COMPLEMENTARY ANALYSES OF THE FAUNAL REMAINS OF THE LOWER LEVEL OF CLIMӐUȚI II (REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA (original) (raw)
Related papers
2021
The upper layer of Climăuţi II, located in the Middle Dniester, delivered many archaeological remains relied to the first part of the upper Pleniglacial (between 20,500 and 20,000 BP). The lithic industry is rich, dominated by scrapers, burins and blades, and presents epi-Aurignacian characters. From our zooarchaeological analyzes we highlighted that this assembly was relatively quickly accumulated and little affected by sediment movements. The woolly mammoth is the main species, probably as important food resources, for ivory and as raw material to build structure. All the remains attest to various activities, as flint knapping, hunting and butchering activities, also as bone working. It corresponds to an important camp probably occupied several times during short-termed period. Compared to the rather contemporary sites of the Dniester valley, Climăuţi II is a unique site in the region with a clear and important status accorded to mammoth by Paleolithic human groups.
Late Pleistocene mammal fauna from the Late Palaeolithic butchering site Cosauti 1, Moldova
Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia, 2003
The Late Palaeolithic settlement Cosãuþi 1 (Moldova), dated for ca. 19 000-17 000 BP, yielded about 34 000 determined remains of large and small mammals. People hunted mainly reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) and horse (Equus latipes). The faunal structure, character of bone preservation, and their accumulation as well as the diversity of large mammals in Cosãuþi 1 indicate that here we are possibly dealing with a butchering and killing site of the Late Gravettian age.
a b s t r a c t Preliminary results are presented from the studies of a newly found Paleolithic site e Valea Morilor (Chiş in au, Republic of Moldova). The excavations produced unquestionable evidence of mammoth hunting (Mammuthus primigenius Blumenbach, 1799). Excavations of 2009e2010 opened an area of 1264 m 2 . Three radiocarbon datings ( 14 C) of the fragments of fossil bones of mammots performed in the Gröningen University gave very similar results: in the excavation sector Nr.1 -20770 AE 90 BP (GrA-46004;Obad a and van der Plicht, 2010); the sector Nr.2 -20570 AE 80 BP (GrA-52424); and the sector Nr.3 -20560 AE 80 BP (GrA-52425). Faunal remains are represented by more than 550 mammoth bones (belonging to at least 6 animals), as well as bones of bison (Bison priscus Bojanus, 1827), small mammals [Ochotona pusilla?; Spalax zemni Erxleben, 1777; Lagurus lagurus (Pallas, 1773)] and terrestrial molluscs Helicopsis striata (Mull.), Pupilla muscorum (L.), Vallonia pulchella (Mull.), and Succinea oblonga (Drap.).
The Upper Pleniglacial, between 23 000e20 000 BP, is characterized by the intensification of cold climate and is followed by the maximum extent of ice sheets. There is a little bit information about the human activities during this period. New archaeological excavations in Ukraine permit to evidence data about behavioural human adaptations. These open air sites are on the one hand Pushkari 1 (excavation VII), Pogon (excavation VII) and Obollonia in the Desna valley and on the other hand Dorochivtsy III in the Dniester valley. These sites are characterised by atypical lithic industries made on local flint relied to the Gravettian but containing Epigravettian or Aurignacoid elements. In order to better understand the subsistence strategy we carried out zooarchaeological and taphonomical studies, which allow us to reveal the strategy of fauna exploitation by the human groups. We highlighted that all these sites are characterized by a restricted faunal spectrum with the presence of mammoth, reindeer, horse and car-nivores (mainly fox [Vulpes vulpes and Alopex lagopus] and wolf). In the Dniester valley the reindeer was the most exploited, whereas the mammoth is the most exploited in the Desna valley. Indeed, it was probably hunt in Pushkari 1, maybe in Pogon and Obollonia. It was exploited as combustible, food resources and bones as raw material. In Dorochivtsy III/6 ivory was used to make tools and as artistic support. Indeed this site and Obollonia present grooved ivory points, this is the oldest occurrence of this kind of artefacts in the both regions. Moreover two engraved tusks presenting more or less figurative pictures were found in Dorochivtsy III/l.6 and Obollonia. The other large herbivores were also consumed and carnivores were exploited for their pelts in all these sites. The settlements are recurrent camps with little development occupied during varied seasons oriented to hunting and butchering activities linked with exploitation of local flint. These sites demonstrate the continuity of human occupations within the Eastern European plain, with the persistence of hunting methods and the relative diversity of animal exploitation, during the Upper Pleniglacial. These sites are really important for the understanding of cultural processes in the Eastern European Upper Palaeolithic, and particularly for the understanding of Epigravettian origin.
Archaeology and Early History of Ukraine, 2020
The first part of the Upper Pleniglacial (around 26000—20000 BP) is characterized by a deterioration in weather conditions, which reached its peak during the Last Glacial Maximum. In the East European Plain, most of its lands were dominated by a periglacial steppe-tundra with the maximum extension of ice sheet in the North and permafrost. The different animal species had to adapt to these environments, also as human groups.The recent works realized in Ukraine permit to better understand the lifestyles of the Palaeolithic human groups, particularly their subsistence activities, the modalities of settlements and the technocultural practices. We based our study on the main sites, Dorochivtsy III, Galich 1, Klussy, Korman, Molodova V, Obollonia, Oselivka, Pushkari 1 and Pogon (Pushkari 8). These sites are very important to better understand the human occupations for all the East European Plain. Here we particularly focus on the zooarchaeological remains, which permitted to better determ...
Paleobiology as a clue for Paleolithic taphonomy: the case of reindeer hunting in Moldova
Quaternaire, 2018
The article proposes an interpretation of hunting strategy of Late Paleolithic hunters from Moldova based on demographic structure of reindeer remains (sex ratio and proportion of juvenile remains) and reindeer paleobiology and ecology. The obtained results demonstrate a flexible strategy of game procurement of Paleolithic hunters ensuring the optimal energy investment/ food gain ratio. The hunting strategy was influenced by prey ecology, seasonal biological cycle, paleogeographic conditions, prey availability, cultural traditions, and available human resources. LA PALÉOBIOLOGIE COMME CLEF EN TAPHONOMIE PALÉOLITHIQUE : L'EXEMPLE DE LA CHASSE AU RENNE EN MOLDAVIE. Cet article propose une reconstitution des stratégies de chasse au Paléolithique supérieur en Moldavie, fondée sur la démogra phie des populations de renne fossile (sexratio et nombre de restes de jeunes) en relation avec la paléobiologie et l'écologie de cette espèce. Les résultats indiquent des stratégies flexibles dans l'acquisition de ce gibier permettant un rapport optimisé entre inves tissement énergétique et gain alimentaire. Les stratégies de chasse sont influencées par l'écologie du gibier, leur cycle saisonnier et leur disponibilité, les conditions paléogéographiques et les traditions culturelles des groupes humains et leurs autres ressources.
Paleobiology as a clue to paleolithic taphonomy: the case of reindeer hunting in Moldova
Quaternaire, 2018
The article proposes an interpretation of hunting strategy of Late Paleolithic hunters from Moldova based on demographic structure of reindeer remains (sex ratio and proportion of juvenile remains) and reindeer paleobiology and ecology. The obtained results demonstrate a flexible strategy of game procurement of Paleolithic hunters ensuring the optimal energy investment/ food gain ratio. The hunting strategy was influenced by prey ecology, seasonal biological cycle, paleogeographic conditions, prey availability, cultural traditions, and available human resources.
Considering Neanderthal subsistence, the use of mammoth resources has been particularly discussed. Apart from procurement for food, the use of mammoth bones as building material has been proposed. The hypothesis was based on the discovery made in Molodova I, Ukraine (Dniester valley). In this large multistratified open-air site, a rich Mousterian layer was excavated. Dated to the Inter-Pleniglacial (MIS 3), it has yielded 40 000 lithic remains associated with ca. 3000 mammal bones, mostly from mammoth. Several areas have been excavated: a pit filled with bones, different areas of activities (butchering, tool production), twenty-five hearths and a circular accumulation made of mammoth bones, described as a dwelling structure set up by Neanderthals. Attested dwelling structures made of mammoth bones are known in Upper Paleolithic sites, from Ukraine and Russia, attributed to the Epigravettian tradition.