Grot Skeliastyi (III-3A)
Basic information
Sample name: Grot Skeliastyi (III-3A)
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: 3
Unit order: below to above
Max Ma: 0.01162
Min Ma: 0.0112
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".
"Horizons III-3A, III-3-х, and III-2 were deposited during the Aller÷d interstadial, with radiocarbon dates ranging from 11,620 ± 110 to 11,200 ± 120 BP".
"Horizons III-3A, III-3-х, and III-2 were deposited during the Aller÷d interstadial, with radiocarbon dates ranging from 11,620 ± 110 to 11,200 ± 120 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: 54 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: 4059
Contributor: Benjamin Carter
Enterer: Benjamin Carter
Created: 2023-02-16 16:56:01
Modified: 2023-05-30 03:51:29
Abundance distribution
8 species
3 singletons
total count 54
geometric series index: 14.9
Fisher's α: 2.596
geometric series k: 0.6566
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.7652
Shannon's H: 1.6560
Good's u: 0.9444
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
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Register
| Canis lupus | 1 | 43 kg carnivore |
| Cervus elaphus | 19 | 142 kg browser-grazer |
| Capreolus capreolus | 9 | 22 kg browser |
| Saiga tatarica | 3 | 28 kg |
| Lepus europaeus | 1 | 3.4 kg herbivore |
| Stylodipus telum | 13 | |
| Microtus sp. | 7 | |
| also 3 Rodentia indet. | ||
| Ardeola ralloides | 1 | 287 g |