Locality HK29A at Predynastic Hierakonpolis has been identified as a ceremonial center based on archaeological, architectural and macrobotanical data, although alternative functions as a feasting or butchery site have also been proposed. Animal bone assemblages excavated at the locality in the 1980s and in 2002 have been studied and are compared in detail to those from other localities at Hierakonpolis, as well as from other Predynastic sites in Upper and Lower Egypt. The comparisons show that HK29A shares several features with other Upper Egyptian sites, which can be related to their similar ecological settings. The fauna from Hierakonpolis settlement localities in general, including HK29A, show some peculiarities that distinguish them from other Predynastic sites in Upper Egypt, which may be explained by the status of the site as a large and powerful center. More importantly, the comparisons clearly show that the fauna from HK29A has some unique features not shared with any other locality at Hierakonpolis. They are argued to reflect a variety of symbolic roles that animals had, which probably changed throughout the period of use of the locality. Moreover, the faunal remains testify of the high social status of the people taking part in the clearly special activities at HK29A.
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RBINS Staff Publications
Aim: The species of the genus Chionodraco (Notothenioidei) are the most abundant icefish on the continental shelf of the Weddell Sea. While previous studies indicated that only Chionodraco hamatus and Chionodraco myersi inhabit the Weddell Sea, the third Chionodraco species, Chionodraco rastrospinosus, was recently sampled in the area. As C. rastrospinosus is supposed to be found only at the Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Arc, this study aimed at confirming the species classification of C. rastrospinosus by molecular methods and identifying its putative source population. Given the documented evidence of introgression among the three species, we tested whether the newly found C. rastrospinosus shared any genetic variability with the other Chionodraco species. To explain the pattern of distribution of the Chionodraco species, we aimed at estimating the hydrodynamic connectivity between the Antarctic Peninsula and the Weddell Sea. Location: Antarctic Peninsula, southern Scotia Arc and the south-eastern Weddell Sea. Methods: We genotyped 19 microsatellites and sequenced the mitochondrial D-loop for 560 Chionodraco individuals. We simulated the dispersal of more than 3 million drifters (Lagrangian model). Results: The molecular analyses support the presence of C. rastrospinosus in the Weddell Sea and its homogeneity with C. rastrospinosus from the Antarctic Peninsula. Bayesian clustering identifies three putative hybrids among C. rastrospinosus and the other congenerics. Lagrangian simulations do not support connectivity driven by the oceanographic features of the Antarctic Peninsula and Weddell Sea via passive larval dispersal only. Main conclusions: This study documents, for the first time, the presence of C. rastrospinosus in the Weddell Sea unveiling more biodiversity than previously known in this region. The sympatry of the three Chionodraco species explains the occurrence of occasional, ongoing events of hybridization in the genus. Alternative possible
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RBINS Staff Publications 2021
