Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dlnhk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T17:11:57.041Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Middle Palaeolithic Site of Karabi Tamchin (Crimea, Ukraine): 1999–2001 Excavation Seasons

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 February 2014

A. Yevtushenko ,
A. Burke ,
C.R. Ferring ,
V. Chabai  and
K. Monigal
A. Yevtushenko
Affiliation:
Crimean Branch, Institute of Archaeology, NationalUkranian Academy of Sciences, Yaltinskaya 2, Simferopol, Ukraine
A. Burke
Affiliation:
Département d'Anthropologie, Université de Montréal, BP 6128, Succursale Centre-Ville, Montréal, Québéc, Canada, H3C 3J7
C.R. Ferring
Affiliation:
Institute of Applied Sciences, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203, USA
V. Chabai
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75275, USA
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The Middle Palaeolithic site of Karabi Tamchin is presented here for the first time. Karabi Tamchin is a collapsed rock-shelter in Eastern Crimea (Ukraine), and is the only known, stratified Palaeolithic site in the highland regions of the First Crimean mountain range. Preliminary results of three excavation seasons indicate that the site differs fundamentally from Middle Palaeolithic sites excavated at lower altitudes, in terms of both lithic and faunal exploitation. The site, therefore, provides essential information regarding regional land-use patterns in Crimea. Karabi Tamchin was probably repeatedly occupied by relatively small, mobile groups during short-term, possibly seasonal hunting forays into upland regions.

Résumé

On présente ici pour la première fois le site du paléolothique moyen de Karabi Tamchin. Karabi Tamchin est un abri sous roche effondré en Crimée orientale (Ukraine), et est le seul site paléolithique stratifié connu sur les hauteurs de la première chaîne de montagnes de Crimée. Les résultats préliminaires de 3 campagnes de fouilles indiquent que le site diffère fondamentalement des sites du paléolithique moyen excavés à des altitudes inférieures, aussi bien en termes d'exploitation lithique que faunale. Le site fournit donc des renseignements essentiels en ce qui concerne les schémas d'usage de la terre régionaux en Crimée. Karabi Tamchin a probablement été occupé à plusieurs reprises par des groupes nomades relativement petits pendant des expéditions de chasse de courte durée, peut-être saisonnières, sur les hautes terres.

Zusammenfassung

In diesem Beitrag wird der mittelpaläolithische Fundplatz von Karabi Tamchin zum ersten Mal publiziert. Bei Karabi Tamchin handelt es sich um einen zusammengestürzten Abri im Osten der östlichen Krim-Halbinsel (Ukraine); er stellt damit den einzigen bekannten stratifizierten paläolithischen Fundplatz in ersten Bergketten des Hochlands der Krim dar. Vorläufige Ergebnisse der drei Ausgrabungskampagnen zeigen, dass sich der Fundplatz in den Steingeräten und in der Ausbeutung der Fauna wesentlich von mittelpaläolithischen Fundplätzen, die man in den tiefer gelegenen Gebieten ausgegraben hat, unterscheidet. Deshalb liefert dieser Fundplatz wichtige Informationen zur regionalen Landnutzung. Karabi Tamchin wurde wahrscheinlich wiederholt in kurzen Perioden von relativ kleinen, mobilen Gruppen im Zuge von saisonalen Streifzügen in die Hochland Regionen benutzt.

Résumen

Se presenta aquí por vez primera el yacimiento del Paleolítico Medio de Karabi Tamchin. Karabi Tamchin es un abrigo colapsado en Crimea Oriental (Ucrania), y es el único yacimiento Paleolítico estratificado que se conoce en las regiones de altura de la Primera Cordillera de Crimea. Los resultados preliminares de tres temporadas de excavación indican que el yacimiento es fundamentalmente distinto de los yacimientos del Paleolítico Medio excavados a menor altura en lo que se refiere a la producción lítica y explotación de la fauna. El yacimiento aporta, por lo tanto, información esencial acerca de los modelos regionales para la utilización del terreno en Crimea. Probablemente Karabi Tamchin fue ocupado repetidamente por grupos móviles relativamente pequeños durante incursiones de caza a las zonas de altura de corta duración y posiblemente estacionales.

Type
Research Article
Information
Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society , Volume 69 , 2003 , pp. 137 - 159
Copyright
Copyright © The Prehistoric Society 2003

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bahloul, K., Pereladova, O.B., Soldatove, N., Fisenko, G., Sidorenko, E. & Sempere, A.J. 2001. Social organization and dispersion of introduced kulans (Equus hemionus kulan) and Przewalski horses (Equus przewalski) in the Bikhara reserve, Uzbekistan. Journal of Arid Environments 47, 309–23CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burke, A. 1999a. Butchering and scavenging at the Middle Paleolithic site of Starosele. In Chabai, V. & Monigal, K. (eds), Paleolithic of Western Crimea, Volume 2, 1–29. Liège: ERAUL 87Google Scholar
Burke, A. 1999b. Kabazi V: faunal exploitation at a Middle Paleolithic rockshelter in Western Crimea. In Chabai, V. & Monigal, K. (eds), Paleolithic of Western Crimea, Volume 2, 29–40. Liège: ERAUL 87Google Scholar
Burke, A. 2000. ‘The view from Starosele’. In Burke, A. (ed.), Hunting in the Middle Paleolithic, 325–35. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology 10(5)Google Scholar
Chabai, V.P. 1996. Kabazi II in the context of the Crimean Middle Paleolithic. Préhistoire Européenne 9, 31–48Google Scholar
Chabai, V.P. 1998. Kabazi-II: Introduction. In Marks, & Chabai, (eds). 1998, 167–200Google Scholar
Chabai, V.P. 2000. The evolution of Western Crimean Mousterian industry. In Orschiedt, J. & Weniger, G.-C. (eds), Neanderthals and Modern Humans: discussing the transition. Central and Eastern Europe from 50,000–30,000 B.P., 196–211. Mettman: Neanderthal MuseumGoogle Scholar
Chabai, V.P. & Demidenko, Yu.E. 1998. The classification of flint artifacts. In Marks, & Chabai, (eds) 1998, 31–51Google Scholar
Chabai, V.P. & Marks, A.E. 1998. Assemblage variability in Western Crimea. In Marks, & Chabai, (eds) 1998, 355–67Google Scholar
Chabai, V., Marks, A. & Yevtushenko, A. 1995. Views of the Crimean Middle Paleolithic: past and present. European Prehistory 7, 59–80Google Scholar
Chabai, V.P., Demidenko, Yu.E. & Yevtushenko, A.I. 2000. The Palaeolithic of Crimea: Methods of investigation and conceptual approaches. Simferopol–Kiev (in Russian)Google Scholar
Demidenko, Yu. 1996. Middle Palaeolithic industries of Eastern Crimea: interpretation of their variability. Préhistoire Européenne 9, 53–65Google Scholar
Denzau, G. & Denzau, H. 1999. Wildesel. Jan Thorbecke Verlag, Stuttgard.Google Scholar
Dublyansky, V.N. & Lomaev, A.A. 1980. Karst Caves of the Ukraine. Kiev: Naukova dumka (in Russian)Google Scholar
Ferring, C.R. 1999. The geologic setting of Mousterian sites in Western Crimea. In Marks, & Chabai, (eds) 1998, 17–30Google Scholar
Guthrie, R. Dale. 1990. Frozen Fauna of the Mammoth Steppe. Chicago: University PressCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hoffecker, J. 2002 Desolate Landscapes: ice-age settlement in eastern Europe. New Jersey: Rutgers University PressGoogle Scholar
Hoffecker, J. & Baryshnikov, G. 1998. Neanderthal ecology in the Northwestern Caucassus: faunal remains from the Borisovskoe gorge sites. In Saunders, J.J.Styles, B.W. & Basyshnikov, G.F. (eds), Quaternary Paleozoology Illinois State Museum Scientific Papers 18Google Scholar
Kahlke, R.-D. 1999. The History of the Origin, Evolution and Dispersal of the Late Pleistocene Mammuthus-Coelodonta faunal complex in Eurasia (Large Mammals). Rapid City, SD: Fenske CompaniesGoogle Scholar
Kolosov, Yu.G, Stepanchuk, V.N. & Chabai, V.P. 1993. Rannii Paleolit Kryma. Kiev: Naukova dumka (in Russian)Google Scholar
Lam, Y.M., Chen, X. & Pearson, O.M. 1999. Inter-taxonomic variability in patterns of bone density and the differential representation of bovid, cervid, and equid elements in the archaeological record. American Antiquity 64(2), 343–2CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Legge, A.J. & Rowley-Conwy, P. 1988. Star Carr Revisited. London: UniversityGoogle Scholar
Levine, M.A. 1982. The use of crown height measurements and eruption-wear sequences to age horse teeth. In Wilson, B.Grigson, C. & Payne, S. (eds), Ageing and Sexing Animal Bones from Archaeological Sites, 223–50. Oxford: British Archaeological Report 109Google Scholar
Lyman, R.L. 1984. Bone density and differential survivorship of fossil classes. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 3, 259–99CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marks, A.E. & Chabai, V.P. (eds), The Middle Paleolithic of Western Crimea, Volume 1. Liège: ERAUL 84Google Scholar
Marks, A.E. & Monigal, K. 1998. Starosele 1993–1995: the lithic artifacts. In Marks, & Chabai, (eds) 1998, 117–66Google Scholar
Markova, A.K., Smirnov, N.G., Kozharinov, A.V., Kazantseva, N.E., Simakova, A.N. & Kitaev, L.M. 1995. Late Pleistocene distribution and diversity of mammals in northern Eurasia. Paleontologia/Evolucio 28–29, 5–143Google Scholar
Meignen, L. & Brugal, J-Ph. 2001. Territorial exploitation, technical traditions and environment in a mid-altitude context: the Canalettes rockshelter (Grandes Causses, France). In Conard, N. (ed.), Settlement Dynamics, 463–82. Tübingen: Kerns VerlagGoogle Scholar
Miracle, P. & Sturdy, D. 1991. Chamois and the Karst Herzegovina. Journal of Archaeological Science 18, 89–108CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Outram, A. 2001. A new Approach to identifying bone marrow and grease exploitation: why the ‘Indeterminate’ fragments should not be ignored. Journal of Archaeological Science 28(4), 401–10CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Prummel, W. 1987. Atlas for identification of foetal skeletal elements of cattle, horse, sheep and pig. Archaeozoologia 1(1), 22–30Google Scholar
Podgorodetsky, P.D. 1988. The Crimea: Nature (A Reference Book). Simferopol: Tauriya (in Russian)Google Scholar
Skovlin, J.M. 1982. Habitat requirements and evaluations. In Thomas, J.W. & Toweill, D.R. (eds), Elk of North America: Ecology and Management. Harrisburg: StackpoleGoogle Scholar
Stepanchuk, V.N. 1993. The Kiik-Koba culture and some questions of the Crimean Middle Palaeolithic study. Anthropologie (Brno) 31(1–2), 45–64Google Scholar
Thery-Parisot, I. 2002. Fuel management (bone and wood) during the lower Aurignacian in the Pataud rock shelter (Lower Palaeolithic, les Eyzies de Tayac, Dordogne, France). Contribution of experimentation. Journal of Archaeological Science 29, 1415–21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Waring, G.H. 1983. Horse Behavior. Park Ridge, New Jersey: Noyes PublicationsGoogle Scholar
Yevtushenko, A.I. 1996. The bifacial Mousterian of the Crimea: the problems of cultural and typological difference of the industries. Archaeological Almanac (Donestsk) 5, 85–93 (in Russian)Google Scholar
Yevtushenko, A.I. 1998. Kabazi V: assemblages from selected levels. In Marks, & Chabai, (eds) 1998, 273–85Google Scholar
Yevtushenko, A.I., 1999. The problems of ‘The Eastern Micoquian’. Archaeological Almanac (Donetsk) 8, 3–24 (in Russian)Google Scholar