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Mammoths
The Krems-Wachtberg site
A mammoth’s tusk, discovered during roadworks at the Wachtberg in Krems in 1930, led J. Bayer (Section of Prehistory at the Museum of Natural History, Vienna) to a one-week excavation campaign, documented in his diary and on several photo plates made by L. Adametz.
The finds have remained forgotten in the depots of what is now called the Weinstadt museum in Krems until its re-organisation in 1993 which brought about their scientific review at last.
The analysis of the diary and the 22 photo-plates revealed impressive settlement-structures, quite similar to the well-known South Moravian sites such as Dolní Vestonice or Pavlov.
Other such parallels were documented through statistical examination of impact scars from the more than 2000 stone tools as well as the evidence of animal figurines made of clay, which are the oldest baked ceramics of Austria. Worth mentioning is also the jewellery, which was made up of the fossil remains of marine animals. Considering the examined finds, one older date and two recently taken C14 dates, the Gravettian site would fit into the period of around 27.000 ago, and can therefore be compared with the Pavlovian sites of the Pollauer mountains. It represents also one of the most important reviewed sites in Austria.
Text above from: http://hw.oeaw.ac.at/2870-3
The Krems-Wachtberg site during the excavation in 1930, with the jaw of a mammoth yearling (1.5-2 AEY) with removed premolars (MK 1017) to the left, in front of it a fragment of a left fibula from a sub/adult mammoth with spiral fractures and transverse stepped breaks. To the left and to the right of the tusk (MK 1029) two longitudinal trenches filled with ashy sediments were observed (not seen on the photograph). The rounded larger objects beside the tusk are stones.
Photo: Natural History Museum of Vienna, Prehistoric Department
Text from: Fladerer,
F.A. (135-158)
A calf-dominated mammoth age profile from the 27 kyBP stadial Krems-Wachtberg
site in the middle Danube valley
Fladerer,
F.A., 2003 - A calf-dominated mammoth age profile from the 27 kyBP stadial
Krems-Wachtberg site in the middle Danube valley - in: Reumer, J.W.F.,
De Vos, J. & Mol, D. (eds.) - Advances in Mammoth Research (Proceedings
of the Second International Mammoth Conference, Rotterdam, May 16-20 1999)
- DEINSEA 9: 135-158 [ISSN 0923-9308] Published 24 May 2003
A short rescue-excavation in 1930 at a c.15 m2 encampment area recovered
remains from at least eight individual mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius),
six wolves (Canis lupus), four red foxes (Vulpes vulpes),
one arctic fox (Alopex lagopus), three wolverines (Gulo gulo),
and single remains from reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), red deer
(Cervus elaphus), ibex (Capra ibex), and musk ox (Ovibos
moschatus). The body part representation and the bone modification
patterns of the species are studied, and the death age profile of the
mammoth bone sample is figured. The archeological documentation of the
site, the preservation state of the bones, and the evidence of delicate
bone fragments support a geologically short-time generated origin of the
sample with only light disturbance by carnivores. The remains of at least
four calves of suckling age, as well as two subadults, and two adults,
at least one bull, may be caused by the exploitation of a mammoth family
group. Within the body parts of the juveniles, heads including isolated
milk teeth are overrepresented. The osteological patterns of the proboscidean
finds indicate the utilization of head, back, and foot parts, as well
as long bone and rib internals. Cortical bone fragments were used for
works and tools. By ethological analogy the death age profile pleads for
a proliferating mammoth population. The second main property of the sample
is the extraordinary high carnivore representation, which is over 50%
of the minimal number of individuals, and the evidence of their butchering.
Under three models about the procurement strategy, the task independent
model, the natural co-occurrence model, and the co-occurrence exploiting
model, this last one is favoured: The Pavlovian people confronted family
herd-units, using any ambush place within the multiformity of the regional
landscape, and selectively brought carcass parts back to the residential
camp. The prey spectrum and the multiform landscape reflect a variety
of potential forage grounds. This and the postulated healthy mammoth herd
structure, suggest high yield environmental conditions, and a stable supply
position of the Pavlovian people. Site occupation, interpreted from the
mammoth calf ages, and from the osteological patterning of the medium-sized
herbivore and carnivore carcasses, was probably during the winter months.
The contextual occurrence of the zoomorphous burnt clay figurines and
the animal parts may reflect a non-subsistential set of human behavior.
My interpretation of the abstract above is this:
In 1930 when the site was about to be destroyed, a one week long rescue operation was mounted in order to find as much information as possible about the site, where a mammoth tusk had been discovered.
Remains of eight mammoths were recovered, as well as six wolves, four red foxes, one arctic fox, three wolverines, and one each of reindeer, red deer, ibex and musk ox.
The sample showed that these remains were all formed within a very short space of time. The age grouping of four suckling calves, two young adults, and two adults, with at least one bull, show that we may be looking at a case where a complete family group was hunted and killed. This age grouping means that the mammoth population may have been increasing rapidly at this time.
It is also interesting that there are so many carnivores represented, as well as evidence of their butchering.
It seems likely that the hunters encountered or hunted a complete family group in an ambush, and having killed all members of the group, brought the most useful parts of the carcases back to the camp.
Further, it seems likely that the area was a rich one in terms of forage for the mammoth group, and the hunters would have had a large number of such family groups to choose from.
It seems likely that the mammoth family group and the carnivores were hunted during winter occupation of the site.
Body-part representation of mammoths (shaded). Numbers in parentheses indicate the minimum number
of individuals counted on each element. Short arrows in bold face: impact marks. Long narrow arrows:
cut marks. White arrows: breakage probably resulting from a heavy blow. Outline after Mol & Essen (1987).
From Fladerer (2001).
Photo : The World of Elephants - International Congress, Rome 2001
The Krems-Wachtberg camp-site: mammoth carcass
utilization along the Danube 27,000 years ago
F.A. Fladerer
Institute of Paleontology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
florian.fladerer@univie.ac.at
My interpretation of the summary below is this:
The Krems-Wachtberg site is on an exposed south easterly slope, at an altitude of 260 metres above sealevel, within a cluster of similarly aged sites. It is a hilly area, and has ridges strating at an altitude of 500 metres, and the hills go up to around 1000 metres.
The valley floors are at around 200 metres.
By chance in the summer of 1930, during road works, mammoth bones were discovered within the loess sediments, and a short rescue excavation was mounted.
The site is only 15 sq m in extent, and within this area there were two ditches of around 30 cm in depth filled with ash. There were two zoomorphic burnt clay figurines discovered, the only such in Austria.
There were 2300 stone tools found, including 70 tools and 500 bladelets. The stone artefacts show a strong resemblance to those from Dolni Vestonice and Pavlov, about 100 km away.
The bone sample consisted of about 340 pieces and fragments. The
bone surfaces were corroded and destroyed by root etching, from grasses and shrubs and trees which absorbed nutrients from the bones. This has meant that only the deepest parts of cut marks made by humans were preserved.
There were more mammoth remains than anything else, and heads, as well as single teeth, represented up to one quarter of the bones.
The bones have been given an age of 27 700 to 27 100 BP.
Most of the cut marks were on the ribs. There were many impact marks showing the splitting of the large long bones of the mammoths.
Cut marks are concentrated on rib surfaces.
The thin outer layers of leg and rib bones were preferred for making into tools.
It appears that the carnivores were used for both their fur and their meat.
The World of Elephants - International Congress, Rome 2001
The Krems-Wachtberg camp-site
Mammoth carcass
utilization along the Danube 27,000 years ago
F.A. Fladerer
Institute of Paleontology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria florian.fladerer@univie.ac.at
Summary
During a rescue-excavation undertaken in 1930, 219 identifiable bones from at least eight mammoths,
six wolves, five foxes, three wolverines, two reindeer, one red deer, two ibexes, and one musk ox were
uncovered. Three AMS-dates from charcoal indicate a 14C-age of 27,7-27,1 ka BP. Mammoth remains dominate
the total bone count (141). The presence of four very young calves argues for a proliferating mammoth
population. The skeletal representation pattern provides evidence for the transport of all butchering units, at
least from the carcasses of the calves, from the death site. Cut marks are concentrated on rib surfaces.
Multiple impact marks document the cleaving of massive long bones. Cortical bone fragments from limb
bones and ribs were preferably used as raw material for tools.
The skeletal representation of the carnivores, and the cut mark and breakage pattern observed on their bones
indicate skinning activities as well as consumption of the meat.
1. Site location
The Krems-Wachtberg site is situated on an
exposed south-easterly slope, at a height of 260
m a.s.l., within a cluster of Aurignacian and
Gravettian sites. The topography is characterised
by a hilly area with upland ridges with
a base altitude of c. 500 m a.s.l. and peaks at c.
1000 m, and valley floors at c. 200-190 m a.s.l.
In summer 1930 the chance discovery of bones
within the loess sediments was followed by a
short rescue excavation.
The most striking feature
within the small site of c.15 square meters
were two ditches c. 30 cm in depths filled with
ashy sediments (Einwögerer 2000).
The archaeological inventory comprises the
oldest, and up till now the only two zoomorphic
burnt clay figurines from Austria. The stone
artefact assemblage yields c. 2300 finds including
70 tools and over 500 bladelets. Their morphology
shows strong affinities to lithics from
the Moravian sites of Dolní Vestonice and
Pavlov, which are located approximately 100
km away.
Charcoal was determined as dwarf Pinus sp.
and Abies sp (Cichocki 2000). AMS-dates
(27,7–27,1 ka BP), the presence of clay figurines,
and the stone tool analysis closely
resembles assemblages assigned to the
“Pavlovian” culture (for example Klíma 1965,
Svoboda 1996).
2. Material
The bone sample comprises c. 340 elements
and fragments. The archeological documentation
did not include a complete inventory of all
recoverable bones (Fladerer 2001, in press). The
bone surfaces are corroded and destroyed by
root etching, and only the deepest parts of cut
marks made by humans are preserved (Fig. 4).
3. Mammoth body representation
Proboscidean remains dominate the total
bone count (NISP 141, 53% of total NISP) as
well as species representation. The skeletal representation
shows that elements of the heads,
including isolated teeth, represent up to 25% of
the carcass remains. An analysis of cranial
fragments shows that the age structure predominantly
comprises four calves and subadults
Fig.1 - Age structure of eight mammoths from the Krems Wachtberg, 1930 excavation. Dark shaded area in
age class I indicates proportion of nursing calves, younger than two years. Individual count vertically, age
classes and year intervals horizontally (after Haynes 1987) (from Fladerer 2001).
(Figs. 1-2). In addition two smaller individuals
(older juveniles or young adults (females?))
can be recognized from postcranial material.
The diaphysis of a femur of a small subadult
individual, and part of an articulated anterior
left foot represent individuals 5 and 6. At least
one animal older than individual 6 and younger
than the adult male is represented by the
metapodials. This subadult (individual 7) may
have died between 16-26 years. A right tusk
(187 cm in length) represents a bull mammoth.
Amongst the postcranial material adult individuals
could be identified from several rib
fragments, and several cortical limb bone fragments.
These bones could belong to the putative
bull (Fig. 3).
The presence of parts of the head, such as skull
and jaw fragments indicate dismemberment of
the head during an advanced stage of butchering.
In the case of at least one of the calves and the
subadult individual 6, heads have been transported
to the camp. Foot bones of calves and adult
individuals occur in the living-floor assemblage
and are evidence of the removal of the feet at the
death site (Fig. 3). Carpals, tarsals and phalanges
are common elements at regional Upper
Paleolithic residential sites (Fladerer 2001).
4. Mammoth Bone Identification and Bone Use.
Impact notches on several long bones represent
the most striking form of modification at
the Krems-Wachtberg site (Fig. 3). Multiple
notches can be observed on the 43 cm long
proximolateral fragment of a femur. At least
eight impacts are aligned on the caudal face of
one of the longitudinal fracture edges.
Approximately 15 cortical bone fragments
attest to the fracturation of long bones and ribs.
The modification of the lower mandible of
juvenile mammoth 4 with its missing teeth and
mandibular arches is worthy of particular
notice. The left alveolus of the third milk
molar and the first permanent molar are filled
with a grey ashy material. The base of the concreted
ashy filling in the cavity has been
exposed during excavation or in the course of
the following 60 years due to damage of the
mandibular bone (Einwögerer 2000). The morphology
of the convex base is regular and does
not dispay the irregular surface that would
usually be observed on the negative of a base
of the filling of an alveola. A modification of
the jaw by palaeolithic humans is also strongly suggested due to the lingual edges of the
first molar. Both sides show symmetrically
destroyed (and later corroded) lingual walls,
and the molars were apparently intentionally
removed. Some tusk fragments show modifications
which are also interpreted as produced by
humans (Fladerer 2001).
Cut marks are preserved on six out of a total
of 110 specimens, and occur on ribs and cortical
bone fragments (Fig. 4; Fladerer 2001).
Fig.2 - Individual ages at death of four nursing mammoth calves as suggested by dental development, attrition,
and replacement according to Laws (1966; see also Saunders 1992) and G. Craig (in Haynes 1991).
Asterisk: hypothetical date of birth. Light shaded area: possible span of individual tooth-age. Short dark bar
at the top indicates a possible common death season for all four individuals in the early winter months
(November/December). From Fladerer (2001), modified.
Fig.3 - Body-part representation of mammoths (shaded). Numbers in parentheses indicate the minimum number
of individuals counted on each element. Short arrows in bold face: impact marks. Long narrow arrows:
cut marks. White arrows: breakage probably resulting from a heavy blow. Outline after Mol & Essen (1987).
From Fladerer (2001).
Bones were utilised and modified as tools:
(1) A compact bone fragment (134 mm long
x 12,7 mm thick) was heavily reduced on the
medular face by scar-like modifications. It was
probably used as a core.
(2) The distal fragment of an anterior rib with
spongiosa exposed (maximum width of 57
mm) is comparable to spoon-like tools from
Dolní Vestonice II (Klíma 1995). Both cranial
and lateral edges, and the terminal-ventral edge
are polished by use.
(3) A fragment of a caudal rib (165 mm in
length) displays reduced cranial and caudal
edges along the dorsal part of its preserved
length, and a distinct terminal-ventral smoothing.
This find compares with flesher-like or
polisher-like implements shown, for example,
by Klíma (1995).
(4) A broken juvenile rib (65 mm in thickness)
has been smoothed terminally comparable
to find no 3.
(5) MK 1047 is a multiple retouched spindle
(bobbin)-like tool made from a cortical fragment
of a long bone (Fig. 5). The flat fragment
(18x5x1,5 cm) is terminated proximally and
distally by transverse fracture edges. One side
is dominated by a large longitudinal spiral fracture
lending a blade like appearance to the find.
The opposite side is primarily modified by
three impact notches, two of which were directed
to the outer side of the bone producing a
bifacial modification. At least three additional
smaller notches have produced a scalloped
edge. Polish within the notches also suggests
utilisation of the tool as a flat spindle (bobbin).
A few additional fragments, mainly from ribs
and thick cortical long-bones, with flake scars,
support evidence of the importance of mammoth
remains as a main source of raw material
for the Pavlovian people.
Fig.4 - Cut-mark (lenght = 7 mm) on the external side of a mammoth rib (MK 1063).
5. Medium Sized Herbivores and Carnivores
Rangifer tarandus, Capra ibex, and Cervus
elaphus which are the most important prey
species for the regional middle Upper
Palaeolithic (e.g. Musil 1959; Fladerer 1996;
West 1997), are represented at Krems-
Wachtberg by only a few limb fragments and
pieces of antler.
The total of 14 carnivore individuals
(Canis lupus: 6, Vulpes vulpes: 4,
Alopex lagopus: 1, Gulo gulo: 3) in the sample
represent over 50 % of the total MNI.
Articulated bones provide evidence of the deposition
of carcass parts enclosed in soft tissues
and/or a rapid burial of the finds. This evidence
together with impact notches documenting
the opening of the medullar cavity along with
cut marks produced during filleting can be
observed on bones of both herbivores and carnivores.
The skeletal representation and modification
patterns (in terms of cut marks and
impact notches) of the bones of the four species
of carnivore do not significantly differ from one
another (Fig. 6).
They document stages of carcass processing
indicating additional utilisation of the carcasses,
probably as a source of food. Some ritual meaning
in the abundance of carnivores at Central
European Late Paleolithic sites is postulated by
Fig.5 - Krems-Wachtberg, bobbin-like bifacially worked cortical bone tool made from mammoth bone
(MK 1047), left: external view, middle: centre, right: internal view.
Fig.6 - Percentage of the observed elements of wolves (Canis lupus) and foxes (Vulpes vulpes, Alopex
lagopus) vs. the expected number after the minimum number of individuals (Fladerer 2001).
Soffer (1993). However, since the documentation
of the excavated living floor at the Krems-
Wachtberg site is very poor, primary location
and individual orientation of the bones necessary
to test such a hypothesis cannot be reconstructed.
Due to the state of preservation and the presence
of articulated bones, a rapid natural embedding,
or burial by humans, is indicated for the
bulk of the faunal remains. Evidence for preserving,
collecting and occasionally the selection
of bones from anatomically similar positions,
along with the burial of carnivore carcass
parts, has also been recorded at other Pavlovian
residential sites with zoomorphic figurines (e.g.
Dolní Vestonice, Absolon 1938).
6. Conclusions
The common occurrence of anatomical units
of the carcasses, evidence of significant carnivore
activities, and no obvious differences in
the weathering stages within the assemblage,
suggests that an attritional mammoth death
structure from a time-averaged background is
unlikely.
Evidently, the sample contains selected
parts of a local mammoth herd, which is
biased towards juvenile individuals. Juvenile
mammoths argue against long-term stress within
the Middle Danube mammoth population at
27 ka BP since healthy modern elephant populations
contain at least c. 30% juvenile and
subadult animals (Haynes 1992). In a generalized
analogy, the Krems-Wachtberg sample
represents at least a group of four nursing
females and their calves, which may indicate a
herd of up to 20-40 mammoths. The skeletal
representation pattern indicate transportation of
head, back, and foot parts, as well as long
bones and ribs from the death site. Cut marks
are concentrated on rib surfaces. Multiple
impact notches document the cleaving of massive
long bones, sometimes used for bone tool
production (Fig. 5).
At least one male may have been part of the
mixed herd, or this animal may derive from a
separate foraging event. Communal targeting
of a complete family group, as suggested by
Saunders (1992), seems plausible. The landscape
around Krems provided a variety of settings
where animals could be ambushed.
Several animals may have been ambushed during
seasonal migration.
Similar hunting methods were probably used
at sites in Southern Moravia (e.g. Klíma 1995,
Svoboda 1996), which were partly occupied in
the summer. This is indicated by the remains of
neonate mammoth calves at several sites in the
Middle Danube region. The site of Krems-
Wachtberg, was probably occupied during the
first months of the winter as deduced from
mammoth calf demography (Fig. 2). This interpretation
of the season is in accordance with
the great volume of ashy deposits within the
excavation field.
Furthermore the exploitation of animal fur,
and evidence for the extraction of marrow is
economically important between autumn and
mid-winter when the animals are in a prime
condition. In terms of complex subsistence settlement
practices, it is suggested that a pattern
of communal hunting of mammoth in particular
functioned from seasonally aggregating
camps during the Upper Palaeolithic period in
the Middle Danube region.
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