The Evolution of Hominin Diets

Subsistence intensification – the extraction of increased amounts of energy from a given area at the expense of foraging efficiency – figures prominently in discussions of the Epipaleolithic period (ca. 21,000–11,500 cal bp). Despite their paramount status, intensification trends are not often subjected to rigorous testing using multiple archaeological data sets. This study aims to fill this gap by synthesizing relevant zooarchaeological data from Epipaleolithic sites in Southwest Asia. Intensification is examined not only at the level of the animal community, but also at the taxonomic, and individual carcass levels. Multiple lines of faunal evidence including prey age profiles, large and small game abundance, species diversity, and the fragmentation of animal bone support an intensification trend across the Epipaleolithic period that culminates in the “transition” to agriculture. The pathway toward intensification was not always gradual – variation in Southwest Asian hunting practices indicates that there were some stops and starts along the way. The intensification trend reported here corresponds with other long-term processes, including increased site use intensity and growing human populations, but crosscuts major climatic events.