Faunal Extinction in an Island Society: Pygmy Hippopotamus Hunters of CyprusThe multidisciplinary research program at Akrotiri Aetokremnos is important, in my op- ion, for three reasons: two empirical and one conceptual. Quite apart from the archaeology, work at the site is a major contribution to island biogeography, in that the Phanourios sample—certainly the best from Cyprus and probably the best anywhere in the world—has already provided, and will continue to provide, important ecological and behavioral data on these intriguing creatures. Dwarfed island faunas are important to our understanding of the complex factors that shape natural selection in ecologically closed environments over the evolutionary long term. At Aetokremnos, we seem to have the “end” of a long sequence of hippo evolution on the island. With comparative studies of other Cypriot hippo faunas, we should be able to pin down the interval of initial colonization by what were, pres- ably, normal-sized hippos, and—if the other sites can be dated—document the dwarfing process in considerable detail. Aetokremnos would still be a significant paleontological - cality, even in the absence of evidence of a human presence there. While reading the text of the monograph, a number of questions strictly related to the paleontology occurred to me. One was how to model the colonization process. There seems to be little question that the large mammals colonized the island by swimming to it (because, I gather, Cyprus has not been connected to the mainland for roughly 5–6 m- lion years). |
Contents
Chapter | 1 |
Summary of Previous investigations on the Akrofiri Peninsula | 14 |
PreNeolithic Claims from Cyprus | 21 |
The Quaternary Faunal Record | 27 |
Research Strategy | 37 |
Methodology | 43 |
Chapter 3 | 49 |
Results | 61 |
Ecological Significance and Variation of the Avifauna According | 177 |
The Dating of Akrotiri Aetokremnos | 193 |
Chapter 9 | 217 |
Phytoliths | 229 |
Chapter 10 | 239 |
Chapter 11 | 259 |
Tested Sites | 263 |
Other Cypriot Materials | 274 |
Conclusion | 68 |
Cultural Features and Loci | 95 |
Discussion | 115 |
The Artifact Assemblage from Aetokremnos | 123 |
Duration of Site Occupational at Aerokremnos | 145 |
Ground Stone Artifacts Stuart Swiny | 146 |
The Faunal Assemblages | 153 |
Avifauna Céile MourerChauviré | 170 |
Other editions - View all
Faunal Extinction in an Island Society: Pygmy Hippopotamus Hunters of Cyprus Alan H. Simmons No preview available - 2013 |
Faunal Extinction in an Island Society: Pygmy Hippopotamus Hunters of Cyprus Alan H. Simmons No preview available - 1999 |
Common terms and phrases
abundant Aceramic Neolithic Aetokremnos Akrotiri Peninsula Akrotiri Salt Lake animals Anser archaeological associated bird bones bladelets burin spalls burins burned bone burnt butchering Cape Andreas Chap cherts chipped stone chipped stone artifacts cliffs cobbles Columbella cores cultural materials cutmarks Cypriot Cyprus dates David Reese debitage deposits distal dune edge elements elephant Epipaleolithic evidence excavation extinction faunal remains Feature Figure fragments Holocene human humerus indicate individuals Khirokitia Kyrenia lebetina Linnaeus located loci Locus mainland major matrix Mediterranean islands Microflakes microliths Monodonta Neolithic sites noted occupation occur Ortos paleontological Patella patinated Phanourios bones Phanourios remains pieces Pleistocene portion pre-Neolithic present probably pygmy hippopotamus quad quadrant relatively represented Retouched flakes rockshelter rooffall sample sand sediment shelter Simmons Sondaar species Strata stratigraphic Stratum 2A Stratum 4B suggests surface Swiny Table tertiary blades thick thumbnail scrapers tion tokremnos tool classes TOTAL truncation unit vertebrae Voous