The Wholly mammoth in Upper Palaeolithic occupations in the Dniestr valley : zooarchaeological analyses of the faunal remains of the upper level of Climautsi II (Republic of Moldova)

The site of Climăuţi II is located on a promontory on the right bank of the Middle Dniester in the Republic of Moldova. It was excavated from 1989, under the direction of I. Borziac. This site has delivered two cultural layers. The upper layer 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, chisels and blades, and presents epi-Aurignacian characters. The faunal spectrum, previously identified by T. Obadă and A. David, is relatively small, dominated by the woolly mammoth. Moreover, the ivory was used as a mobilar support, to make many pieces. This site has been interpreted as a relatively long-term camp. The pseudo-contemporary sites of the Dniester valley are generally dominated by relatively short-term occupations in association with the exploitation of the reindeer. The site of Climăuţi II seems to be an exception. The objective here is to present zooarchaeological analyzes of this assemblage, including palaeontological, taphonomic and palethnographic data. The identification of the population profiles (age groups, sex), the skeletal representation and the agents that could have intervened within this assembly make it possible to highlight the methods of conservation of the assembly, as well as the modes of acquisition and use of fauna, particularly woolly mammoths by human groups. In addition, these results bring new data on the status of the mammoth, which has been little apprehended in the extracarpatic zone of the East European Plain.