Last glacial ecology and geoarchaeology of the Central Trans-Ural area: the Sosva River Upper Palaeolithic Complex, western Siberia

Abstract

Quaternary and geoarchaeology studies from the eastern limits of the Ural Mountains provide multiple lines of evidence of the Palaeolithic peopling of this geographically marginal and still poorly explored territory of western Siberia following the mid-last glacial (MIS 3) warming. A complex of investigated open-air localities in the Sosva River basin (the north-central Trans-Ural area) at the periphery of the western Siberian Plain, distinguished by very high concentrations of Pleistocene megafaunal remains previously regarded as 'mammoth cemeteries', indicate, in conjunction with the associated diagnostic ivory/bone and stone industry, open occupation sites during the Last Glacial (MIS 2). Fossil faunal remains, dominated by mammoth (98%) together with bird and fish species, indicate various methods of exploitation of the Late Pleistocene natural resources and successful behavioural adaptation to the last glacial sub-polar tundra-steppe environment. The taphonomy and composition of the well-preserved skeletal remains from the main occupation sites suggest both active hunting and anthropogenic 'scavenging' practices. The contextual geology and the cultural and biotic multi-proxy records from the Trans-Ural Upper Palaeolithic Complex provide new insights into the timing and palaeoecological conditions of the Pleistocene human occupation of north-central Asia.