Recursive anisotropy: A spatial taphonomic study of the Early Pleistocene vertebrate assemblage of Tsiotra Vryssi, Mygdonia Basin, Greece D. Giusti a,* , G. E. Konidaris a , V. Tourloukis a , M. Marini b , M. Maron b , A. Zerboni b , N. Thompson a , G. D. Koufos c , D. S. Kostopoulos c , K. Harvati a a Paläoanthropologie, Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Rümelinstr. 23, 72070 Tübingen, Germany b Università degli Studi di Milano, via Mangiagalli 34, 20133 Milano, Italy c Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Department of Geology, Laboratory of Geology and Palaeontology, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece Abstract By applying advanced spatial statistical methods, spatial taphonomy complements the traditional taphonomic approach and enhances our understanding of biostratinomic and diagenetic processes. In this study, we elaborate on a specific aspect - spatial anisotropy - of taphonomic processes. We aim to unravel the taphonomic history of the Early Pleistocene vertebrate assemblage of Tsiotra Vryssi (Mygdonia Basin, Mace- donia, Greece). Circular statistics are used for the fabric analysis of elongated ele- ments; geostatistics (directional variograms), wavelet and point pattern analyses are applied for detecting anisotropy at the assemblage level. The anisotropy of mag- netic susceptibility (AMS) of sedimentary magnetic minerals is as well investigated. The results of our analyses, integrated with preliminary remarks about the differen- tial preservation of skeletal elements, sedimentological and micromorphological ob- servations, suggest multiple dispersion events and recurrent spatial re-arrangement of a lag, (peri)autochthonous assemblage, consistent with the cyclical lateral switching of a braided fluvial system. Furthermore, this study offers an important contribution to the building of a spatial taphonomic referential framework for the interpretation of other fossil vertebrate assemblages, including archaeo-palaeontological ones. * Corresponding author Email address: (D. Giusti) Preprint submitted to Boreas September 26, 2018