Search

Mezhyrich is an Epigravettian open air base camp dated to 14.9—14.3 ka 14C BP (i. e. between 18.2 and 17.4 ka 14C cal BP), inserted in a loessic sedimentary context, situated on a cape formed by the valleys of the Ros and Rosava Rivers about 12 km west from the Dnieper River (Kaniv District, Cherkassy Region). The settlement consists of four household Units, each of which represents a concentration of functionally different objects with mammoth bone dwelling in the center. In the studies of the objects of Unit 1 several stages are distinguished. The first is the excavation of dwelling 1 under the scientific supervision of I. H. Podoplichko in 1966. The second is a typological and statistical studies of the lithic assemblage conducted by M. I. Gladkikh in the 1970s—2000s. The third is new excavations of the Unit 1 objects, typological and technological analysis of flint artifacts in 2006—2010. The fourth, from 2010 to the present day, is the continuation of excavations within the boundaries of the Unit 1, technological, typological, and statistical analysis of the materials of the assemblage. The article considers the conditions of research of Unit 1, the spatial and stratigraphic context of the assemblage objects’ location, typological, statistical and technological features of flint products obtained as a result of excavations in the last 12 years. The analysis of the distribution of finds together with stratigraphic observations allows us to assert the presence of at least two anthropogenic layers and, accordingly, residential surfaces on the territory of this Unit. Planigraphic features demonstrate the functional specialization of various parts of the interior and exterior space of the dwelling 1. The provided analysis makes it possible to determine the degree of technological affinity of the Upper Palaeolithic sites. The studied flint assemblage comes from a relatively closed archaeological site and can serve as a benchmark for the comparative studies of different lithic industries. The article analyzes the features of flint sets separately from the excavations of dwelling 1 and the area of the cultural layer to the south of it. The difference in the typological and statistical characteristics of both complexes demonstrates peculiarities in the economic behavior of the residents. The data on the spatial distribution of flint products from other Mezhyrichian household units are characterized by common features in the organization of living space. Such behavioral patterns of prehistoric inhabitants require the search for more distant analogies of the industry both within the frames of the Mezhyrichian, and in general among the East European Upper Palaeolithic.

The late Pleniglacial was characterized by different palaeoenvironmental and geographical modifications, which affected the diverse living beings that had to adapt to those peculiar conditions. This paper intends to explore how this phenomenon may have impacted the practices of the nomadic human populations who occupied the East European Plain during the last part of the Pleistocene, through their relation to the environments, landscapes, overall territories, and especially with other species in archaeological context. Using both quantitative and qualitative data, we performed an exhaustive review of the faunal record from an extensive set of archaeological recorded contexts ranging between 31.0 and 21.5 ka cal BP (26.0-18.0 ka 14C BP). We examined the seasons of occupations and the types of activities at each site, the global subsistence economies, as well as the technocultural practices and settlement patterns of the human groups. This research shed new light on the connections amongst different human groups and between humans and other animals, the socio-ecological systems that have been favored during this critical period of human prehistory in the East European Plain.

The first part of the Upper Pleniglacial (around 26000—20000 BP) is characterized by a deterioration in weather conditions, which reached its peak during the Last Glacial Maximum. In the East European Plain, most of its lands were dominated by a periglacial steppe-tundra with the maximum extension of ice sheet in the North and permafrost. The different animal species had to adapt to these environments, also as human groups.The recent works realized in Ukraine permit to better understand the lifestyles of the Palaeolithic human groups, particularly their subsistence activities, the modalities of settlements and the technocultural practices. We based our study on the main sites, Dorochivtsy III, Galich 1, Klussy, Korman, Molodova V, Obollonia, Oselivka, Pushkari 1 and Pogon (Pushkari 8). These sites are very important to better understand the human occupations for all the East European Plain. Here we particularly focus on the zooarchaeological remains, which permitted to better determine the taphonomic conditions, the human activities, the seasonality of occupations and the human and other animal relationships. The main species present in archaeological sites are Mammoth, Reindeer, Horse, Fox and Wolf, who have important implication on the territory modification and the food resource for humans. Moreover the animal eco-ethology involvement of their acquisition-exploitation by nomadic hunter-gatherers, permits to highlight the potential human behavioral strategies. They show the continuous occupation of the territories by humans, in any seasons, with the persistence of organized activities, innovations and varied behaviors. This period corresponds to the changes between middle Gravettian and late Gravettian, then first Epigravettian features. The end of the Last Glacial Maximum peak marks the disappearance of Late Gravettian and of human populations between 19—16000 BP, followed by a hiatus until 16000 BP.

The Upper Palaeolithic settlement of Mezhyrich is located on the territory of Mezhyrich village of Kaniv district, Cherkasy region. The settlement is located on the cape formed by the valleys of the rivers Ros’ and Rosava. Palaeolithic cultural layers of the site lies 2.5—3 m below the modern surface. The site is radiocarbon dated to 15—14.3 kyr BP. using bones of several animal species, including mammoth. The remains of the structures and objects are well-preserved in the cultural layer, they contain bone, antler and ivory. In the last years pit 6 is household object of a particular interest. It belongs to the second household unit and is situated to the south of the second dwelling’s structure. The microstratigraphic studies of the object indicate three episodes of sediment accumulation in the pit, which correspond to the three cultural horizons of the site. As a result of the excavation we have a bright series of bone, tusk and antler artifacts. According to the cross-sections of the north and east walls, the pit is a lens-shaped (lens-like) depression with a diameter of about two meters and a depth of one meter. There were large mammoth bones by the edges of its filling. For the study we have chosen samples of osteological material which bear traces of human processing. As a result of the zooarchaeological analysis several main categories of the material were chosen (identified): blanks of mammoth ribs, bone tools of long bones of small/medium-sized mammals and ornaments of teeth. It allowed to find out some technological traits and to deepen the understanding of household and everyday life of Upper Palaeolithic hunters-gatherers from the Mezhyrich site. The study of the collection allows to widen the description of this site and to conclude about the life of its inhabitants. The research materials were used in the creation of the international training course «Nature and Society in Prehistoric Europe», supported by the European Union under the House of Europe programme: https://houseofeurope.org.ua/en.