Evidence for kill-butchery events of early Upper Paleolithic age at Kostenki, Russia

John F. Hoffecker, I. E. Kuz'mina, E. V. Syromyatnikova, M. V. Anikovich, A. A. Sinitsyn, V. V. Popov, Vance T. Holliday

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

31 Scopus citations

Abstract

At least 10 early Upper Paleolithic (EUP) open-air sites are found at Kostenki on the west bank of the Don River in Russia. During the 1950s, A.N. Rogachev excavated concentrations of horse bones and teeth from EUP layers at Kostenki 14 and 15 exhibiting the characteristics of kill-butchery assemblages. Excavations at Kostenki 12 in 2002-2003 uncovered a large quantity of reindeer and horse bones in EUP Layer III that also might be related to kill-butchery events, and the partial skeleton of a sub-adult mammoth excavated during 2004-2007 in EUP Layer V at Kostenki 1 yields traces of butchery. The character of these large mammal assemblages - combined with the analysis of artifacts and features - suggests that both habitation areas and kill-butchery locations are represented in a "EUP landscape" at Kostenki.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1073-1089
Number of pages17
JournalJournal of Archaeological Science
Volume37
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2010

Keywords

  • Early upper Paleolithic
  • Eastern Europe
  • Kill-butchery sites
  • Zooarchaeology

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Archaeology
  • Archaeology

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