"but there is still no evidence of the butchering process. "
Resumee der Begutachtung der Mammutreste von Zaraysk (Abstract eines Vortrags von 2006:
http://www.uispp.ipt.pt/UISPPprogfin/Livro5.pdf )
Reasons of specific selection of the large mammal remains on Zaraysk site
Evgeny MASCHENKO (Moscow, Russia)
Sergey LEV (Moscow, Russia)
Natalia BUROVA (St. Petersburg, Russia)
The open-air Upper Palaeolithic site of Zaraysk is located in the center of the town of Zaraysk, about 155 km south of Moscow. The Zaraysk site is the northern most known occurrence of the Kostenki-Avdeevo archaeological culture (Gravettian tradition) on the Russian Plain.
The common feature of Zaraysk and other "mammoth hunter's" sites of Russian Plain is the presence of woolly Mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius Blumenbach, 1799) remains, which makes up about 96% of the total number of mammals bones. But, long-term researches in Zaraysk gave evidence of some special features in mammoth exploitation that we will discuss.
· A specific variety of mammals on the site is rather limited.
· Among the large Mammoth bones discovered, skulls, lower jaws, ribs and scapulas are the most common.
· There was also a large quantity of isolated teeth and tusks. Long bones are rare and usually only fragments are found. Whereas, on other sites of Russian Plain, most Mammoth remains are long bones, vertebras, and bones of distal parts of the legs.
· Most mammoths hunted (more than 23 individuals) are adults and excavations during the 2005 season (42 m2) yielded the remains of 16 adult individuals.
· Bones of young mammoths including calves and infants, usually numerous at similar sites on the Russian Plain, are less common (2 individuals found in the excavated area).
There is still an open question on the importance of the woolly Mammoth as a hunted species by the inhabitants of the Zaraysk site. Collecting of bones of the perished animals does not negate the reality of their hunting. A large number of Mammoth sites demonstrate that this animal was the basic natural resource in various kinds of human activity, but there is still no evidence of the butchering process.