Analysis of Faunal Remains from a Later Stone Age Site in Taraba State

Zooarchaeological analysis of Later Stone Age assemblages in the Middle Benue Valley remains one of the less-developed subfields of Nigerian prehistoric research, despite the region's recognized importance for understanding the peopling of the West African forest-savanna transition zone. This study analyses faunal remains recovered from a test excavation at a rockshelter site in Taraba State, with the objective of reconstructing subsistence strategies and environmental conditions during the later Holocene. The assemblage was recovered from three stratigraphic units and comprises predominantly mammal bone, with smaller quantities of reptile and freshwater mollusc. Identified taxa include bushbuck, warthog, monitor lizard, and various small rodents, consistent with a mixed bushveld and riverine environment. Butchery marks on long bone shafts indicate carcass processing at the site, while the predominance of distal limb elements suggests primary butchery occurred elsewhere. The study applies taphonomic analysis to distinguish between human and carnivore modification, noting that a proportion of the assemblage shows gnawing consistent with spotted hyena, a current regional inhabitant. Findings are compared with contemporaneous assemblages from Iwo Eleru in Ondo State and Shum Laka in Cameroon to situate Taraba within a broader regional dietary reconstruction. The research recommends continued excavation at the site and investment in comparative faunal reference collections at Nigerian universities. Keywords: zooarchaeology, Later Stone Age, Taraba State, subsistence strategies, faunal analysis.