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DOI	10.1016/j.quascirev.2019.105885
	Erq el Ahmar Elephant Site – A mammoth skeleton at a rare and controversial Plio-Pleistocene site along the mammal migration route out of Africa
	Rabinovich R.; Herzlinger G.; Calvo R.; Rivals F.; Mischke S.; Beiner G.
发表日期	2019
ISSN	0277-3791
卷号	221
英文摘要	Early sites along the Dead Sea Transform (southern Levant), among them the Erq el Ahmar Elephant Site, are key points in understanding hominin and mammal migration out of Africa and into Eurasia. The late Prof. Tchernov had begun an intensive campaign to expose the faunal remains at the site, but unfortunately was unable to conclude his study. Based on interim reports and geomorphological descriptions, we were aware of numerous elephant remains found and left in situ. The Erq el Ahmar Elephant Site is a controversial site. There are those who see it as the earliest Pleistocene hominin site in the area, while others consider it a paleontological site without any hominin involvement. We returned to the site to try to resolve this controversy. In a systematic excavation, we succeeded in exposing the previously uncovered elements, exposed more material and currently better understand the deposition sequence. However, the task was very challenging, since the skeletal elements were very fragile and required careful exposure and conservation, both in situ and in the laboratory, before they could be studied. A series of elements were found partially superimposed. Several elements of the skull, an almost complete tusk, vertebrae, ribs, a scapula and limb bones were found. Mammoth diagnostic traits were identified in the teeth and tusk. However, very few skeletons of early mammoths are known from the region. Have we exposed the most complete Mammuthus rumanus skeleton? Tooth microwear indicates leaf-browsing dietary traits, similar to that of other M. rumanus of this period. In addition, the recent excavations have revealed the potential of the site in understanding the evolution and dispersal of proboscidean species out of Africa during the Plio-Pleistocene, adding another focal point to the southern Levant along this route. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd
英文关键词	Dispersal; Evolution; Mammoth; Plio-pleistocene; Southern levant
语种	英语
scopus关键词	Bone; Excavation; Mammals; Salinity measurement; Dispersal; Evolution; Mammoth; Plio-pleistocene; Southern levants; Musculoskeletal system; biostratigraphy; dispersal; elephant; fossil record; geomorphological response; mammoth; migration route; paleoenvironment; paleontology; Pliocene-Pleistocene boundary; skeleton; Dead Sea; Levant; Mediterranean Region; Mammalia; Mammuthus
来源期刊	Quaternary Science Reviews
文献类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://gcip.llas.ac.cn/handle/2XKMVOVA/151784
作者单位	National Natural History Collections, Institute of Earth Sciences, Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel; Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel; Geological Survey of Israel, Jerusalem, Israel; Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana I Evolució Social (IPHES), Spain; Faculty of Earth Sciences, University of Iceland, Iceland; National Natural History Collections, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Rabinovich R.,Herzlinger G.,Calvo R.,等. Erq el Ahmar Elephant Site – A mammoth skeleton at a rare and controversial Plio-Pleistocene site along the mammal migration route out of Africa[J],2019,221.
APA	Rabinovich R.,Herzlinger G.,Calvo R.,Rivals F.,Mischke S.,&Beiner G..(2019).Erq el Ahmar Elephant Site – A mammoth skeleton at a rare and controversial Plio-Pleistocene site along the mammal migration route out of Africa.Quaternary Science Reviews,221.
MLA	Rabinovich R.,et al."Erq el Ahmar Elephant Site – A mammoth skeleton at a rare and controversial Plio-Pleistocene site along the mammal migration route out of Africa".Quaternary Science Reviews 221(2019).