Mezmaiskaya Cave (Layer 2)
Basic information
Sample name: Mezmaiskaya Cave (Layer 2)

Reference: G. Baryshnikov, J. F. Hoffecker, and R. L. Burgess. 1996. Palaeontology and zooarchaeology of Mezmaiskaya Cave (Northwestern Caucasus, Russia). Journal of Archaeological Science 23(3):313-335 [ER 3740]
Geography
Country: Russia

State: Adygea


Coordinate: 44° 10' N, 40° 5' E
Coordinate basis: stated in text

Time interval: Late Pleistocene

Section: 3740

Unit number: 1

Unit order: above to below

Max Ma: 0.0396

Min Ma: 0.0391

Age basis: ESR

Geography comments: "Mezmaiskaya Cave is located in the northwestern foothills of the Caucasus Mountains, approximately 50 km south of the city of Maikop in the Azish-Tau Range, which is part of the Lagonak Upland. The site overlooks the right bank of the Sukhoi Kurdzhips (a small tributary of the Kurdzhips River), and lies at an elevation of 1300–1350 m"
JA: there are mean ESR dates on three teeth from this layer of 39.1 ± 2.3 ka (early uptake) and 39.6 ± 2.3 (late uptake) (Skinner et al. 2005)

Environment
Lithology: claystone

Taphonomic context: bird accumulation,carnivore accumulation,cave,human accumulation

Archaeology: stone tools

Habitat comments: "Mezmaiskaya Cave contains a deep succession of rubble and clay deposits that span much of the Late Pleistocene"
this layer consists of "Dark yellowish brown... clay loam with small to large angular rocks and pebbles" and "Contains Mousterian arefacts"
Layers 2, 2A, 2B, and 3 yielded hundreds of Mousterian artefacts. The assemblages contain few cores and a high proportion of tools. In the upper levels (Layers 2 and 2A), bifacial tools are rare, and side-scrapers are heavily predominant"
"Most of the faunal remains were deposited through biotic processes; they represent animals that either inhabited the cave or were brought to the cave by its inhabitants. The large quantity of microvertebrate remains were likely accumulated primarily by owls. Some of the macrovertebrate remains probably represent the prey of carnivores (particularly leopard). However, the bulk of the medium and large mammal remains in the Mousterian occupation layers match the characteristics of an assemblage accumulated by human hunters"

Methods
Life forms: carnivores,primates,rodents,ungulates,other small mammals,birds

Sampling methods: quarry,screenwash

Sample size: 394 specimens

Years: 1987 - 1994

Sampling comments: "Excavations at the cave were conducted during 1987–1994, exposing a total area of approximately 30 m2".
"Cave sediment was excavated by natural stratigraphic layer (subdivided by 5 cm levels) with small knives, and water-sieved (mesh sizes of 3 and 1 mm)"
"small salmonid fish" are present in this layer, but not amphibians or reptiles

Metadata
Sample number: 4394

Contributor: John Alroy

Enterer: John Alroy

Created: 2023-12-04 14:36:12

Modified: 2023-12-04 05:14:47

Abundance distribution
20 species
7 singletons
total count 394
geometric series index: 40.2
Fisher's α: 4.450
geometric series k: 0.7451
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.5150
Shannon's H: 1.3040
Good's u: 0.9823
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
Register
Aegypius monachus1
Columba livia1369 g granivore
Pyrrhocorax graculus4
Emberiza sp.1
Sorex sp.18
Spalax microphthalmus2
Nothocricetulus migratorius2
"Cricetulus migratorius"
Arvicola sp.9
Chionomys nivalis51
Microtus (Terricola) sp.11
"Terricola ex gr. majori-daghestanicus"
Microtus arvalis268
Marmota paleocaucasica2
Vulpes vulpes15.3 kg carnivore-insectivore
Ursus kudarensis2
"Ursus deningeri kudarensis"
Sus scrofa154 kg herbivore
Bison priscus5
Saiga tatarica128 kg
Capra caucasica5
Ovis sp.8
"Ovis orientalis": mouflon or urial; plus 60 Capra or Ovis
Homo neanderthalensis1
an infant from layer 2 that penetrated into lower layers: see also Skinner et al. (2005)