Preliminary study of the new paleolithic caprini remains of the Niaux Cave (Ariège, France)

1. Preliminary study of the new paleolithic caprini remains of the Niaux Cave
(Ariège, France)
D. Arceredillo 1, Y. Le Guillou2
1. Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. Universidad Isabel I. Burgos. Spain. 09003. diego.arceredillo@ui1.es
2. Ministère de la Culture / UMR 5608 du CNRS, Toulouse, France
INTRODUCTION
The Cave of Niaux (Ariège, France) is placed in the east part of the Pyrenean mountain range, 700 meters above sea
level and 100 meters from the course of the Vicdessos river. Since the discovery of its famous Magdalenian
paintings, and despite its more than 3 km of galleries, most of the studies have only concerned these paintings.
The cave is located in the valley formerly occupied by an ancient glacier that is estimated had mainly retreated 14,000
years ago, during the Middle Magdalenian. The archeological records of nearby sites such as Fontanet, Bédeilhac, Mas
d’Azil and Enlène have the same date. Others like Les Églises, La Vache are dated in the Upper Magdalenian.
OBJECTIVES
To provide new insights about the presence of
caprini in the Pyrenean mountain range.
To add new remains to know the evolution of
caprinae in a region that is considered the origin of
the current species of Capra for some authors.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The fossil material from Niaux consist of a tibia
which lacks of the proximal edge. The collections of
the Naturhistorisches Museum of Wien (Caprathe Naturhistorisches Museum of Wien (Capra
pyrenaica, Capra ibex and Hemitragus jemlahicus),
the National Museum of Natural Sciences of Madrid
(Capra pyrenaica) and the Musée National de
Préhistoire of France (Capra pyrenaica, Capra ibex
and Hemitragus bonali) have been analyzed in order
to assess taxonomically the caprini remains from
Niaux.
A total of 6 osteometrical variables were measured
and were taken with digital calipers follow Driesch
(1976).
To establish the age at death we have only used the
age of fusion of the distal epiphysis.
Radiocarbon dating has been used as method to
know the age of the fossils.
Fig 1. Topography of the Niaux Cave with the location of the “Galerie des empreintes animales” and of different
representations of Capra.
RESULTS
The fossil recovered corresponds to a distal fragment of the
right tibia of caprini. It presents the distal epiphysis fused.
This suggests a relative age upper than 3 or 4 years (Serrano
et al., 2011).
From a morphological point of view, the surface that
articulates with the talus has parallel medial and lateral
faces, which differs in Capra ibex (1). Between them, the
ridge is not very prominent and nor either elongated. The
faces, which articulate with the malleolus, are a bit separated
what is common in C. pyrenaica and Hemitragus (2). The
surface that articulates with the fibula retracts cranially as in
Capra and Hemitragus (3). The malleolar groove is poorly Fig 4. Morphometrical characteristics of the Niaux
tibia.
Fig 3. Tibia from the Niaux Cave (Galerie des
empreintes animales).
Capra and Hemitragus (3). The malleolar groove is poorly
developed whereas the medial malleolus is very projected
towards the medial end as in Hemitragus (4). The cranial
surface presents a horizontal relief as in Hemitragus and
Capra (5).
It is a large bone which dimensions are between Hemitragus
and Capra caucasica and above the current iberian and
alpine wild goats.
The analysis of morphometrical characters does not
discriminate the different species of Capra. In addition, it
also has some features in common with Hemitragus. For this
reason, the remains are attributed to Caprini indet. waiting
to check more remains.
The date obtained through 14C indicates: between 16,496
and 16,105 intcal13 BP 95,4%, which is related to those
obtained in several paintings of the Salon Noir.
CONCLUSIONS
The role of the Pyrenees in the evolution of the tribe Caprini are focusing on the evolution of the Capra genre. Thus,
several authors have proposed this mountain range as a biogeographical barrier or as a hybridization zone that gave rise
to the direct ancestor of Capra pyrenaica and Capra ibex. The Department of Àriege is located as a key region in the study
of this genus due to the identification of three Capra species in different deposits (La Vache - C. pyrenaica, Le Portel - C.
aff. caucasica and Soulabé - C. ibex (Griggo, 1990, Arribas, 2004)). On the other hand, the dating reflects that the pyrenean
wild goats of the middle Magdalenian had very variable morphometrical characteristics.
The Caprinae recovered in the cave of Niaux can provide data on a key period in the evolution of this genre and be able
to conclude if we are facing a biogeographical barrier or facing a hybridization zone that would give rise to the pyrenean
wild goat.
tibia.
REFERENCES
Arribas, O. (2004). Fauna y paisaje de los Pirineos en la Era
Glaciar. Madrid: Lynx Editions.
Von den Driesch, A., 1976. A guide to measurement for animals
bones from archaeoogical sites, Harvard University Peabody
Museum of Archaeology an Ethnology.
Griggo, C. (1991). Le bouquetin de Malarnaud (Ariège);
implications paéobiogéographiques. Quaternaire, 2, 76-82.
Serrano, E., Sarasa, M., Pérez, J.M. y Gállego, L. (2011).
Patterns of epiphyseal fusión in the apendicular skeleton of
the iberian wild goat Capra pirenaica, and comparisons with
other Artiodyactyla. Mammalian Biology. 76, 97-100.
15
20
25
30
23 28 33 38
DD
BD
Capra Niaux
Capra caucasica
Capra pyrenaica Current male
Capra pyrenaica female
Capra ibex Current male
Capra ibex Current female
Capra hircus Current
Hemitragus bonali L'Escale