Šiaurės elnių keliai ir jų paplitimas Lietuvoje vėlyvajame paleolite

• Main Authors: Daugnora, Linas, Girininkas, Algirdas
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: Lithuanian; English
• Published: 2005
• Subjects: Reindeer; Lithuania; info:eu-repo/classification/udc/599.735.3; Rangifer tarandus
• Online Access: http://lsmu.lvb.lt/LSMU:ELABAPDB5501415&prefLang=en_US

During the late Glacial in the territory of East Baltic region after retreat of the glaciers (Fig. 1), the main hunting object was reindeer (Rangifer tarandus L.). However, no detailed investigations have been carried out in order to establish migration routes, migration seasonality and distribution of reindeer, which lived in herds, and topography of campsites. In 16 localities of the territory of Lithuania skeleton bones and horns of reindeer and spearheads made of them (Fig. 2) were collected. In the territory of Lithuania reindeer lived from the Bioling to the beginning of Preboreal period, i.e. from beginning of retreat of glaciers from southern regions of Lithuania to outspread of forests. This is confirmed by radiocarbon dates fixed for reindeer skeletons, namely, in Debeikiai, Anykščiai district, 12085 ± 100 BP (Hela-599); in Rudamina, Lazdijai district, 10435 ± 95 BP (Hela-600) and in Ežerėlis, Kaunas district, 10975 ± 85 BP (Hela-601) (Ukkonen et al, 2005). In the East Baltic region reindeer skeleton bones and horns were mostly found in the former territory of Prussia (Fig. 3). In the Lithuanian territory they concentrate in Užnemunė where like in former Prussia reindeer summer pastures stretched in the Late Glacial. In late autumn reindeer used to migrate from Užnemunė in two directions: northwards and northeastwards crossing the Nemunas River in its middle- and lower reaches (Fig. 3) near already existent shoals (Fig. 6) formed by the Nemunas River scouring out through moraine hills, which abounded in the section Gardinas-Kaunas. At the Nemunas River shoals, most campsites and finding-places of the Paleolithic period occurred (Fig. 8). They were left by communities of Hamburg-, Federmesser-, Bromme-, Ahrensburg- and Swiderian cultures (Tables 1 and 2). [.].