragossa City, Spain

    José María Rodanés

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  1. Cristian A. Kaufmann
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  2. María Clara Álvarez
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  3. Jordi Nadal Lorenzo
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  4. José María Rodanés
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  5. Lluís Lloveras
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Contributions

C.K. conducted the analysis of the faunal remains, prepared figures 1, 5-9, and wrote the main manuscript text. M.C.A. prepared figures 3-4 and wrote the main manuscript text. J.N.L. prepared figure 2 and wrote the main manuscript text. J.M.R. conducted the fieldwork and the sample condinioning. L.L. prepared figure 2 and wrote the main manuscript text. All authors reviewed the manuscript.

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Correspondence to María Clara Álvarez.

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Kaufmann, C.A., Álvarez, M.C., Lorenzo, J.N. et al. Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) Remains from Cueva del Gato 2 (Épila, Zaragoza): A Contribution to Human Consumption Patterns in Inland Iberia During the Late Pleistocene. J Paleo Arch 7, 2 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41982-023-00169-5

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