What mean these Bones ? Behavioral implications of gazelles' remains from archaeological sites

Abstract En Fr

The significance of animal behavioral patterns is a factor frequently overlooked by archaeologists attempting to interpret faunal remains from a site. In many Near Eastern sites, gazelle remains form a significant portion of the faunal assemblages. Several authors have generated models to explain this phenomenon but they have largely ignored behavioral parameters. Behavioral data are presented on living gazelle populations from Israel. Topics considered include birth patterns, migration, social structure and territoriality. Considerable variability is observed in these behavioral modes. Rather than attempting to postulate largely unfounded models, such as domestication or climatic amelioration, the acknowledgment of this variability may well explain the presence of gazelle remains in sites. It is concluded that the arachaeologist must be cognizant of such behavioral modes before attempting to generate explanatory models.

L'examen des schémas comportementaux des animaux a souvent été négligé par les archéologues étudiant les restes animaux d'un site. Parmi ceux du Proche-Orient plusieurs ont livré des restes de gazelle en proportion importante. Des interprétations diverses ont été avancées pour expliquer ce phénomène mais toutes ignorent l'analyse du comportement animal. Cet article propose donc, une étude des modes de vie de populations de gazelles, en Israël : reproduction, migration, structures sociales, occupation des territoires, qui peuvent expliquer la présence de restes de gazelles sur les sites. Avant de proposer des modèles explicatifs généraux, les archéologues devront tenir compte des données de ce type.