Dear Dean Esmay

I don't like polemice, but I'll explain my position about the Pleistocene
Extintion.
I haven't the solution of the problem. In archeology, I think,  "smoke
guns" are very
rarce. We work with a record very problematic (admittedly incomplete in Loren
Cordain terms) and megafauna extintion are only an example of the degree of
complexity
that the archaeological discussion. Others examples of the discussion are
the scavenging/hunting at
Plio-Pleistocene sites in East-Africa.  This kind of discusion, for me, is
demostrative the an important
teorethical change: we need an approach multicausal. The explanation
of phenomens are complex and posibily the combination of differents agents
are more apropiate than monocausal explication.

I agree with Loren Cordain when says that previous changes from cold
to warm were not accompanied by mass extintions. That's rigth, with
exceptions...for example, last ocurrence of hipopotamus in Europe are
situated in the Eem (Riss-Wurm). That's signifies the disparition of
hipopotamus is consecuence of human activity? I don't know...Along
the Pleistocene, the reduction and finally  the disparition at Europe
of hyena, leopard, cave bear and others carnivore are consecuence of human
pressure?...Perhaps.  Extintion are historical complex phenomenon and
posibily each phenomenon are their historical process. For example, human
impact at Madagascar island is sure, and the disparition of megafauna
for consecuence of human activity  is very important. But Madagascar
are "terra incognita" just the first milenium...

Now, in Europe are a controversial debate about the extintion of
faunal island, for example  the pigmy hypopotamus of Cyprus. The
people has worked at the island are differents opinions,

Don t worry for the citation about cut-marks in  hyoides is only
curiosity, but cut-marks and bone modification in general are scarce
at elephant bone (a good example is Bonnichsen and Sorg (eds.): Bone
Modifications).

Leringen spear are an example of sofisticated tecnological degree of the
human arcaics
very interesting. Recently a Schoningen (Germany)  H. Thieme describes 3 spears
with 400.000 years old  (Nature 385). Posibily, pre-Sapiens are efficients
hunters,
but not only for they are  tecnollogy efficients. Is necesary linked with
others atributes (social
organization for example).

I disagree with the mecanical aplication of the Optimal Foraging
Theory. Perhaps, energically are more interesting  mastodont hunting, but I
don't sure this activity
are easy and sure. Hunting are an habitual activity  for people arrived to
America
with an advanced technology. But that's no imply this people lives only
with  mamut
"entrecot"!. The overkill is an posibiliy but not are the only
posibility.

In the last numbers of  Journal of Human Evolution 1995  Tillier described
Neandertals
dental caries.

Jorge

Jorge Martinez
Dpt. Antropologia Social i Prehistoria
Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona
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