'Ubeidiya Formation site II-23: Pleistocene, Israel
List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
unclassified
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cf. Pontoceros sp.
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4 specimens | |||||||||
MNI = 2 | ||||||||||
Mammalia
- Rodentia
- Hystricidae
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Hystrix indica
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4 specimens | |||||||||
MNI = 1 | ||||||||||
Mammalia
- Lagomorpha
- Leporidae
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Hypolagus brachygnathus
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20 specimens | |||||||||
MNI = 2 | ||||||||||
Mammalia
- Primates
- Hominidae
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Homo sp.
Linnaeus 1758
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2 specimens | |||||||||
MNI = 1 | ||||||||||
Mammalia
- Perissodactyla
- Rhinocerotidae
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Stephanorhinus etruscus
(Falconer 1868)
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5 specimens | |||||||||
Stephanorhinus e. etruscus. MNI = 1 | ||||||||||
Mammalia
- Perissodactyla
- Equidae
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Equus cf. altidens
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102 specimens | |||||||||
MNI = 4 | ||||||||||
Equus caballus
Linnaeus 1758
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1 specimen | |||||||||
MNI = 1 | ||||||||||
Mammalia
- Suidae
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Kolpochoerus olduvaiensis
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1 specimen | |||||||||
MNI = 1 | ||||||||||
Sus strozzii
Forsyth Major 1881
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3 specimens | |||||||||
MNI = 1 | ||||||||||
Mammalia
- Hippopotamidae
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Hippopotamus sp.
Linnaeus 1758
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101 specimens | |||||||||
MNI = 3 | ||||||||||
Hippopotamus behemoth
Faure 1986
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Faure 1986 | |||||||||
Hippopotamus gorgops
Dietrich 1928
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2 specimens | |||||||||
MNI = 1 | ||||||||||
Mammalia
- Cervidae
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Cervidae indet.
Gray 1821
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187 specimens | |||||||||
MNI = 6 | ||||||||||
Praemegaceros verticornis
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22 specimens | |||||||||
MNI = 2 | ||||||||||
Mammalia
- Bovidae
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Gazella sp.
Blaineville 1816
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9 specimens | |||||||||
MNI = 2 | ||||||||||
cf. Hippotragus sp.
Sundevall 1845
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2 specimens | |||||||||
Hippotragini gen. et. sp. indet. (cf. Hippotragus sp.). MNI = 1 | ||||||||||
Pelorovis sp.
Reck 1928
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8 specimens | |||||||||
MNI = 1 | ||||||||||
Mammalia
- Carnivora
- Felidae
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Megantereon cf. whitei
Broom 1937
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2 specimens | |||||||||
MNI = 1 | ||||||||||
Panthera gombaszoegensis
(Kretzoi 1938)
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2 specimens | |||||||||
MNI = 1 | ||||||||||
Felis sp.
Linnaeus 1758
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2 specimens | |||||||||
MNI = 1 | ||||||||||
Lynx sp.
Kerr 1792
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3 specimens | |||||||||
MNI = 1 | ||||||||||
Mammalia
- Carnivora
- Mustelidae
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Vormela cf. peregusna
(Güldenstädt 1770)
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2 specimens | |||||||||
MNI = 1 | ||||||||||
Lutra sp.
Brisson 1762
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5 specimens | |||||||||
MNI = 1 | ||||||||||
Mammalia
- Carnivora
- Ursidae
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Ursus etruscus
Cuvier 1823
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2 specimens | |||||||||
MNI = 1 | ||||||||||
Mammalia
- Carnivora
- Canidae
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Canis (Xenocyon) falconeri
Forsyth-Major 1877
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3 specimens | |||||||||
recombined as Xenocyon falconeri | ||||||||||
MNI = 1 | ||||||||||
Canis etruscus
Forsyth Major 1877
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37 specimens | |||||||||
MNI = 2 | ||||||||||
Vulpes sp.
Frisch 1775
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4 specimens | |||||||||
MNI = 1 | ||||||||||
Mammalia
- Proboscidea
- Elephantidae
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Mammuthus meridionalis
(Nesti 1825)
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1 specimen | |||||||||
MNI = 1 | ||||||||||
see common names |
Geography
Country: | Israel | County: | Kinnarot Valley |
Coordinates: | 32.7° North, 35.6° East (view map) | ||
Paleocoordinates: | 32.6° North, 35.5° East | ||
Basis of coordinate: | based on nearby landmark |
Time
Period: | Quaternary | Epoch: | Pleistocene |
10 m.y. bin: | Cenozoic 6 | ||
Key time interval: | Pleistocene | ||
Age range of interval: | 2.58800 - 0.01170 m.y. ago |
Stratigraphy
Formation: | 'Ubeidiya | ||||
Stratigraphy comments: Site has been subject to much tectonic movement - archaeological levels are almost vertical in the section. There have been four major depositional cycles, the lowest is of archaeological interest and is termed the Fi (lower Fluviatile). This limnic level is 30m thick. Site dated to between 1.4-1.0Ma, but is thought (on faunal grounds) to be at the older end of this range. |
Lithology and environment
Primary lithology: | lenticular silty claystone | ||
Includes fossils? | Y | ||
Lithology description: 'The Fi cycle consists of clay, clastic conglomerates, chalky marls, silt and basaltic sands, often altered by paleosols.' Site II-23 is a paleosol, comprising a silty clay lens, c.20 cm thick. | |||
Environment: | fluvial-deltaic indet. | Tectonic setting: | rift |
Geology comments: The site is in the northern end of the Red Sea-East African Rift. 'The Formation represents a tectonic anticline with undulations and faults. Sediments are tilted up to 80 degrees and are exposed over an areas of approximately 1km2'. Local environment - 'the delta of an ephemeral stream debouched into a freshwater lake.' |
Taphonomy
Modes of preservation: | anthropogenic,bone collector,coprolite |
Size of fossils: | macrofossils |
Feeding/predation traces: | fractures,punctures,tooth marks,gastric dissolution |
Collection methods and comments
Collection methods: | bulk,field collection |
Collection size: | 1180 specimens |
Reason for describing collection: | archaeological analysis |
Collection method comments: Level II-23 was excavated between 1961-63. 105 m2 were exposed. 33 artifacts were recovered and 2 cutmarked bones, plus 12 specimens with conical impacts which could be hominid, carnivore or trampling damage. The cutmarks were found on a cervid distal humerus and a horse mandible fragment. | |
Taxonomic list comments:22 hyaena coprolites (i.d. as Crocuta crocuta) were also present, although they are of differing sizes (adult vs. juvenile?). Possibly part of the II-23 assemblage comes from an hyaena den, although no bones of the animals themselves were found. |
Metadata
Also known as: | Oubeidiyeh | ||
Database number: | 37024 | ||
Authorizer: | A. Turner, M. Uhen | Enterer: | H. O'Regan, M. Uhen |
Modifier: | J. Alroy | Research group: | PACED |
Created: | 2004-02-24 04:19:48 | Last modified: | 2010-01-28 17:15:04 |
Access level: | the public | Released: | 2004-02-24 04:19:48 |
Creative Commons license: | CC BY |
Reference information
Primary reference:
9913. | PACED | S. Gaudzinski. 2004. Subsistence patterns of Early Pleistocene hominids in the Levant - taphonomic evidence from the 'Ubeidiya Formation. Journal of Archaeological Science 31:65-75 [A. Turner/H. O'Regan/H. O'Regan] |
Secondary references:
36293 | M. Faure. 1986. Les Hippopotamidae (Mammalia, Artiodactyla) du gisement pleistocene ancien d'Oubeidiyeh. Memoirs et Travaux du Centre de Recherche Francais de Jerusalam 5:107-142 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen] |