Preliminary results of experimental study of Neanderthal's hunting weapons from Chagyrskaya Cave
The proposed article presents the first for the territory of Northern and Central Asia results of experimental reconstructions of Neanderthal hunting. We reconstructed the close-range hunting of Neanderthals from Chagyrskaya Cave by bison and smaller herbivores. To this end, a reference collection of retouched points was produced as part of the knapping technology presented in the archaeological complexes. The points were attached to birch and willow staves using organic materials - resin and bast. To simulate the hunting process, experimental spears were used to strike sheep and bull carcasses. This resulted in breaks and typical impact fractures on the tools from the reference collection. The use-wear method showed greater promise of studies of macro than micro-features. As a result, the experimental and archaeological artefacts exhibited wear traces, which are more likely for closerange hunting. Our results are preliminary and require further experimentation and use-wear research.
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Keywords
Neanderthals, North Asia, hunting weapons, hunting strategies, experimental and use-wear methodsAuthors
| Name | Organization | |
| Kharevich Vladimir M. | Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences | mihalich84@mail.ru |
| Zotkina Lidia V. | Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences | lidiazotkina@gmail.com |
| Kharevich Alena V. | Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences | aliona.shalagina@yandex.ru |
| Kolobova Ksenia A. | Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences | kolobovak@yandex.ru |
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Preliminary results of experimental study of Neanderthal's hunting weapons from Chagyrskaya Cave | Sibirskie Istoricheskie Issledovaniia – Siberian Historical Research. 2022. № 1. DOI: 10.17223/2312461X/35/9
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