Who ate the fish? The role of fish during the Paleolithic in Western-Central Europe

Abstract

In Western and Central Europe, researchers described the presence of fish remains in several Paleolithic sites. Due to their long history of zooarchaeological studies in well-analyzed Paleolithic contexts, two areas such as the Iberian Peninsula and the Swabian Jura, are relevant for interpreting the role of water-related resources and fishing as part of the human subsistence strategies, from both regional and local points of view within the Western-Central European context.

Nevertheless, sometimes, archaeologists assume an anthropogenic origin for the existence of fish in faunal records when other evidence of human occupation is present, such as lithics, worked bones (organic artifacts), or animal bones with anthropogenic marks, and it is viewed as a crucial factor in evaluating human dietary changes.

To determine the potential predator of fish and reconstruct the ecosystem, we must consider the faunal assemblage, especially the mixture of fish remains and other small vertebrates. Comparative analyses of fish remains are needed to clarify the origin of their accumulations in European Paleolithic cave/rock shelter contexts to increase our knowledge of aquatic ecosystems. This thesis explores the role of fish in Paleolithic contexts, exemplified by several study cases from different sites and periods across Western and Central Europe.