The Epigravettian Site of Yudinovo, Russia: Mammoth Bone Structures as Ritualised Middens

Sablin, Mikhail; Reynolds, Natasha; Iltsevich, K.Yu.; Germonpré, Mietje

doi:10.1080/14614103.2023.2182977

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 62 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In this regard, we draw attention to the large open-air mammoth “megasites” in central and eastern Europe (e.g., Předmostí, Dolní Věstonice, Yudinovo, Eliseevichi, Mezhirich; Figure 7 ). Dating from the Gravettian and Epigravettian, these probably represent large aggregation sites ( Soffer, 1985 ; Oliva, 1997 ; Pidoplichko, 1998 ; Germonpré et al, 2008 ; Khlopachëv and Polkovnikova, 2017 ; Khlopachev, 2019 ; Sablin et al, forthcoming ). Many of these impressive sites are characterized by direct or indirect evidence for mammoth hunting, as well as human burials, female anthropomorphic figurines, procurement of exotic materials and/or substantial architectural constructions made from mammoth bones ( Germonpré et al, 2020 , 2021b ).…”

Section: Implications Of Human-dingo Relations For Wolf Domesticationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many of these impressive sites are characterized by direct or indirect evidence for mammoth hunting, as well as human burials, female anthropomorphic figurines, procurement of exotic materials and/or substantial architectural constructions made from mammoth bones ( Germonpré et al, 2020 , 2021b ). At these locations, a surplus of mammoth meat enabled large numbers of foragers to gather recurrently for an extended period of time ( Sablin et al, forthcoming ; Germonpré et al, 2021b ). Based on seasonality studies, it can be inferred that people were often concentrated at these sites during several seasons, including spring ( Nývltová Fišáková, 2013 ; Germonpré et al, 2021b ), precisely the time of year when wolves would have been denning and whelping ( Mech and Boitani, 2003 ).…”

Section: Implications Of Human-dingo Relations For Wolf Domesticationmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The human-initiated model of wolf domestication – An expansion based on human-dingo relations in Aboriginal Australia

2023

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The historically known relationship of interspecies companionship between Aboriginal foraging communities in Australia and free-ranging dingoes provides a model for understanding the human-canid relations that gave rise to the first domesticated dogs. Here, we propose that a broadly similar relationship might have developed early in time between wild-living wolves and mobile groups of foragers in Late Pleistocene Eurasia, with hunter-gatherers routinely raiding wild wolf dens for pre-weaned pups, which were socialized to humans and kept in camp as tamed companions (“pets”). We outline a model in which captive wolf pups that reverted to the wild to breed when they were sexually mature established their territories in the vicinity of foraging communities — in a “liminal” ecological zone between humans and truly wild-living wolves. Many (or most) of the wolf pups humans took from the wilderness to rear in camp may have derived from these liminal dens where the breeding pairs had been under indirect human selection for tameness over many generations. This highlights the importance of the large seasonal hunting/aggregation camps associated with mammoth kill-sites in Gravettian/Epigravettian central Europe. Large numbers of foragers gathered regularly at these locations during the wild wolf birthing season. We infer that if a pattern of this kind occurred over long periods of time then there might have been a pronounced effect on genetic variation in free-ranging wolves that denned and whelped in the liminal zones in the vicinity of these human seasonal aggregation sites. The argument is not that wolves were domesticated in central Europe. Rather, it is this pattern of hunter-gatherers who caught and reared wild wolf pups gathering seasonally in large numbers that might have been the catalyst for the early changes leading to the first domesticated dogs — whether in western Eurasia or further afield.

show abstract

Section: Implications Of Human-dingo Relations For Wolf Domesticationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Implications Of Human-dingo Relations For Wolf Domesticationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The human-initiated model of wolf domestication – An expansion based on human-dingo relations in Aboriginal Australia

2023

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Most are found along the Desna/Dnepr River systems in present-day Ukraine and Russia (4)(5), and radiocarbon dating has indicated their usage ~22-12 14 C thousand years ago (kya), corresponding to ~26-14 cal yr BP, with the majority of dates between 15.5-14 14 C kya, corresponding to 18.8-17 cal yr BP (4)(5). The structures are usually associated with pit features potentially used for storing food or fresh bones, or discarding refuse, and indicate the past existence of open-air human settlements adapted to the steppe environment (6), while some studies also suggest these structures may have been used as ceremonial sites (7)(8). Kostenki 11 was discovered in 1951.…”

Section: Main Text Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ancient biomolecular analysis of 39 mammoth individuals from Kostenki 11-Ia elucidates Upper Palaeolithic human resource use

Rey-Iglesia,

Pryor,

Wilson

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Circular structures made from woolly mammoth bones are found across Ukraine and west Russia, yet the origin of the bones remains uncertain. We present ten new mammoth radiocarbon dates from the largest circular structure at Kostenki 11-Ia, identifying two mammoth mandibles ∼200-1,200 years older than the other dated materials from the site, suggesting skeletal material from long-dead individuals was scavenged and used in the site construction. Biomolecular sexing of 30 individuals showed a predominance of females, suggesting the Kostenki mammoths are primarily from herds. We identify six mitochondrial lineages across 16 samples, showing they are not all from the same matriline. Integrating biomolecular sexing with stableδ13C andδ15N isotope analysis, we find no isotopically-differentiated resource use by females and males, providing the first analysis of foraging differences between sexes in any Late Pleistocene megafauna. Our study highlights the significance of integrating ancient biomolecular approaches in archaeological inference.TeaserIntegrating14C dating, ancient DNA, palaeoproteomics, and stable isotopes improves our understanding of Kostenki 11-Ia

show abstract

The Epigravettian Site of Yudinovo, Russia: Mammoth Bone Structures as Ritualised Middens

Cited by 2 publications

References 62 publications

The human-initiated model of wolf domestication – An expansion based on human-dingo relations in Aboriginal Australia

The human-initiated model of wolf domestication – An expansion based on human-dingo relations in Aboriginal Australia

Ancient biomolecular analysis of 39 mammoth individuals from Kostenki 11-Ia elucidates Upper Palaeolithic human resource use

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About