Les occupations moustériennes du complexe V13' d'Umm el Tlel (Syrie) : taphonomie en milieu steppique aride

The Umm El Tlel site, located in central Syria, has been under excavation since 1991. In the present account, only the complex V13', at the bottom of the Mousterian sequence, is considered, comprising six archeological layers preserved in palustral mud. The fauna, dominated by dromedary, indicates a steppe environment. The good state of preservation of the bones suggests a rapid burrial, as shown by taphonomic observations on a dromadary carcass exposed in the open air, in a semi-desert environment, near the site. Archeozoological studies attest to hunting activity and show a differential treatment of hunted species in relation with their size. The rapidity of urying and he homogeneity between the six archeological layers accord with an interpretation of successive seasonal accupations by the same human group.