https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0047248422001543
Early evidence for bear exploitation during MIS 9
from the site of Schöningen 12 (Germany)
Abstract
A cutmarked bear metatarsal and phalanx from the
German open-air sites of Schöningen 12 II-1 and
12 B, respectively, correlated with the interglacial
optimum of MIS 9 (ca. 320 ka), provide early
evidence for the exploitation of bear skins.
Archaeological sites with evidence of bear
exploitation from the Lower Paleolithic are rare,
with only Boxgrove (United Kingdom) and Bilzingsleben
(Germany) yielding cutmarked bear bones indicating
skinning. We interpret these finds as evidence for
bear hunting and primary access since bear skins are
best extracted shortly after the animal's death. The
very thin cutmarks found on the Schöningen specimens
indicate delicate butchering and show similarities
in butchery patterns to bears from other Paleolithic
sites. The Eurasian Lower Paleolithic record does
not show any evidence for the exploitation of bear
meat; only Middle Paleolithic sites, such as
Biache-Saint-Vaast (France; ca. 175 ka) and Taubach
(Germany; ca. 120 ka), yield evidence for the
exploitation of both skin and meat from bear
carcasses. Bear skins have high insulating properties
and might have played a role in the adaptations of
Middle Pleistocene hominins to the cold and harsh
winter conditions of Northwestern Europe.
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