Publication details
Carnivores in the everyday life of Gravettian hunters-gatherers in Central Europe
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2020 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Journal of Anthropological Archaeology |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaa.2020.101171 |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jaa.2020.101171 |
| Keywords | mammoth bone; animal remains; Central Europe |
| Description | Insights into human life in Central Europe at similar to 30-20,000 years ago have come from studies of archaeological and paleontological materials in Czechia, Poland, and Slovakia, including assemblages from sites such as Dolni Vestonice I and II, Pavlov I, Krakow Spadzista, Jaksice II, and Moravany-Lopata II. Pavlovian mammal bone assemblages from settlements in South Moravia are dominated by small (birds, hares, foxes) and medium sized animals (wolves, reindeer, wolverines), but bones of large mammals also occur (bears, cave lions, horses, and mammoths, which dominate in the adjacent bone deposits), showing the wide spectrum of the hunters' prey choices. Late Gravettian localities show an apparent trend towards specialization in hunting. Clear exemplars are Krakow Spadzista and Milovice I, where mammoth remains dominate the osteological material. At both, Pavlovian and Late Gravettian sites large numbers of carnivore remains have been found, including bones of small taxa (such as foxes), medium sized taxa (wolves and wolverines), and largest carnivores (bears and cave lions). Osteological assemblages from Central European Gravettian open-air sites lack remains of cave hyenas because this species went extinct in Central Europe between 40 and 30 thousand years ago. The significant numbers of remains show that carnivores had an important meaning in the lives of people occupying the sites. Acquiring animal hides was possibly the main reason for the hunting of carnivores, which is supported by skinning-related cut marks left on bones from different carnivores, such as wolf, wolverine, and cave lion. However, other body parts of carnivores were also used by Pavlovian hunters. Carnivore bones were used to make tools (e.g., awls), and the teeth of wolf and fox were used to make personal ornaments (pendants). We point out the presence of cut marks at Moravian sites made during carcass dismembering of foxes, wolves, and wolverines, indicating these carnivores were also a source of food for the hunters-gatherers. The wolf, wolverine, and foxes undoubtedly were important prey during the entire span of the Gravettian. However, in art and symbolism, Paleolithic hunters neglected these smaller predators and preferred the largest and most dangerous ones such as lions and bears. Lastly, we emphasize that hunters were capable to hunt even the largest carnivores (bears and lions), which were also important prey. |