Paleolithic hunting in a southern Moravian landscape: The case of Milovice IV, Czech Republic

Svoboda, Jiřı́; Bocheńnski, Zbigniew M.; Čulíková, Věra; Dohnalová, Alena; Hladilová, Šářka; Hložek, Martin; Horáček, Ivan; Ivanov, Martin; Králík, Miroslav; Novák, Martin; Pryor, Alexander J.E.; Sázelová, Sandra; Stevens, Rhiannon E.; Wilczyńnski, Jarosław; Wojtal, Piotr

doi:10.1002/gea.20375

Cited by 32 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…However, human interaction with these animals (including potential hunting of them) does not produce such bone accumulations and in certain cases may be recognized for a single excavated skeleton (see, e.g., Overstreet & Kolb, ; Holen, ; Haynes et al., ). For mammoth bone accumulations definite evidence of mammoth kills by humans remain surprisingly scarce and the hunting strategies that may have been used remain unclear (Lister & Bahn, ) while claims on mammoth hunting made by scholars for different sites are normally based on indirect evidence and/or simple logic and experiments (see, e.g., Frison & Todd, ; Germonpré et al., ; Brugère et al., ; Svoboda et al., ; Bosch, ). At the same time, in Siberia, the Yana RHS site provides well‐founded evidence for constant mammoth hunting (Nikolskiy & Pitulko, ), which resulted in an anthropogenic contribution to the formation of the mass accumulation of mammoth bones that constitutes part of the spatial structure of the site (Basilyan et al., ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Berelekh Mammoth “Graveyard”: New Chronological and Stratigraphical Data from the 2009 Field Season

2014

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To clarify unanswered questions of site formation, geology and the archaeology of the Berelekh geoarchaeological complex, a special survey was undertaken in 2009 of the area surrounding the site. Several geological units have been revealed. By establishing the spatial and temporal relationship of these deposits—as well as their age—we have reconstructed the formation history of the Berelekh bone bed. The mammoth bone deposit belongs to a paleochannel. Radiocarbon dating of mammoth remains at Berelekh demonstrates rapid accumulation during the Bølling warming. Human involvement in its formation is, at best, questionable, since there is no real overlap between the radiocarbon dates associated with past human activity, and those of the mammoth bone bed. This study confirms that humans used mammoth bone remains after the bone bed was deposited. Culturally, the Berelekh “site” does not have any relationship to the so‐called “Dyuktai culture.” Instead, the Berelekh archaeological finds (side notched stone pendants) show certain similarities to non‐microblade terminal Pleistocene assemblages found from Yenisei to Kamchatka. Additionally, the Berelekh complex presents a clear analogy with lithics found in Eastern Beringia. Teardrop‐shaped incomplete bifaces found in the assemblage are comparable to the Chindadn points of Alaska. The nature of this “Chindadn connection” is intriguing but it is the only visible cultural link between Western and Eastern Beringia.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Berelekh Mammoth “Graveyard”: New Chronological and Stratigraphical Data from the 2009 Field Season

2014

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“…The first appearance of this practice seems to be dated to the Gravettian (30/28-21/18 cal ka BP), as shown at the sites of Vale Boi (Manne, 2012;Manne et al, 2012) and at Milovice IV (Svoboda et al, 2011). Indeed, at YCY we are witnessing a truly UP behavior, but also seemingly unique in the potential local use of pottery to accomplish the task.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Micromorphological and FTIR analysis of the Upper Paleolithic early pottery site of Yuchanyan cave, Hunan, South China

et al. 2019

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The site of Yuchanyan cave (Hunan Province, China) contains evidence for some of the earliest‐known (ca. 18,000 cal BP) pottery in the world alongside a typical South China Upper Paleolithic cobble tool (chopper) industry. Here we present the results of a micromorphological study of the deposits with particular attention to site formation processes and recognizable human activities. Our study reveals that the majority of the sediments are anthropogenic and produced by repeated combustion episodes involving the complete expenditure of the fuel and then the refuse being raked out and redistributed across the cave. In relation to the pottery production, clay was also used to line fireplaces. Our results, combined with our Fourier‐transform infrared analysis of the clays and bones, and supported by the zooarchaeological data, suggest that fire and pottery were used here to boil bones and render grease. This behavior must be considered in respect to its associated chopper industry, and the presence of early pottery may be related, suggesting differences in behavioral modernity for hunter‐gatherers in Upper Paleolithic South China. This study demonstrates the advantages of analyzing sediments as a record of past human actions and the value of using micromorphology for the study of Late Pleistocene sites in China.

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“…The occurrence of U. arctos was documented in 51 Late Pleistocene Czech localities (Figure 2, Table 2). After the Eemian, the number of records considerably increased, with 49 palaeontological records documenting the presence of this species within the Czech territory (Kořenský 1884;Kafka 1903;Skutil 1955;Dvořák 1967;Musil 1962Musil , 1965aMusil , 1967Mostecký 1963Mostecký , 1969Geislerová et al 1986;Wagner 2001;Nývltová-Fišáková 2002;Matoušek et al 2005;Oliva 2005;Svoboda et al 2011;Wojtal et al 2012;Havlová 2014). Among them, there are 10 open-air and 41 cave localities.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

THE LATE PLEISTOCENE HISTORY OF THE BROWN BEAR URSUS ARCTOS LINNAEUS, 1758 IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC

et al. 2022

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During the Late Pleistocene (MIS 5e-2), the brown bear Ursus arctos was widespread in the Czech Republic. From this time interval, the species was recorded in 51 Czech localities, including 10 open-air and 41 cave sites. A total of 18 radiocarbon dates obtained from the material showed the presence of the species in this territory 46–12.6 kyr ago during the Late Pleistocene, but most of the dates are concentrated between 45.7 and 29.3 kyr. Later, its occurrence continued into the Holocene. Three dates confirmed the presence of U. arctos just before and during the LGM. However, during the coolest part of the GS-2.1b interval (about 20.9–19.0 kyr), the species was not recorded in the territory of the Czech Republic. A large, broad-toothed, highly carnivorous priscus ecomorph adapted to live in open grasslands occurred during the Late Pleistocene, while the arctos ecomorph was rarely recorded from that period. The post-LGM time (17.5–14.7 kyr) was characterised by increasing numbers of brown bear dates on the territory of the Czech Republic. It was also a period of progressive afforestation and the disappearance of the priscus ecomorph. The latest occurrence of the priscus ecomorph in the territory of the Czech Republic was represented by a robust mandible from the Býčí skála Cave, dated at 15.4–14.9 kyr.

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Paleolithic hunting in a southern Moravian landscape: The case of Milovice IV, Czech Republic

Cited by 32 publications

References 22 publications

The Berelekh Mammoth “Graveyard”: New Chronological and Stratigraphical Data from the 2009 Field Season

The Berelekh Mammoth “Graveyard”: New Chronological and Stratigraphical Data from the 2009 Field Season

Micromorphological and FTIR analysis of the Upper Paleolithic early pottery site of Yuchanyan cave, Hunan, South China

THE LATE PLEISTOCENE HISTORY OF THE BROWN BEAR URSUS ARCTOS LINNAEUS, 1758 IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC

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