[en] The Pushkari archaeological complex is one of the few sites which shows human occupations related to
the first part of the Upper Pleniglacial. Pushkari I furnished rich archaeological material. Study of the
lithic industry identified a facies of Gravettian with epigravettian features, called Pushkarian.
In order to figure out acquisition and treatment modalities of large mammals, and to test the hypothesis
of the use of woolly mammoth as a source of food and building material, we conducted a
zooarchaeological study of the faunal remains from excavation VII of Pushkari I.
The faunal spectrum is made of Mammuthus primigenius, the predominant species, Equus sp.,
R. tarandus, Canis lupus and Vulpes vulpes/Alopex lagopus. Taphonomic study suggests that some bone
remains of mammoth lay in open-air for a long time before they were buried while bones of carnivores
and other bones of mammoth were quickly buried. All the assemblage was affected by acid sandy deposits.
Phenomena of freeze-thaw action were observed, but the archaeological layer was little disturbed.
Mammoths came regularly on the promontory. The skeletal preservation shows that they died there.
The mortality profile with a majority of adults combined with a palethnographic interpretation suggests
that they were slaughtered and butchered by human groups. Tusks were stored.
The spatial distribution indicates a campsite, which corresponds to recurrent short-termed occupations
on the promontory by human groups. This site is a strategic place to collect flint to make weapons,
to find dry mammoth bones, and to hunt and butcher mammoths. This study provides new data to
understand the particular status of the woolly mammoth for the Upper Pleniglacial human groups in the
Russo-Ukrainian plain.
Disciplines :
Archaeology
Author, co-author :
Demay, Laëtitia ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Doc. histoire, art & archéo (Bologne)
Péan, Stéphane; Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (Paris, France) > préhistoire
Belyaeva, Valentina I.; Saint-Peterburg State University
Vasil'ev, Pavel M.; Museum of archaeology, Kiev
Patou-Mathis, Marylène; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - CNRS MNHN Paris > Préhistoire
Language :
English
Title :
Zooarchaeological study of an Upper Palaeolithic site with mammoth remains, Pushkari Ieexcavation VII (Chernigov oblast, Ukraine)
Publication date :
2016
Journal title :
Quaternary International
ISSN :
1040-6182
eISSN :
1873-4553
Publisher :
Pergamon Press - An Imprint of Elsevier Science, Oxford, United Kingdom
Peer reviewed :
Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi
Name of the research project :
Animal resources and subsistence of Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers in Ukraine
Funders :
ULg - Université de Liège
Funding number :
Université de Liège/French Minister of Foreign Affairs PHC Dnipro Program
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