The Upper Palaeolithic site of Kalavan 1 (Armenia): An Epigravettian settlement in the Lesser Caucasus

Montoya, Cyril; Bălășescu, Adrian; Joannin, Sébastien; Ollivier, Vincent; Liagre, Jérémie; Nahapetyan, Samvel; Ghukasyan, Ruben; Colonge, David; Gasparyan, Boris; Chataigner, Christine

doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2013.07.011

Cited by 35 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…The wild sheep remains most probably belong to Ovis orientalis gmelini, the Armenian mouflon. The caprinae mortality profile (161 teeth) shows a predominance of mature specimens (age classes D to G, 1e6 years [Payne, 1973]) and includes no very young animals (age classes A: 0e2 months and B: 2e6 months) (Montoya et al, 2013). When we include only the wild sheep, the mortality profile (80 teeth) shows a similar tendency.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 83%

“…Sex ratios could not be determined due to the absence of diagnostic elements in the assemblage. Although some elements of the axial skeleton were under-represented in the assemblage, the presence of the main anatomical parts of the animals suggests hunting activity near the site (Montoya et al, 2013;B al aş escu et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The occupation layer 7d3, which is dense in remains and structures, provided nearly 5400 artifacts for which over half (56.8%) are remains from hunted fauna. Seven homogeneous AMS dates placed the occupation(s) at approximately 14,000 BP [15,966e14,506 cal BC (2 sigma)] (Montoya et al, 2013;Gasparyan et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The altitudinal mobility of wild sheep at the Epigravettian site of Kalavan 1 (Lesser Caucasus, Armenia): Evidence from a sequential isotopic analysis in tooth enamel

Tornero

Balasse

Bălășescu³

et al. 2016

Journal of Human Evolution

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Kalavan 1 is an Epigravettian hunting campsite in the Aregunyats mountain chain in northeastern Armenia (Lesser Caucasus). The site lies at an elevation of 1640 m in a bottleneck that controls the descent into the Barepat Valley from the alpine meadows above. The lithic and faunal assemblages show evidence of the production of hunting weapons, the hunting and targeting of wild sheep (Ovis orientalis), and the constitution of animal product reserves. A seasonal occupation of the site was proposed within a model of occupation by Epigravettian hunter-gatherers that involved a search for obsidian resources in high altitude sources from the spring to the summer and settling at Kalavan 1 at the end of summer or during autumn to coincide with the migration of wild herds from the alpine meadows to the valley. A key parameter of this model is wild sheep ethology, with a specifically seasonal vertical mobility, based on observations from contemporary mouflon populations from the surrounding areas. In this study, the vertical mobility of Paleolithic wild sheep was directly investigated through sequential isotope analysis (δ(18)O, δ(13)C) in teeth. A marked seasonality of birth is suggested that reflects a physiological adaptation to the strong environmental constraints of this mountainous region. Most importantly, a recurrent altitudinal mobility was demonstrated on a seasonal basis, which confirms that wild sheep migrated from lowland areas that they occupied in the winter and then moved to higher altitude meadows during the summer. Last, low inter-individual variability in the stable isotope sequences favors a hypothesis of accumulation for these faunal remains over a short time period. Overall, this new dataset strengthens the previous interpretations for Kalavan 1 and contributes to an understanding of the pattern of occupation of mountain territories by Epigravettian communities.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 83%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The altitudinal mobility of wild sheep at the Epigravettian site of Kalavan 1 (Lesser Caucasus, Armenia): Evidence from a sequential isotopic analysis in tooth enamel

Tornero

Balasse

Bălășescu³

et al. 2016

Journal of Human Evolution

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“…The spectrum comprises to a lesser extent red deer and wild horse. At Kalavan-1 the predominance of prime-aged goats could reflect specialized hunting activity (Chataigner et al, 2012;Montoya et al, 2013). The Aghitu-3 fauna is under study and listing of species is preliminary from the published data (Kandel et al, 2014).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Meanwhile, in Georgia, hunting activities were mainly focused on migratory artiodactyls, especially the wild Caucasian tur (at high altitude sites) and/or bison/aurochs (at low altitude sites) during the Middle and Upper Paleolithic (Adler et al, 2006;Ghukasyan et al, 2011;Bar-Yosef et al, 2011;Bar Oz et al, 2012;Chataigner et al, 2012;Montoya et al, 2013). Similar strategies of specialized hunting focusing on one species have been discovered at a very few sites, essentially in caves (Nioradze and Otte, 2000;Adler et al, 2004Adler et al, , 2006Meshveliani et al, 2004Meshveliani et al, , 2007Nioradze, 2006;BarOz et al, 2008BarOz et al, , 2012.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The diversity of Late Pleistocene and Holocene wild ungulates and kites structures in Armenia

Chahoud

Vila

Bălășescu³

et al. 2016

Quaternary International

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Vegetation, fire and climate history of the Lesser Caucasus: a new Holocene record from Zarishat fen (Armenia)

Joannin

Ali

Ollivier

et al. 2013

J Quaternary Science

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118

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Vegetation, fire and climate history are investigated in the 10 000‐year record of Zarishat fen located today in the steppe grasslands of Armenia (Near East). Pollen‐based climate quantification provides a reconstruction of seasonal parameters. The development of in‐situ water‐dependant plants and of forests at lower altitude at 8200 cal a BP echoes the shift from an arid and cold [annual precipitation (Pann) = 452 mm; mean temperature of the coldest month (MTCO) = −11.1 °C)] Early Holocene to a more humid and warmer (Pann = 721 mm; MTCO = −6.8 °C) Mid–Late Holocene. This marks the onset of lower seasonality, in particular more effective precipitation brought during late spring by the Westerlies. Paralleling the Mediterranean precipitation pattern, precipitation in the Near East and Central Asia decreased during the Mid–Late Holocene in favour of higher seasonality controlled in winter/spring by the Siberian High. Fire history and sedge‐based fen development record drier phases at approximately 6400, 5300–4900, 3000, 2200–1500 and 400 cal a BP, which resemble the precipitation pattern of the South‐Western Mediterranean and contrast with the Holocene pattern in the South‐Central and South‐Eastern Mediterranean regions. Arid phases in Armenia are believed to be related to multi‐centennial‐scale variation of Westerly activity (North Atlantic Oscillation‐like).

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The Upper Palaeolithic site of Kalavan 1 (Armenia): An Epigravettian settlement in the Lesser Caucasus

Cited by 35 publications

References 27 publications

The altitudinal mobility of wild sheep at the Epigravettian site of Kalavan 1 (Lesser Caucasus, Armenia): Evidence from a sequential isotopic analysis in tooth enamel

The altitudinal mobility of wild sheep at the Epigravettian site of Kalavan 1 (Lesser Caucasus, Armenia): Evidence from a sequential isotopic analysis in tooth enamel

The diversity of Late Pleistocene and Holocene wild ungulates and kites structures in Armenia

Vegetation, fire and climate history of the Lesser Caucasus: a new Holocene record from Zarishat fen (Armenia)

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