Kostyonki (palaeolithic site)

For other places with the same name, see Kostenki.

Kostyonki (Russian: Костёнки, lit. "small bones" in Ukrainian), is a palaeolithic locality in Khokholsky District of Voronezh Oblast, Russia, located on western middle bank of the Don River.

It is known for high concentration of cultural remains of anatomically modern humans from the beginning of the Upper Paleolithic era.

Ancient human remains

A layer of Campanian volcanic ash from about 45,000 years ago has been found above some of the finds, showing that "unknown humans" inhabited the site before this.[1][2] The earliest directly dated human remains from this site are dated to 32,600 ± 1,100 14C years and consist of tibia and fibula, with traits classifying the bones to European early modern humans.[3]

In 2009, DNA was extracted from the remains of a male hunter-gatherer who lived 30,000 years BP and died aged 20–25. His maternal lineage was found to be U2. He was buried in an oval pit in a crouched position and covered with red ochre.[4]

According to John F. Hoffecker (BBC Science in Action, January 12, 2007), sewing needles were found just above the ash layer.

The eruption of the Phlegraean Fields volcano occurred about 39,000 years ago. The explosion of 500 cubic kilometers (120 cu mi) ignimbrite was the largest in the last 200,000 years of European history [5] The ornaments, perforated by hand-operated rotary drill, found at Kostyonki 17 Layer II, predate the volcanic eruption and suggest that the population was "technologically ready" for an incoming volcanic winter. In period around 40-24,000 in Europe was formed latitudinal clinal pattern of modern/Neanderthal traits. Kostyonki sites are located at the "modern" eastward end. The assemlage below volcanic CI tephra layer is associated to nontransitional local Strelec culture and analogous to Upper Paleolithic cultures from central and western Europe where Sheletian culture is most similar. The initial culture development and may be attributed to local Neanderthals.[1]

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 Anikovich, M. V.; et al. (Jan 2007). "Early Upper Paleolithic in Eastern Europe and implications for the dispersal of modern humans". Science 315 (5809): 223–226. Bibcode:2007Sci...315..223A. doi:10.1126/science.1133376. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 17218523.
  2. ↑ pdf
  3. ↑ Higham, T.; et al. (Jan 2006). "Revised direct radiocarbon dating of the Vindija G1 Upper Paleolithic Neanderthals" (Free full text). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 103 (3): 553–557. Bibcode:2006PNAS..103..553H. doi:10.1073/pnas.0510005103. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 1334669. PMID 16407102.
  4. ↑ "DNA analysed from early European". BBC. January 1, 2010. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
  5. ↑ De Vivo, B.; G. Rolandi; et al. (November 2001). "New constraints on the pyroclastic eruptive history of the Campanian volcanic Plain (Italy)". Mineralogy and Petrology (Springer Wien) 73 (1-3): 47–65. Bibcode:2001MinPe..73...47D. doi:10.1007/s007100170010. Retrieved September 20, 2008.

Sources

Further reading

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