Humans and dogs interactions : results of a multiproxy analysis of coprolites from the Serteya 2 site (5th-3rd mill. BC, Smolensk Region, Russian Federation) - Archive ouverte HAL
Communication Dans Un Congrès Année : 2024

Humans and dogs interactions : results of a multiproxy analysis of coprolites from the Serteya 2 site (5th-3rd mill. BC, Smolensk Region, Russian Federation)

Résumé

The Serteya 2 site (Smolensk region, Russian Federation) was inhabited during short periods of occupation between the beginning of the 5th millennium and the end of the 3rd mill BCE. The shores of this lake basin were settled by sedentary communities who produced pottery and whose economy was based on hunting of various wild games (mainly elk and wild boar), fishing and gathering. The excavations in this wetland area have yielded exceptional finds, including organic material (fishing tools, wooden tools and weapons, bark objects, etc.). More than 630 coprolites were also found. A small sample of about twenty coprolites is likely to have come from dogs, according to the results of paleoparasitology. These samples were also subjected to multiproxy analysis (palynology, identification of fish, anthracological and carpological remains) and radiocarbon dating. The results of these various studies were compared with paleoenvironmental reconstructions carried out at the level of the entire valley (Tasarov et al. 2019) and more targeted reconstructions based on sediment columns from the archaeological levels of Serteya 2 (Kittel et al. 2020, Wieckowska-Lüth et al. 2021), as well as ichthyological, faunal and anthracological studies of materials from the habitation areas. The pollen spectra of the coprolites show a mixed forest vegetation including species from humid environments (alder, willow, and birch), mesothermophilic species (oak, elm and lime) and conifers (pine and spruce). These taxa are also documented in the form of charcoal fragments in the coprolites. While these assemblages are very similar to those identified in the sediment samples, the development of certain species is not entirely uniform. For example, the strong increase in spruce in the second half of the third millennium is not evident in the coprolites. On the other hand, a peak can be seen at the transition between the 4th to the 3rd millennium BCE, when permanent fisheries were established using coniferous species. Samples from this period also contain the highest concentrations of Diphyllobothrium eggs, which are associated with the consumption of raw or poorly cooked freshwater fish, as evidenced by paleoparasitological analyses. Those coprolites also included the largest number of fish remains. Dogs fed predominantly with fish were evidenced in several ancient hunter-gatherer communities. Such analysis allows reconstructing patterns of ancient human behavior and paleoenvironmental conditions of very short episodes within wider periods, as well as dogs interactions with humans in the past.
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Dates et versions

hal-04750429 , version 1 (23-10-2024)

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  • HAL Id : hal-04750429 , version 1

Citer

Yolaine Maigrot, Andrey Mazurkevich, Ekaterina Dolbunova, Emilie Gauthier, Alexander Kulkov, et al.. Humans and dogs interactions : results of a multiproxy analysis of coprolites from the Serteya 2 site (5th-3rd mill. BC, Smolensk Region, Russian Federation). Fumiers, bouses et guano : ordures ou or brun. Statut, usage et gestion des déjections animales depuis la Préhistoire, potentiel archéologique et environnemental. 44e rencontres internationales d'archéologie et d'histoire de Nice Côte d'Azur, Claire Delhon, Lionel Gourichon et Lucie Martin, Oct 2024, Nice (06000), France. ⟨hal-04750429⟩
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