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Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology
of Eurasia
53 (4) 2025
doi:10.17746/1563-0110.2025.53.4.028-040
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Annotation:
Pleistocene Communities of Large Mammals near Denisova Cave
S.K. Vasiliev, M.V. Shunkov, and M.B. Kozlikin
Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pr. Akademika Lavrentieva 17, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia
This article outlines the results of the analysis of animal bone remains from Pleistocene deposits in Denisova Cave, Altai, presenting the longest and most complete Paleolithic record in North and Central Asia. The faunal sample comprises 158,000 bone and tooth fragments from lithological layers 15-9 in the cave's East Chamber, spanning the period from MIS 7 to 2. The fossils represent 35 species of large mammals from six orders: rodents, lagomorphs, carnivores, proboscideans, perissodactyls, and artiodactyls. Building on a comprehensive (morphometric, taphonomic, paleoecological, and zooarchaeological) analysis, we compiled a systematic review of the most characteristic animal species in the Denisova Cave area, reconstructing the general trend of environmental changes throughout the Pleistocene sedimentation period. Taphonomic features of separate sedimentation stages are presented, and the role of Paleolithic humans and predators in the formation of taphocoenoses is assessed. We concluded that when sedimentation layers 15 and 14 were formed, significant areas were occupied by forests. The accumulation of fossils in the lower part of the sequence was largely caused by humans. During the sedimentation of layers 13-9, steppe areas predominated in the vicinity of the cave, with forested areas being most likely confined to river valleys and northern-facing mountain slopes. Taphocoenoses in this part of the section originated mostly as a result of the subsistence activity of predators.
Keywords: Altai Mountains, Denisova Cave, Pleistocene, large mammals, taphonomy, paleoecology, zooarchaeology