Reframing Prehistoric Human-Proboscidean Interactions: on the Use and Implications of Ethnohistoric Records for Understanding the Productivity of Hunting Megaherbivores

Abstract The role that humans played in the extinction of Pleistocene proboscideans is highly controversial. Ethnohistoric records elephant hunting, concert with theoretical rationales, are often used as proxy evidence to support view ancient regularly and efficiently targeted large-sized point extinction. This paper examines socioeconomic technological contexts hunting contemporary ethnohistoric show how these circumstances influenced scale harvest, productivity, valuation elephants. Quantitative qualitative derived from some analyze efficiency capture using traditional technologies (spears, poisoned projectiles, traps, drives). analytical framework provides a systematic method for evaluating productivity proboscidean predation. Results prior widespread use firearms eighteenth nineteenth centuries, acquisition elephants, irrespective technology used, was dangerous, high-cost activity associated high-risk failure. In ethnographic record, consistently prestige-seeking among egalitarian hunter-gatherers. Although analysis presented here episodes involved modern physical characteristics abilities make animals expensive risky hunt were likely manifested by most proboscideans. Using data, recognizing prestige under different ecological sociopolitical provided offers an alternative compelling explanation zooarchaeological patterning costly prey past.