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XIII/1/2022
INTERDISCIPLINARIA ARCHAEOLOGICA
NATURAL SCIENCES IN ARCHAEOLOGY
homepage: http://www.iansa.eu
Archaeozoological Analysis of Animal Remains from the Mesolithic Site of
Kukrek Culture Igren 8 (Ukraine)
Alina Stupak
1,2*
, Leonid Gorobets
1
, Viktoria Smagol
1
, Leonid Zalizniak
3
1
Department of Paleontology, National Museum of Natural History, Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences, 01030, 15 Bohdan Khmelnitsky Street, Ukraine
2
Department of Archaeology, National University of “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy”, Skovorody 2, Kyiv 0470, Ukraine
3
Department of Stone Age, Institute of Archaeology, Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences, 04210, 12 Heroiv Stalingrada Avenue, Ukraine
1. Introduction
The archaeological site Igren 8 is a seasonal settlement of
the Mesolithic hunter-gatherer tribes of the Kukrek Culture.
These former residents left behind some well-persevered
remains of 10 pit-dwellings. Complete research of all
categories of archaeological material has a high potential
for the reconstruction of the economy and everyday life of
the Mesolithic tribes who inhabited the river zones of the
Ukrainian territory.
The Igren 8 settlement belongs to the full-grown stage of
Kukrek cultural development (Zalizniak, 2005, pp.74–82).
The Kukrek Culture (10
th
– 7
th
Millenia BC) was developed
on local bases of the Epigravettian Palaeolithic culture.
The earliest sites of the Kukrek Culture were located in the
territory of the Crimean Peninsula and the northern Black Sea
region. As time progressed, Kukrek tribes appeared in areas
of the Lower and Middle Dnieper River. They settled in such
sites as Kamiana Mohyla, Dobrianka, Gorodock, Popovy
Mys and others. The Kukrek Culture refects a basic
development in the early Neolithic cultures of the Crimea
and Middle Dnieper area, namely the Olexiivska and Surska
Cultures (Yanevich, 1987, pp.7–18).
This site is represented within the scientifc literature by
two names: Igren 8 and Ogrin 8. The diference is due to
the Russian and Ukrainian divergence in the naming of this
location. In English-language publications, the name Igren 8
has been referred to the most. In this article, we will continue
to use this name for convenience.
The archaeological site is located in the Middle Dnieper
area, which belongs to the forest-steppe temperate-climate
ecotone. This settlement of Mesolithic hunter-gatherers was
discovered in the Igren peninsula, the Samara district of the
Dnieper site, in particular its left cape. At this location, the
Samara River joins the Dnieper River (GPS coordinates:
48°26’34.2”N; 35°06’46.8”E).
Sand deposits on rows of granite shaped the Igren
peninsula. The granite ridges formed river rapids that lay
along and across the Dnieper River. The sandy substrate of
the peninsula had led to the formation of dunes. The peninsula
Volume XIII ● Issue 1/2022 ● Pages 7–17
*Corresponding author. E-mail: lusyleakey@gmail.com
ARTICLE INFO
Article history:
Received: 7
th
June 2021
Accepted: 31
st
January 2022
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.24916/iansa.2022.1.1
Key words:
Mesolithic
archaeozoology
pit-dwellings
Igren 8
ABSTRACT
Igren 8 is a settlement of hunter-gatherers of the Mesolithic period. In total, 10 pit-dwellings were found,
having been constructed by the people of the Kukrek Culture (the 8
th
– 7
th
Millenia BC). The present
study focuses on revising the animal osteological material according to modern archaeozoological
techniques. The study fndings are related to the seasonal fuctuations of the settlement, the hunting
specialisation of its inhabitants, and the details of taphonomy of the bones found. Moreover, a group of
bone fragments were distinguished that constituted the waste material from bone tool production. The
major groups of osseous industry are also described.
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Alina Stupak, Leonid Gorobets, Viktoria Smagol, Leonid Zalizniak: Archaeozoological Analysis of Animal Remains
from the Mesolithic Site of Kukrek Culture Igren 8 (Ukraine)
8
was connected to the natural ground of a geological plate
covered by a loess plateau. The coast of the Igren peninsula
was destroyed by the river over a long time period.
1.1 Discovery and history of site investigation
The natural erosion of the bank of the Igren peninsula was
the reason for the organisation of an exploration of the area
by the archaeologist M. Miller. He worked as a member of
an archaeological rescue expedition during the building of
the Dnieper Hydroelectric Station (1929 to 1932) (Miller,
1935, pp.162–177).
From the territory of the Igren peninsula and the
neighbouring area has arisen the discovery of ten diferent
archaeological sites from distinct historical periods. The
Mesolithic site was labelled number 8. During 1946–
1947, excavation was continued by the archaeologist
A. Dobrovolski. He was able to fx the layers with the remains
of burned wooden elements of a pit-dwelling construction.
The researcher thought that it was a part of the dwelling’s
structure (Telegin, 2000, pp.1–86).
These types of fndings became the reason to start regular
excavations of the Mesolithic layers at the Igren 8 sites.
Regular archaeological operations were held in 1973–1976,
1978, 1982, 1986, 1988, and 1990, in which D. Telegin
led all these expeditions. Archaeologists L. Zalizniak and
D. Nuzhnyi took an active part in the excavation and research.
This work resulted in the discovery of the remains of
10 pit-dwellings (Zalizniak, 2018; Telegin, 2000). They were
located along the river bank. The pit-dwellings number 5
and number 10 were complete, but the river water erosion
had partly destroyed the others. All of the pit-dwellings had
a round form that ranged from 7 to 10 m in diameter with
the vestiges of a fre at their centre. The dwelling’s foor had
been deepened to about 0.5–0.7 m lower than the former
ground level.
The flling of the dwelling surface consists of a humous
layer of sand mixed with grey ash. Many gastropod
freshwater molluscs, the large freshwater snail
Viviparus
viviparous,
were found in the foor area of every pit-
dwelling
.
The presence of this species of mollusc in large
numbers in the Mesolithic cultural layers indicated a pit-
dwelling. The molluscs got into the flling of the pit-dwelling
naturally after the seasonal overbank fooding. The ground
foor of every pit-dwelling was covered with microlithic
fint, animal bones and tools. The big collection of fndings
inside the pit-dwellings included animal bones, which were
the kitchen waste of the site’s inhabitants.
All groups of the material fnds were studied and
published. The complete research was issued by the Igren
excavations leader D. Telegin (Telegin, 2000, pp.1–86).
Telegin defned the technocomplex of the settlement up to
the late stage of the Kukrek Culture (8
th
– 7
th
Millenia BC).
It is correlated with the Late Mesolithic period in the whole
Ukrainian territory. The radiocarbon dating of the site was
made in the laboratories of Berlin, Groningen and Oxford
(Telegin, 2000; Biagi, Kiosak, 2010; Lillie
et al.
, 2009). As
a result, the leading group of dates lies between 8550 ±80
and 7640± 90 years BP. The earliest date is 9940 ±70 BP;
it belongs to the dwelling number 2 (Table 1). As it appears
from Telegin’s notes, such a big spread of dates might
indicate multiple usages of this place for living purposes and
a seasonal cycle of housing in this settlement.
D. Nuzhnyi examined the features of the microlithic
technocomplex. He also rebuilt a throwing weapon with
microlithic elements. L. Zalizniak introduced a number of
publications connected with cultural communications in the
Igren settlement and a social reconstruction of the Mesolithic
tribes (Zalizniak, 2018; Nuzhnyi, 2007; Benecke, 1997).
In July 2018, Zalizniak organised and led an archaeological
expedition to the Igren peninsula. The expedition’s principal
goal implied a fxation of the Mesolithic cultural layer
and the detection of new Mesolithic features. The results
of the excavations were limited in the number of fnds:
the specialists found only some microlithic fint tools in
Figure 1.
Igren peninsula location.
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Alina Stupak, Leonid Gorobets, Viktoria Smagol, Leonid Zalizniak: Archaeozoological Analysis of Animal Remains
from the Mesolithic Site of Kukrek Culture Igren 8 (Ukraine)
9
the flling of the dwellings explored during the previous
excavations (Zalizniak, 2019, pp.95–104).
The primary focus of this research is on the faunal
material found in 9 pit-dwellings. Archaeozoologist
V. Bibikova conducted the initial identifcation of the faunal
remains. The results of her eforts were published in the
Telegin’s monograph (Telegin, 2000, pp.1–86): a list with
diferent groups of animal species from the site. After further
examination of Bibikova’s investigations, we can conclude
that the wild ox
Bos primigenius
, red deer
Cervus elaphus
,
roe deer
Capreolus capreolus
, and other large ungulates
made up the most important hunted resource. Among the
traditional fur animals, a large number of fox
Vulpes vulpes
,
hare
Lepus europeus
, wolf
Canis lupus
, and European
polecat
Mustela putorius
bones were found. The bird fauna
consisted mostly of river ducks, such as common goldeneye
Bucephala clangula
, mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
, and
common pochard
Aythya ferina
.
Considering that the bones had been originally inspected
very briefy, it appeared that more detailed research of the
diferent kinds of faunal remains was needed. The primary
goals of this research comprise the identifcation of species
through bone fragments and observations of taphonomic
details, along with analysis of use-wear traces and
reconstruction of the production and wear cycle.
2. Material and methods
The animal bones collection consists of the material from
9 pit-dwellings. The faunal collection, in total 3,126 bone
fragments, is preserved in the fund of the NASU Institute of
Archaeology (The Institute of Archaeology of the Ukrainian
National Academy of Sciences). Only 1115 (35%) bone
fragments were identifed. The biggest part of the animal
remains belongs to mammals – 681 pieces (61.5%). The
birds were represented by 118 pieces (10.5%), fsh by
91 pieces (9%), freshwater turtles by 194 pieces (18%) and
molluscs by 31 pieces (3%). A. Stupak studied the mammals
and fsh bones; V. Smagol performed the morphometry of
the mammal bones. L. Gorobets identifed the bird remains,
while V. Anistratenko studied molluscs.
Species identifcation was made on the basis of the
comparative collection of animal bones at the Palaeontology
department of the NASU National Museum of Natural
History. The archaeozoological methods were applied
according to E. Reitz and E. Wing (Reitz, Wing, 2008).
Age identifcation of mammals was made by analysis of the
development of bone structure, and teeth enamel abrasion
(Shostak, 1998; Kolda, 1936).
The bone measurements were made according to A. von
den Driesh’s methodology (Driesh, 1976). The taphonomy
details were described via the recommendations of
Y. Fernandez-Jalvo, P. Andrews, and A. Behrensmeyer
(Fernandez-Javo, Andrews, 2016; Behrensmeyer, 1978).
The red deer age was identifed according to S. Shostak’s
methodology (Shostak, 1998). The mammoth’s teeth were
analysed according to V. Garutt and I. Foronova’s methods
(Garutt, Foronova, 1976; Foronova, 2001). Identifcation
of fsh bones was made via V. Radu’s atlas of fsh bones
(Radu, 2005). Reconstruction of fsh length and age was
made following the investigative methods of V. Lebedev
(Lebedev, 1960). The list of abbreviations for marking the
overall quantity of inspected fragments included NISP as the
Number of Individual Specimens and MNI as the Minimum
Number of Individuals (Lee Lyman, 2008).
After long-term preservation, a part of the collection
was lost, and the horizons of the pit-dwellings got mixed
up. Mammal bones were grouped by species and not by pit-
dwellings. The feld codes written on the bones helped to
rebuild their belonging to each pit-dwelling. This situation
is associated with the primary research tasks of V. Bibikova
and general development of the archaeozoological
discipline. Materials from the ffth and eighth pit-dwellings
were the most well-preserved. The sand surface of the Igren
peninsula provided a good preservation substrate for the
bone material. A large number of bones, namely 680 pieces
(63.2%), were covered with an ash-grey deposit. One group
of bones, 16 pieces (1.4%), had signs of weathering. These
bones were covered with specifc cracks left after seasonal
temperature and long-time humidity changes. Another
40 pieces (6%) had a post-fre black colour. The signs of
rodent-gnawing were recognised on 6 bones. The bones
of all the animal species were crushed into small pieces
Table 1
. The dating of Igren 8 site.
Pit-dwelling
number
Lab NumberMaterialDate BPCalibration BC
1 sigma
Calibration BC
2 sigma
Reference
Pit-dwelling № 4
Bln-1798Charcoal8550 ±807670–75307780–7450Telegin, 2002
Pit-dwelling № 2Bln-1797/1
Charcoal8570 ±707680–75507770–7500Telegin, 2002
Archaeological layer
Bln-1707/2
Freshwater Shells8570 ±708230–79908270–7840Telegin, 2002
Pit-dwelling № 2Bln-1797/2
Charcoal9940 ±709630–93309760–9280Telegin, 2002
Pit-dwelling № 4
GrA-33112
Long bone fake
8695 ±457770–76207910–7600Biagi and Kiosak, 2010
Pit-dwelling № 8
GrA-33113
Long bone fake
8880 ±458180–79608220–7820Biagi and Kiosak, 2010
Pit-dwelling № 8
OxA-17491Fish bone7640± 906590–64206650–6280Lillie
et al
., 2009
Pit-dwelling № 8
OxA-17489
Cervus
bone8885±408180–79708220–7840Lillie
et al
., 2009
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Alina Stupak, Leonid Gorobets, Viktoria Smagol, Leonid Zalizniak: Archaeozoological Analysis of Animal Remains
from the Mesolithic Site of Kukrek Culture Igren 8 (Ukraine)
10
as a result of human activity. Every bone was crushed into
three or more pieces.
The sandy substrate of the Igren peninsula contributed
to the high-quality of preservation of organic material,
including the animal bones. Any destruction of the bones,
besides the crushing, had occurred mainly because of human
activity, not the natural conditions.
3. Results
In total, mammals are represented by 13 species at
the Igren 8 site. Large ungulates, such as wild ox and red
deer, seemed to have a prominent economic role here.
All the anatomical parts of these animals, including the
not very nutritious elements such as metapodium and
phalanx bones, are represented on the site. The wild ox
Bos
primigenius
(NISP = 125, MNI = 6) represents one of the
most critical ungulates, the age group of adult animals
dominating; besides that, there are 3 subadults and 2 juveniles.
The measurements of wild ox bones were taken from the
4 specimens of the talus. It was determined that Bd of the
talus bone of wild ox on average is (n=4) 5.3±0.18 sm, Glm
7.9±0.07 sm (n=4), Gli 8.4±0.06 (n=4), and Dm 4.1±0.12
sm (n=4). The mid-coefcient of the variability of the four
patterns is 3.74±1.26%, the smallest coefcient belongs
to the Gli = 1.49%, and the biggest one to Bd = 6.71%. It
means that the wild ox of this collection has a low level of
variability.
The Cervidae family is represented by such species as
the red deer
Cervus elaphus
(NISP = 175, MNI = 7); roe
deer
Capreolus capreolus
(NISP = 48, MNI = 5), and
elk
Alces alces
(NISP = 11, MNI = 1)
.
Many red deer remains
are represented by antler pieces – 45 pieces (26% from all red
deer remains). The red deer antlers were used as a base for
tool making. The found fragments contained the waste of the
tool-making process. The burr of a red deer antler, which fell
out in a natural way, is also one of the specimens. The antlers
of the male individuals of red deer fall out every year in
February or early March. Some parts of the antler fragments
may be connected with the burr gathering. The age groups of
red deer are represented mostly by adult individuals. There
are 3 bone specimens of subadult age and 1 individual of
juvenile age.
The Bd dimension of the talus bones of red deer on average
equalled 3.72±0.07 sm (n=5), Glm 5.56±0.14 sm (n=5), Gli
5.98±0.13 (n=5), Dm 3.26±0.12 sm (n=5), and Di 3.1±0.05
sm (n=5). The mid-coefcient variability of the fve patterns
amounts to 5.52±0.76%, the smallest one coefcient belongs
to the Di = 3.95%, and the biggest to the Dm = 8.28%. The
Table 2.
The age group representation of the ungulates.
SpeciesInfantJuvenisSubadult AdultSenilis
Bos primigenius
; Wild ox–1240–
Cervus elaphus
; Red deer–12201
Capreolus capreolus
; Roe deer–2151–
Sus scrofa ferus
; Wild pig– 11–
Alces alces
; Elk–––3–
Equus
sp.; Wild horse––15–
Canis lupus
; Wolf––416–
Vulpes vulpes
; Fox––312–
Lepus europeus
; Hare––218–
Castor fber
; Beaver––11–
Figure 2.
Dimensions of the talus bone of the: a – wild ox, b – red deer.
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Alina Stupak, Leonid Gorobets, Viktoria Smagol, Leonid Zalizniak: Archaeozoological Analysis of Animal Remains
from the Mesolithic Site of Kukrek Culture Igren 8 (Ukraine)
11
matrix relation correlation of the talus bone dimensions
points to a strong dependence between its diferent patterns.
It was determined that the correlation coefcient deals with
the changes from the Gli to Glm patterns (r=0.94). A lesser
index was associated with modifcations of the Glm and Bd
(r=0.48) values.
The smaller group of animal remains is represented by
wild horse
Equus pieces
(NISP = 18, MNI = 2) and wild pig
Sus scrofa
(NISP = 27, MNI = 2).
A large number of bone remains belong to traditional fur
animals. There are: wolfs
Canis lupus
(NISP = 68, MNI = 4);
foxes
Vulpes vulpes
(NISP = 122, MNI = 5); hares
Lepus
europeus
(NISP = 71, MNI = 5); and beavers
Castor
fber
(NISP = 11, MNI = 2). All anatomical parts of these
animals are represented. The numerous parts of the fox’s
metapodial bones 33 ft (27%) may signify the result of the
skinning process (Val, Mallye, 2011). In individual cases,
there were identifed the mandible of a wild cat
Felis silvestris
(NISP=1), humerus bone of
a
European mink
Mustela lutreola
(NISP=1)
,
and mandible of a European polecat
Mustela
putorius
(NISP=1).
The bone material also contained a fragment of a mandible
tooth M 1–3 of a mammoth. It was taken from the natural
ground of the site (layer D2–D3, square G 6–10), together
Figure 3.
Anatomical representation of ungulates.
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Alina Stupak, Leonid Gorobets, Viktoria Smagol, Leonid Zalizniak: Archaeozoological Analysis of Animal Remains
from the Mesolithic Site of Kukrek Culture Igren 8 (Ukraine)
12
Figure 4.
Anatomical representation of carnivores, beaver and hare.
Table 3.
The list of mammal species representation and the fresh water turtle.
SpeciesNISPMNI%
Bos primigenius
; Wild ox125618.3
Cervus elaphus
; Red deer175726.1
Alces alces
; Elk1111.6
Capreolus capreolus
; Roe deer4857.
Equus sp.
; Wild horse1822.6
Sus scrofa
; Wild pig2724
Canis lupus
; Wolf68410
Vulpes vulpes
; Fox122518
Lepus europeus
; Hare71510.4
Castor fber
; Beaver1121.6
Felis silvestris
; Wild cat110.14
Mustela lutreola
; European mink110.14
Mustela putorius
; European polecat110.14
Mammuthus primigenius
; Woolly mammoth110.14
Mammals in total681
Emys orbicularis
; Fresh water turtle19424
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from the Mesolithic Site of Kukrek Culture Igren 8 (Ukraine)
13
with the mass of freshwater molluscs. The mammoth tooth
fragment consists of the tooth crown with the destroyed
masticatory surface and roots. The exterior surface of the
tooth is covered with an ash-grey deposit similar to the
one found on the other bone item from the site. After the
correlation between the length of the tooth plate and the width
of the dental enamel, the tooth fragment confrmed the early
form of
Mammuthus primigenius
(MIS 6–7). The village of
Table 4.
The measurements of the mammoth tooth fragment.
Mammuthus tooth measurements (mm)
High of the tooth crown118
Breadth of the tooth crown82
Length of the tooth plate13
Width of dental enamel1,7
Figure 5.
Mammoth’s tooth fragment: a – ventral plane; b – median plane; c – dorsal plane; d – roots of tooth; e – masticatory surface.
Table 5.
The list of bird species represented.
SpeciesNISPMNI%
Podyceps grisegena
;
Red-necked grebe110.8
Anas platyrhynchos
;
Mallard25921.1
Anas strepera
;
Gadwall110.8
Anas acuta
;
Northern pintail211.6
Anas clypeata
;
Northern schovrler535.43
Anas crecca
; Eurasian teal211.7
Aythya nyroca
; Eurasian teal1048.5
Melanitta nigra
; Common scoter110.8
Aythya ferina
; Common pochard957.6
Bucephala clangula
; Common goldeneye30925.4
Mergus albellus
; Smew322.5
Otis tarda
; Bustard 332.5
Anantini
indet.26 22.03
In total
118
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from the Mesolithic Site of Kukrek Culture Igren 8 (Ukraine)
14
Stari Kodaki appeared to be the nearest natural spot where
this type of faunal complex was found; it is situated about
7 km from the Igren peninsula. One of the possible options
implies that this tooth (or its part) was brought naturally.
The bird bone remains, 118 ft (9% of whole bone collection)
in total, are mainly represented by ducks: 11 species and
1 bustard
Otis tarda
(NISP = 3, MNI = 3). The leading
number of remains belong to duck species, such as common
goldeneye
Bucephala clangula
(NISP = 30, MNI = 9),
mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
(NISP = 25, MNI = 9), ferruginous
duck
Aythya nyroca
(NISP = 10, MNI = 4), and common
pochard
Aythya ferina
(NISP = 9, MNI = 5). The bones of red-
necked grebe
Podyceps grisegena
(NISP = 1),
gadwall
Anas
strepera
(NISP = 1), northern pintail
Anas acuta
(NISP = 2
MNI = 1), northern shoveler
Anas clypeata
(NISP = 5,
MNI = 3), Eurasian teal
Anas crecca
(NISP = 2, MNI = 1),
smew
Mergus albellus
(NISP = 3, MNI = 2), common
scoter
Melanitta nigra
(MNI = 1), and diferent kinds of duck
species
Anantini
indeterminata (NISP = 26) are represented in
the smaller number.
The fshbone remains belong to 8 species, which live in
the deep and littoral part of the river water. Archaeologists
discovered 91 fragments of fsh bones on the settlement.
All of the identifed fsh species are typical for freshwater
basins in the area. In turn, the remains of sturgeon family
species NISP = 8, MNI = 3 are exclusive; fsh species
of the sturgeon family migrated to the lower part of
the Dnieper River during the spawning period. They
do not live in the river today. A large part of the bones
belongs to pike
Esox lucius
(NISP = 35, MNI = 12), wels
catfsh (sheatfsh)
Silurus glanis
(NISP = 18, MNI = 12),
and
sander
Sander lucioperca
(NISP = 3, MNI = 2).
The
carp
Cyprinus carpio
(NISP = 10, MNI = 6) has the
dominant role in the carp family species. Such species as
Black Sea roach
Rutilus frisii
(NISP = 5, MNI = 3), common
roach
Ruthilus ruthilus
(NISP = 6, MNI = 2), tench
Tinca
tinca
(NISP = 1, MNI = 1), and diferent kinds of carp family
species
Cyprinidae gen. et pieces (NISP = 5) are represented
in a smaller number. According to the reconstruction of the
length of the fsh body, the size of pike was about 40–90 cm,
and the size of sheatfsh was about 60–160 cm.
Some parts of freshwater turtle shell
Emys
orbicularis
(NISP = 194, MNI = 24) were found in all pit-
dwellings.
A relatively small number of 31 specimen (3%) remains
belong to the freshwater molluscs. Potentially it represents
a small part of all of the molluscs which were found in the
fllings of dwellings. Perhaps, some exemplars from some
species were taken for identifcation during the excavation.
The freshwater molluscs belong to non-nutritious elements
of the collection of the site. The accumulation of freshwater
snail
Viviparus viviparus
(MNI = 17) shells is considered as
a sign of a pit-dwelling (Miller, 1935, pp.162–177). Another
mollusc species belongs to the painter’s mussel
Unio
Table 6.
The list of fsh species represented.
SpeciesNISPMNI%
Esox lucius
Pike351238.4
Silurus glanis
;
Sheatfsh
181220
Ruthilus ruthilus
;
Common roach626.6
Cyprinus carpio
;
Carp10611
Cyprinidae
gen.
et
sp.; Carp family species515.4
Sander lucioperca
;
Sander323.2
Acipenser
sp.; Strugeon family species838.7
Tinca tinca
;
Tench111.1
Ruthilus frisii
;
Black sea roach535.4
In total91
Table 7.
Reconstruction of the length and age of some fsh individuals.
SpeciesSkeletal element Length ofbody (sm)Age(years)
Esox lucius
Pike
Vertebra precaudal41–
Vertebra abdominal85.2–
Silurus glanis
Sheatfsch
Vertebra abdominal15014
Vertebra abdominal16016
Vertebra abdominal10010
Table 8.
The list of mollusc species represented.
SpeciesNISP%
Viviparus viviparus
1754
Unio pictrorum
413
Sphaerium rivicola
1032
In total 31
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from the Mesolithic Site of Kukrek Culture Igren 8 (Ukraine)
15
pictrorun
(MNI = 4) and nut orb mussel
Sphaerium rivicola
(MNI = 10). The molluscs probably got into the dwellings
during seasonal foods.
The main results of the species identifcation are similar
to V. Bibikova’s research. She worked with this material
in the 1980s (Telegin, 2000). Additionally, we identifed
the remains of small carnivores, European polecat
Mustela
putorius
and European mink
Mustella lutreola
. Still, we did
not fnd animal remains of an onager (Asiatic wild ass)
Equus
hemionus
and European badger
Meles meles
. This kind of
situation can be associated with the long-term preservation
of the bone collection and the consequent loss of a part of it.
4. Discussion
4.1 Ecological implications
The Middle Dnieper area belongs to the forest-steppe
geographical zone and borders on the steppe region. The
species composition of this collection is typical for mixed
landscapes. The bones of the bustard
Otis tarda
on the
settlement refect the steppe elements of the environment.
These results prove the presence of forests and steppe elements
near the peninsula. A similar landscape in the Igren peninsula
was also typical in Mediaeval times. The faunal remains from
archaeological objects of the 11
th
– 13
th
century contain many
wild animals like elk, red deer, and European polecat. This
type of landscape was destroyed in the modern period after the
city of Dnipro’s development (Zalizniak, 2019, pp.95–104).
4.2 Reconstruction of the year cycle on the settlement
The results of species identifcation allow a determination
to be made of the yearly seasonal type of settlement.
Archaeologist D. Telegin attributed this settlement as
a winter seasonal site. The Mesolithic tribes used to return
to the Igren peninsula every winter (Fesenko, Bokotei, 2002,
p.86). This version proceeds from the fact that the Mesolithic
period is characterised by two types of buildings: deepened
semi-subterranean and above-ground dwellings. A deepened
semi-subterranean pit-dwelling is warmer and better for the
winter season; the other type, at the ground surface, is cooler
and more mobile, which is useful for the summer (Telegin,
2000, pp.1–86).
The hunting of animals is reasonable for the winter when
animal fur is of high quality. The bone of the common
scoter
Melanitta nigra
indicates
winter season activity on the
settlement, since these birds migrate to Ukrainian territory
only in the winter. Besides that, turtles are active in the warm
season. The best time for catching turtles is April when they
have a mating season. During this period, turtles are in place
along the river bank, making them easy prey.
The type of bone structure development inherent to
mammals helped to identify one individual of wild ox and
one of red deer, both being about 6 months old. This may
indicate an autumn hunting season.
The granite Dnipro rapids prevented the icing over of the
river waters during the winter. It explains why fshing was
possible during all seasons. Besides which, fsh remains
also include the bones of representatives of the sturgeon
family (
Acipenseridae
indet.). In the early Holocene,
species of this family used to migrate to freshwater basins
during the spawning period in spring (March and April)
and autumn (September and October). Consequently, the
archaeozoological methods confrm the wintertime activity
at the settlement. Also, habitants lived in this place every
year, potentially from September till April.
4.3 Animals in the context of food production
The kitchen waste, 754 pieces (70% of bone fnds), from
the site inhabitants represents the central part of the bone
collection at the site. These kinds of bones have signs of
chopping or fre. The hunting of large ungulates, such as
wild ox, red deer, and roe deer, was essential for this type
of economy. The signifcant proportion of meat from these
animals can provide provision for a long time. Concerning
the kitchen-waste bones, all anatomical parts of animals
were represented. The fsh and bird meat used to constitute an
element of the habitants´ diet. The fnding of 21 specimens
of turtle shells, with signs of fre, and 12 specimens with the
cut marks, point to the usage of this meat in their diet. There
is no other evidence for the use of the turtle shells for any
other purposes than for the extraction of their meat.
The massive part of the collection consists of the bones of
traditional fur animals, such as foxes, wolves, and hares. A
large number of metapodial bones of fur animals can denote
a sign of the skinning process. Also, there are examples of
the tibia bone of fox with a group of characteristic skinning
marks. Similar marks were detected during the skinning
experiment of A. Val and J.-B. Mallye (Val, Mallye, 2011).
The bones of the animals refect all the anatomical parts
inherent to fur species. One fox bone had signs of fre; the
fve specimens of long bones of wolf preserved the signs of
chopping. This means that the meat of fur animal was part of
the people’s diet.
4.4 Osseous industry
The bone industry of the Igren 8 complex has been researched
by D. Telegin and L. Zalizniak and published. Following
the results from their data, about 150 artifacts of bone and
antler tool production were found. There are arrow-heads,
the base of spear-pointed heads with microlithic embedding,
harpoons and hooks, and various other items.
Antler manufacturing formed the basis of the bone tool-
making process. Signs of cutting are visible in the fragments
from the antler species identifed as the
Cervidae
family.
These kinds of signs are regularly met on the deer antlers.
The fnding of separated antler burrs of red deer confrms the
presence of their gathering. Specifc cutting marks across the
bone are present on the one long bone of a duck (
Anatidae
indet.); this probably played the role of the base for small
arrow-heads that were the typical Mesolithic tools. A similar
sign of cutting is present on the two examples of fox tibia
bones. There are no tools made from this kind of material in
the collection. One example of the long bone fragment has
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Alina Stupak, Leonid Gorobets, Viktoria Smagol, Leonid Zalizniak: Archaeozoological Analysis of Animal Remains
from the Mesolithic Site of Kukrek Culture Igren 8 (Ukraine)
16
signs of polishing; however, it could have been the waste
from some destroyed tools.
4.5 Igren 8 in the cultural context of the Mesolithic of
Ukraine
The beginning of the Holocene coincided with environmental
changes. The megafauna and herd animals, such as bison and
reindeer, were replaced in Eurasia by mainly solitary animals
– elk, red deer and roe deer. The environmental transformation
and megafauna extinction brought about a reduction in
potential biomass available for the provision of food. These
factors contributed to the development of a diversifcation
in the hunter-gathering economy. In particular, fshing, bird
hunting, along with ungulate hunting and gathering began to
play a greater role (Zalizniak, 1990; Zalizniak, 1997). This
contributed to the spread of the adaptation model of the river
hunters and fshermen to whom this study belongs.
The Igren 8 site is an example of a settlement of hunter-
gatherers and fshermen tribes. These groups used to settle
the banks of rivers or large water basins for a complex use
of environmental resources. There are Holocene hunter-
gatherer settlements in Ukraine that are located on the
islands or peninsulas of rivers. There are archaeological sites
of the Neolithic Surska culture on the Dnieper islands of
the Middle Dnieper region (Zalizniak, 2009). The tribes of
the Buh-Dnister Neolithic Culture located their settlements
on the banks and islands of the Southern Buh River. The
faunal assemblages of these types of sites are similar. The
living strategy of the Mesolithic tribes of riverine areas were
completed by the hunting of large solitary ungulates and fshing.
Such a mixed-economy strategy is useful in crisis periods.
Elements of the hunter strategy similar to that of Igren 8 have
been described as the basis of the island archaeological site of
Dudka (Poland) and Zamostje 2 (Russia) (Guminski, 2003;
Lozovski, and Lozovskaya, 2013).
Remains similar to that of the Igren 8 pit-dwellings have
been found on the Early Mesolithic site of the Zymivnyky
Culture Viazivok 4A (Zalizniak, 2018). A similar model of
settlement location is characteristic for some other hunter-
gatherer settlements of Eurasia. For example, the large
number of Mesolithic sites of Belorussia are located near
the Neman and
Pripyat
Rivers (Aszejczyk, 2016). Similar
dwellings to to the Igren 8 pit-dwellings have been founded
in the context of the Jászság Mesolithic archaeological site
(Hungary) (Kertesz, 2002).
5. Conclusion
The hunting economy of the Mesolithic tribes of the Igren
peninsula was very diverse. It was based on the hunting
of large ungulates and complemented by the hunting of
birds, fshing, and turtle catching. The sufcient level of
preservation has enabled the identifcation of species from
the bone material. The hunting of large animals like wild ox,
red deer, roe deer, and other big ungulates had a paramount
role. The presence of the remains of typical fur animals
served as evidence of a formerly high level of skinning and
fur preparation. Usage of all the resources of the environment
was once the key feature of the river hunter-gatherer
primitive tribes. This research has confrmed the wintertime
activity of the settlement and clarifed the periods of its
seasonal activity. The fndings of bone and antler tools prove
the past value of the animal-derived type of production. The
results of the comprehensive analysis of all the fndings at
Igren 8 illustrate the variability of the economic strategy of
Mesolithic tribes from such riverine areas.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Oleksandr Kovalchuk for
consultation with interpretation of fsh remains, Bohdan
Ridush for help with studying the mammoth tooth, and
Vitaliy Anistratenko for mollusc identifcation.
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