Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology of Eurasia 53 (3) 2025   doi:10.17746/1563-0110.2025.53.3.023-035

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“Caches” in Mammoth Skulls at Sites of the Kostenki-Avdeyevo Culture
(Zaraysk and Kostenki 1 layer I)

S.Y. Lev¹ and M.N. Zheltova²

¹Institute of Archaeology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Ulyanova 19, Moscow, 117292, Russia

²Institute for the History of Material Culture, Russian Academy of Sciences, Dvortsovaya nab. 18, St. Petersburg, 191181, Russia

We analyze the archaeological evidence of the deliberate placement of valuables (“caches”) in mammoth skulls at sites of the Eastern Gravettian Kostenki-Avdeyevo culture (Zaraysk A, E, F, and Kostenki 1 layer I). Six such finds are examined, specifically their spatial arrangement, stratigraphic context, and composition. Special attention is paid to the connection of “caches” with living structures (semi-subterranean dwellings) and ritual complexes, as evidenced by the presence of ocher, specific placement of artifacts, etc. A classification of “caches” is suggested: lost (accidentally left), returnable (intended for subsequent retrieval), and irretrievable (ritual sacrifices). The composition of such complexes is diverse. A “special” cache at Zaraysk E contained 24 artifacts including Kostenki knives, placed in the alveolus of a mammoth skull; at Kostenki 1, a spatula made of a rib with a figured top had been hidden in the skull. Notably, the tradition of using mammoth skulls for storing valuables has been traced over a long period of time at sites of the Upper Paleolithic Kostenki-Avdeyevo archaeological culture belonging to the Eastern Gravettian. It was practiced on the Russian Plain even after the LGM at sites of the Anosovo-Mezin type, representing another cultural tradition. Our findings indicate a complex interaction of utilitarian and symbolic practices among ancient hunters, expanding our knowledge of their worldview.

Keywords: Upper Paleolithic, Gravettian, Zaraysk, Kostenki 1 (I), Kostenki-Avdeyevo culture, cache