La chasse aux petits bovidés à la caune de l'Arago (Tautavel, France) : opportunisme ou sélection des proies ?

The "Caune de l'Arago", a Lower Palaeolithic cave, contains several archaeological levels with a large assemblage of argali sheep and tahr. The study of bone remain spatial distribution was made possible by using a computer method. Three levels are individualised in the middle complex, the layers E, F and G, and the latter is subdivided into three archaeostratigraphical levels. Fossil remains from all identified levels were studied in order to determine the number of hunted animals, their age and sex, and the hunting season. These data characterize argali and tahr populations for each level. A comparative study of these populations helped to verify that hunting was selective and to better understand the behaviour and living mode of the Lower Palaeolithic hunters.