Factors influencing the hunting strategy of Paleolithic reindeer hunters.

• Main Author: Croitor, Roman
• Other Authors: Laboratoire méditerranéen de préhistoire Europe-Afrique (LAMPEA), Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Ministère de la Culture (MC)
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2016
• Subjects: archeo; hist; Tundra
• Online Access: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01767737

International audience The combined systematic, morphologic, and demographic study of Late Pleistocene reindeer remains from several Paleolithic sites of Northern Moldova revealed specific for the each Paleolithic monument demographic structure (male/female and adults/juveniles ratios). Ancient layers of Duruitoarea Veche (pre-Mousterian – early Magdalenian?) and Brinzeni-1 (31-28 ky) have yielded remains of a large and unnamed yet form of forest reindeer approaching in size and proportions modern North American caribou. The study revealed somewhat overrepresented number of males (in the supposed early Magdalenian layer of Duruitoarea and Brinzeni) and underrepresented number of juveniles (in Brinzeni) if compared to modern wild reindeer populations. Apparently, the forest habitats and ecological adaptations of this ancient form of reindeer favored the slight selection of Paleolithic hunters focused upon larger adult males. Reindeer from Rascov-7 (ca. 19 ky) are different and possibly represent a stunted form of ancient forest ecotype or may be close to R. tarandus guettardi. The osteological assemblage from Rascov-7 is peculiar and is characterized by strong predominance of males (2/3 of bone remains). For the moment, there are no firm arguments explaining this strong selection of reindeer hunters from Rascov-7. R. tarandus constantini from Cosauti (11-20.4 ky) was an open landscape gregarious grazer superficially resembling modern tundra reindeer, but distinguished by relatively larger cheek teeth and smaller volume of nasal cavity. The male/female ratio of reindeer remains from Cosauti is close to the demographic structure of migrating herds of modern reindeer that suggests a specific strategy of hunting first hypothesized by Ilie Borziac: a migrating deer herd crossing the river in the most convenient and probable place was attacked by hunters and slaughtered without any specific selectivity. Obviously, this hunting strategy requires significant human resources. R. tarandus constantini was also recorded in ...