Magdalenians and Snowy Owls ; bones recovered at the grotte de Bourrouilla (Arancou, Pyrénées Atlantiques)/Les Magdaléniens et la chouette harfang : la Grotte de Bourrouilla, Arancou (Pyrénées Atlantiques) - article ; n°1 ; vol.10, pg 95-107

Anne Eastham

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Paléo - Année 1998 - Volume 10 - Numéro 1 - Pages 95-107
Les Magdaléniens et la chouette harfang : la Grotte de Bourrouilla, Arancou (Pyrénées Atlantiques). Dans la Grotte de Bourrouilla à Arancou, les ossements de plus de 53 harfangs ont été découverts dans des déblais de fouilles clandestines en association avec une occupation magdalénienne stratifiée. L'étude des os de Nyctea scandiaca montre que certaines parties ont été soumises à un processus intensif d'écorchage et de modifications de l'os tandis que les ossements d'autres espèces d'oiseaux n'ont pas été systématiquement traités de cette manière. Les comparaisons avec des gisements contemporains du nord de l'Aquitaine montrent que cette tendance s'y répète et suggèrent que l'exploitation particulière de ces chouettes peut avoir des motivations culturelles plutôt que strictement alimentaires. Cependant, les traitements subis par les ossements aussi bien que la conservation différentielle des restes dans chaque gisement publié, sont trop variables pour suggérer une explication unique en terme de comportement vis-à-vis des carcasses de harfangs.
13 pages
Source : Persée ; Ministère de la jeunesse, de l’éducation nationale et de la recherche, Direction de l’enseignement supérieur, Sous-direction des bibliothèques et de la documentation.

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• Publié par: PALEORIENT
• Publié le: 01 janvier 1998
• Nombre de lectures: 18
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

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Anne Eastham
Magdalenians and Snowy Owls ; bones recovered at the grotte
de Bourrouilla (Arancou, Pyrénées Atlantiques)/Les
Magdaléniens et la chouette harfang : la Grotte de Bourrouilla,
Arancou (Pyrénées Atlantiques)
In: Paléo. N. 10,1998. pp. 95-107.
Résumé
Les Magdaléniens et la chouette harfang : la Grotte de Bourrouilla, Arancou (Pyrénées Atlantiques). Dans la Grotte de
Bourrouilla à Arancou, les ossements de plus de 53 harfangs ont été découverts dans des déblais de fouilles clandestines en
association avec une occupation magdalénienne stratifiée. L'étude des os de Nyctea scandiaca montre que certaines parties ont
été soumises à un processus intensif d'écorchage et de modifications de l'os tandis que les ossements d'autres espèces
d'oiseaux n'ont pas été systématiquement traités de cette manière. Les comparaisons avec des gisements contemporains du
nord de l'Aquitaine montrent que cette tendance s'y répète et suggèrent que l'exploitation particulière de ces chouettes peut avoir
des motivations culturelles plutôt que strictement alimentaires. Cependant, les traitements subis par les ossements aussi bien
que la conservation différentielle des restes dans chaque gisement publié, sont trop variables pour suggérer une explication
unique en terme de comportement vis-à-vis des carcasses de harfangs.
Citer ce document / Cite this document :
Eastham Anne. Magdalenians and Snowy Owls ; bones recovered at the grotte de Bourrouilla (Arancou, Pyrénées
Atlantiques)/Les Magdaléniens et la chouette harfang : la Grotte de Bourrouilla, Arancou (Pyrénées Atlantiques). In: Paléo. N.
10,1998. pp. 95-107.
doi : 10.3406/pal.1998.1131
http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/pal_1145-3370_1998_num_10_1_1131- N° 10 - DECEMBRE 1998 - Page 95 à 107 PALEO
MAGDALENIANS AND SNOWY OWLS :
BONES RECOVERED AT THE GROTTE
DE BOURROUILLA, ARANCOU
(Pyrénées Atlantiques)
Anne EASTHAM'1'
Abstract : At the Grotte de Bourrouilla at Arancou, Pyrénées Atlantiques, the bones of over 53 Snowy owls were recovered from the
debris of clandestine excavations associated with stratified Magdalenian occupation. A study of the skeletal material of Nyctea scan-
diaca shows that some parts were subjected to skinning and a high level of bone modification, while the bones of other avian taxa
were not systematically used in this way. Comparisons with contemporary settlements in the region of Guyenne show this trend
repeated and suggests that the particular attitudes towards owls may have been culturally motivated. Nevertheless, the treatment to
which bones were subjected and the differences in bone preservation on each of the published sites, where Snowy owl bones were
recovered in quantity, are too diverse and varied for any single explanation to be put forward about human behaviour in relation to
the carcasses of these birds.
Key words: Snowy owl, Magdalenian, Skeleton, Bone modification.
Résumé: Les Magdaléniens et la chouette harfang : la Grotte de Bourrouilla, Arancou (Pyrénées Atlantiques). Dans la Grotte
de Bourrouilla à Arancou, les ossements de plus de 53 harfangs ont été découverts dans des déblais de fouilles clandestines en
association avec une occupation magdalénienne stratifiée. L'étude des os de Nyctea scandiaca montre que certaines parties ont été
soumises à un processus intensif d'écorchage et de modifications de l'os tandis que les ossements d'autres espèces d'oiseaux n'ont
pas été systématiquement traités de cette manière. Les comparaisons avec des gisements contemporains du nord de l'Aquitaine
montrent que cette tendance s'y répète et suggèrent que l'exploitation particulière de ces chouettes peut avoir des motivations cul
turelles plutôt que strictement alimentaires. Cependant, les traitements subis par les ossements aussi bien que la conservation di
fférentielle des restes dans chaque gisement publié, sont trop variables pour suggérer une explication unique en terme de compor
tement vis-à-vis des carcasses de harfangs.
Mots clés : Harfang, Magdalénien, Squelette, Modification de l'os.
The occupation of the Grotte de Bourrouilla at Arancou deposit. This paper is concerned with a study of one spec
ies, the Snowy owl, Nyctea scandiaca, which was found by late Magdalenian hunter gatherers was studied
in small quantity in the excavated area of the sondage through detailed excavation by Dr C. Chauchat between
but whose bones formed over 76% of the total recovered 1990 and 1992 and the finds have been analysed by a
from the clandestine spoil workings. team based on the University of Bordeaux at Talence.
However, prior to this in 1986 a clandestine working was The site of the Grotte de Bourrouilla lies just below the 46 discovered in the interior of the cave and re-examination metres contour above the stream of Laurhirasse, which of the spoil produced large quantities of cultural material has carved a steep sided valley on its way to join the
and also of animal and bird bone. The full publication of Bidouze river, a tributary like the Gave de Pau and the
this site is in press [Chauchat et al.]. Of the 1254 fra Gave d'Oloron of the Adour. The cave lies only a few
gments of avian bone from 41 species found on the site to hundred metres from the centre of the village of Arancou
date all but 29 came from the clandestine spoil, and pr in the hills between the Landes and the Pays Basque,
esumably this represents only a sample of the original only about 10 kilometres from the Pastou cliff and the
Labordy Ymchwill Cleddau - Cleddau Laboratory for Archaezoological analysis - Dolau, Dwrbach, Fishguard,
Pembrokeshire, Wales. SA65 9RN
95 late Magdalenian sites of Dufaure and Duruthy and
around 15 kilometres to the north of the prehistoric cave
complex of Isturitz.
Avian habitats
This region of low limestone hills up to 125 metres above
mean sea level and cut by the Bidouze and its tributaries
to the west and by the Gaves to the east offered a varie
ty of avian habitats, broadly divided into three zones:
river and marshland along the banks of the Gave
d'Oleron, which supported wildfowl and waders; the
Fig. 1. Sexual dimorphism in plumage of Nyctea steep sides of the tree covered slopes of the valleys to
Scandiaca. the west, which offered niches to a wide variety of pas
serines and thrushes and the open country on the hills Dimorphisme sexuel. above, with a light vegetational cover, suitable for
Ptarmigan, Lagopus mutus, Black grouse, Tetrao tetrix,
Partridge, Perdix perdix and Quail, Coturnix coturnix as
well as Larks and providing a hunting ground for raptors.
Tables 1 and 2 show the range of species, whose bones Lemmus lemmus form only around 30% of the total diet
were recovered from both the sondage excavations and and over much their range the main prey items are
the sample from the clandestine spoil. Microtus and Clethrionomys voles. Amongst the micro-
mammals in both the Sondage and the Clandestine
The zones most favourable for the maintainance of the excavation sample, the most common single species
Snowy owl would have been the exposed areas on the was a large vole, most probably, from the identifiable hills and the lakes and marshland along the river banks. dentition, the Ground vole, Arvicola terrestris, with over At the present day it is an Arctic faunal type and its dis 2,500 fragments of teeth and bone but other microtinae tribution is circumpolar within the tundra climatic zone voles were also present. There were small numbers of between the limits of the 1°C July isotherm in the north Clethrionomys glareolus Bank vole and Pine vole, and the 15°C July isotherm in the south [Voous 1960]. Pitymys subterraneus, while Microtus species were ident
Studies of the ethology of the species show that ified in much larger numbers to include M. agrestis, although it returns to the same breeding area year after M.arvalis and M.oeconomus, Short tailed, Common and year [Tulloch 1975], the Snowy owl becomes nomadic or root voles. Their presence in the cave confirms that there even a partial migrant as food availability fluctuates from was sufficient prey in the countryside round about to supone region to another [Mikkola 1983] and this also port a population of Snowy owls within the locality. influences the size of feeding territory an individual will
defend. Thus territories may extend over as much as 4 Dating km2 or as little as 0.5 km2 and, when food is abundant,
may be reduced to not much more than a hectare in size. Both the dating and the taphonomy of the bone present
On the other hand, during the winter months in Canada, certain problems because only 4 bones of Snowy owls
numbers of them are known to congregate on airstrips, came from stratified and dated levels in the sondage as
feeding on the rodents which the human presence sup against 943 from the spoil in the interior of the cave.
ports and becoming a hazard to air traffic. The same Nevertheless, it is likely that this material belongs within
aggregations of rodent prey would have