Grot Skeliastyi (III-3)
Basic information
Sample name: Grot Skeliastyi (III-3)
Reference: O. Kovalchuk, L. Rekovets, A. Tsvelykh, V. Yanenko, V. Manko, and S. Tajkova. 2021. Living in a time of change: Late Pleistocene/Holocene transitional vertebrate fauna of Grot Skeliastyi (Crimea, Ukraine). Historical Biology 33(10):2074-2084 [ER 3774]
Geography
Country: Ukraine
State: Crimea
Coordinate: 44° 48' 12" N, 33° 58' 57" E
Coordinate basis: stated in text
Time interval: Late Pleistocene
Section: 3774
Unit number: 2
Unit order: below to above
Max Ma: 0.0135
Min Ma: 0.01239
Age basis: radiocarbon (uncalibrated)
Geography comments: "Grot Skeliastyi rock shelter is situated on the right bank of the Bodrak River, in the centre of Skeliaste village, Bakhchysarai District, within the second ridge of the Crimean Mountains, in south-western Crimea".
"The fossil-bearing horizons III-3B and III-3 were deposited during the B÷lling interstadial, with radiocarbon dates ranging from 13,500 ± 150 to 12,390 ± 50 BP".
"The fossil-bearing horizons III-3B and III-3 were deposited during the B÷lling interstadial, with radiocarbon dates ranging from 13,500 ± 150 to 12,390 ± 50 BP".
Environment
Lithology: sandstone
Taphonomic context: bird accumulation,human accumulation,rock shelter
Archaeology: stone tools
Habitat comments: "The rockshelter is a grotto under the mountain canopy, at a height of about 20 m above the water level. The site has an area of about 300 m2".
"The stratigraphy of distinguished cultural layers showed that there was almost continuous seasonal occupation of the site by people during the B÷lling-Boreal. The rock shelter probably played the role of a logistical hunter’s camp. The remains of large mammals could have been a part of the prey of carnivores, but most of them are associated with the hunting activity of people who inhabited the rock shelter. The hunting preferences of visitors to the rock shelter was confirmed by the findings of numerous flint lunates, trapezes and triangles which were used as arrowheads. The small mammal and other vertebrate remains were most likley accumulated by birds, namely the Eurasian eagle owl".
"The stratigraphy of distinguished cultural layers showed that there was almost continuous seasonal occupation of the site by people during the B÷lling-Boreal. The rock shelter probably played the role of a logistical hunter’s camp. The remains of large mammals could have been a part of the prey of carnivores, but most of them are associated with the hunting activity of people who inhabited the rock shelter. The hunting preferences of visitors to the rock shelter was confirmed by the findings of numerous flint lunates, trapezes and triangles which were used as arrowheads. The small mammal and other vertebrate remains were most likley accumulated by birds, namely the Eurasian eagle owl".
Methods
Life forms: carnivores,rodents,ungulates,other small mammals,birds
Sampling methods: quarry,screenwash
Sample size: 146 specimens
Sampling comments: "Grot Skeliastyi was discovered by Yu. Kolosov in 1983 and excavated by him in 1988–1989. Further research on this site was conducted by V. Cohen in 1993–1995. About 60 m2 were excavated at that time".
"Field works on the site were continued by research teams under the guidance of V. Manko in 2004–2007. During the excavations, another 28 m2 were explored. All of the sediment from the cultural layers was sieved and then washed".
Mammoth remains found in this layer were most likley re-deposited from older sediments, or were transported to the grotto by ancient people after being collected from another nearby site; these are excluded from the register.
"Field works on the site were continued by research teams under the guidance of V. Manko in 2004–2007. During the excavations, another 28 m2 were explored. All of the sediment from the cultural layers was sieved and then washed".
Mammoth remains found in this layer were most likley re-deposited from older sediments, or were transported to the grotto by ancient people after being collected from another nearby site; these are excluded from the register.
Metadata
Sample number: 4058
Contributor: Benjamin Carter
Enterer: Benjamin Carter
Created: 2023-02-16 16:47:11
Modified: 2023-05-30 03:51:32
Abundance distribution
16 species
4 singletons
total count 146
geometric series index: 28.4
Fisher's α: 4.581
geometric series k: 0.7704
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.7996
Shannon's H: 2.0012
Good's u: 0.9729
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
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Register
| Canis lupus | 1 | 43 kg carnivore |
| Vulpes vulpes | 6 | 5.3 kg carnivore-insectivore |
| Equus ferus latipes | 1 | 422 kg |
| Equus hemionus hydruntinus | 1 | grazer |
| "Equus hydruntinus" | ||
| Sus scrofa | 2 | 54 kg herbivore |
| Cervus elaphus | 13 | 104 kg |
| Capreolus capreolus | 3 | 22 kg browser |
| †Bison priscus | 2 | |
| Saiga tatarica | 7 | 28 kg |
| Lepus europaeus | 3 | 3.4 kg herbivore |
| Spermophilus pygmaeus | 50 | |
| Stylodipus telum | 34 | |
| Nothocricetulus migratorius | 2 | |
| "Cricetulus migratorius" | ||
| Cricetus cricetus | 3 | |
| Microtus sp. | 17 | |
| also 38 Rodentia indet. | ||
| Corvus monedula | 1 | omnivore |