A tamed brown bear (Ursus arctos L.) of the late mesolithic from la Grande-Rivoire (Isere, France)?

A pair of mandibular rami from a brown bear (Ursus arctos L.) was found at the rock shelter of the Grande-Rivoire in the Castelnovian level. Both exhibit a peculiar deformation affecting the bone between the fit and second molars and the roots of these teeth. The perfect symmetry of this deformation, the absence of pathological features, and the misplacement of the teeth suggest that a thong had been placed around the mandible while the animal was young; the mandible then grew around the thong. The interest of this find is that it both demonstrates the taming of a bear and the complexity of,the relationships between humans and animals during the late Mesolithic. (C) 1997 Academic Press Limited.