2026/05/16 by M.O. Kubo, K. Yamazaki, Y. Taniguchi
Social Sciences · Environmental Science · Psychology · #Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology #Wildlife Ecology and Conservation #Primate Behavior and Ecology
paper · doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2026.113895
Dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA) provides a powerful means of reconstructing short-term foraging behavior in archaeological contexts. In this study, we investigated the diet and foraging environment of early to mid-Holocene sika deer ( Cervus nippon ) excavated from the Iyai Rockshelter Site, a key site spanning the transition from the terminal Pleistocene to the early Holocene (Initial Jomon period) in central Japan. Three-dimensional enamel surface textures were quantified using confocal laser microscopy and compared with a comprehensive reference dataset of extant sika deer populations with known dietary habits. The archaeological sika deer exhibited exceptionally coarse microwear textures, characterized by deep wear features and high feature densities. Principal component and discriminant analyses indicated that most specimens fell within or beyond the range of extant ground-feeding grazers. The pronounced microwear observed in the Iyai sika deer likely reflects feeding in highly abrasive environments, potentially influenced by seasonal dietary shifts and/or ingestion of exogenous abrasives such as volcanic ash adhering to vegetation. Stratigraphic comparisons within the site revealed significant variation in microwear textures among sublayers of Layer 10, with surface roughness and feature density increasing toward younger deposits. This pattern suggests short-term temporal changes in foraging conditions rather than a uniform dietary signal across the site. These results demonstrate that DMTA of archaeological ungulates can provide valuable insights into local foraging environments, as well as their chronological changes within the site. When combined with other analytical approaches, such as mesowear and cementochronology, DMTA has the potential to contribute to the reconstruction of hunting seasonality.