Revisiting Taphonomic Methodologies in Microvertebrate Research: A Case Study From Tabun Cave Layer C (Mount Carmel Israel).

Tabun Cave (Mount Carmel, Israel) is a key site in palaeoanthropology, preserving fossil remains of both Neanderthals (Tabun C1) and Homo sapiens (Tabun C2). Small mammal assemblages from Layer C offer critical palaeoecological insights, but recent analyses have revealed methodological inconsistencies and misinterpretations of taphonomic signals. In this study, we reorganize and reanalyse the raw taphonomic data from Fried et al. (2024) using established small mammal taphonomic frameworks, particularly those developed by Andrews (1990). Our results highlight the importance of conducting complete taphonomic analysis, based on identifying accumulation agents, assessing post-depositional processes, and avoiding interpretive errors. This work serves as a critical reappraisal of the taphonomic methodology itself, demonstrating its robustness when fully applied and advocating for its refinement and broader integration in microvertebrate palaeoecology.