1. High altitude hunting, climate change, and pastoral resilience in eastern Eurasia
- Author
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Peter Bittner, Aida Abdykanova, Kristen Pearson, Craig Lee, Caleb G. Pan, James D. Murdoch, Gino Caspari, Umirbyek Bikhumar, E. James Dixon, Jamsranjav Bayarsaikhan, Devin B. Pettigrew, Muhammad Zahir, Mark E. Williams, William Timothy Treal Taylor, Isaac Hart, Svetlana Shnaider, Michael Klinge, Michael D. Petraglia, Nicholas L. Jarman, and Nicole Boivin
- Subjects
930 History of ancient world (to ca. 499) ,Steppe ,Science ,Pastoralism ,Archaeological record ,Wildlife ,Climate change ,Article ,law.invention ,03 medical and health sciences ,law ,0601 history and archaeology ,East Asia ,Radiocarbon dating ,030304 developmental biology ,0303 health sciences ,geography ,Multidisciplinary ,geography.geographical_feature_category ,060102 archaeology ,Poaching ,06 humanities and the arts ,Archaeology ,Medicine ,Physical geography ,Climate-change impacts - Abstract
The transition from hunting to herding transformed the cold, arid steppes of Mongolia and Eastern Eurasia into a key social and economic center of the ancient world, but a fragmentary archaeological record limits our understanding of the subsistence base for early pastoral societies in this key region. Organic material preserved in high mountain ice provides rare snapshots into the use of alpine and high altitude zones, which played a central role in the emergence of East Asian pastoralism. Here, we present the results of the first archaeological survey of melting ice margins in the Altai Mountains of western Mongolia, revealing a near-continuous record of more than 3500 years of human activity. Osteology, radiocarbon dating, and collagen fingerprinting analysis of wooden projectiles, animal bone, and other artifacts indicate that big-game hunting and exploitation of alpine ice played a significant role during the emergence of mobile pastoralism in the Altai, and remained a core element of pastoral adaptation into the modern era. Extensive ice melting and loss of wildlife in the study area over recent decades, driven by a warming climate, poaching, and poorly regulated hunting, presents an urgent threat to the future viability of herding lifeways and the archaeological record of hunting in montane zones. Introduction - Mountain zones and the emergence of herding economies in Eastern Eurasia Results - Remote sensing - Pedestrian and horseback survey - Radiocarbon dating and cultural patterns Discussion - Weapon manufacture - Hunting strategies and butchery - Ritual activity - Other cultural activities - Role of mountain zones in emerging pastoral societies - Implications of climate change and poaching Conclusion Methods
- Published
- 2021