Deciphering carnivoran competition for animal resources at the 1.46 Ma early Pleistocene site of Barranco León (Orce, Granada, Spain)

Barranco León (Orce, Guadix Baza, Spain) is one of the sites with the oldest evidence of human activity in south-western Europe. This site has yielded human remains in association with both fauna and lithic artefacts, linked through the presence of anthropogenic cut and percussion marks. Nevertheless, while this site is a clear example of early hominin access to carcasses, the accumulations have been identified as a palimpsest, where multiple agents including carnivorans played a role in modifying and interacting in site formation processes. From this perspective, the interpretation and study of the Barranco León site is of great difficulty. Traditionally, interpretations have presented Barranco León as an area where hominins as well as the giant hyena, Pachycrocuta brevirostris, competed for access to carcasses left by machairodontine felids, such as the saber-toothed Homotherium latidens. Nevertheless, as will be presented in this study, the complexity and trophic pressure of Barranco León is much more complicated than originally hypothesized. This study presents a detailed taphonomic analysis of carnivoran activities in the level D1 of the Barranco León assemblage. 3D modelling, geometric morphometrics, and computational learning are used to provide new insights into the tooth pits observed on faunal materials. Here we show that Canis mosbachensis plays a pivotal role in the formation of the site, followed by Pachycrocuta, Homotherium, Ursus etruscus, and Xenocyon (Lycaon) lycaonoides. From this perspective, it can be seen that while Pachycrocuta and Homotherium were active agents in the formation of the site, other carnivorans are also important agents to consider when investigating the Guadix Baza region.