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The location of the site of Mira. Dashed lines show the remote sources of raw materials used in Mira layer I and II/2
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This paper presents the first results of the investigation of the new Early Upper Paleolithic open-air site of Mira in the Middle Dnieper area, eastern Europe, Ukraine. Mira yields two distinct Paleolithic occupations (II/2 and I) separated by the remains of a natural burning event (II/1). The Mira I assemblage exhibits a proliferation of Middle an...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... open-air site of Mira is located in the val- ley of the river Dnieper on the right bank, near the village of Kanevskoye, about 15 km south of Za- porozhiye, central Ukraine (47°40' of N latitude and 34°50' of E longitude; see Fig. 1). Its deposits are incorporated within the alluvial terrace whose altitude is about 18-20 m above the river level and 40 m.a.s.l. (Stepanchuk et al., 1998;Stepanchuk and Cohen, ...
Context 2
... feature of the Mira layer I assemblage is the presence of a large series of micro-flakes with blunted transverse edges, either intentionally retouched or due to use-wear resulting in retouch. These artifacts, provisionally named as "non-geometrical" microliths of Mira type, number ca. 140 pieces and represent mostly short trapeze-like chips (Fig. 7:16-7:31). Some- times the retouched edge is along the striking axis or obliquely to the striking platform. Retouch on the two-edges is rare. Some specimens bear what seems to have been the result of use-wear damage ( Fig. 7:17, 7:19, 7:26, 7:28) frequently associated with the ventral surface of the edge opposed to the retouched one. The blanks ...
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Citations
... The Strelets industry was identified on the southern plain at Biryuch'ya Balka and -a later "third" phase -in northern Russia at Sungir' (Anikovich et al., 2008: 87;Bradley et al., 1993), and more recently in south-central Ukraine at Vis' (Zaliznyak and Belenko, 2011). The Gorodtsovan has been recognized in the upper layer at Mira on the Lower Dnepr River (Anikovich et al., 2007: 203-206;Hoffecker et al., 2018;Stepanchuk, 2005). ...
Over the course of seven decades, field and laboratory investigations at the open-air site of Kostenki 12 on the central East European Plain have revealed an increasingly clear picture of site formation processes and occupation history during 45,000-30,000 cal BP (Early Upper Paleolithic [EUP]). Here, we review the interpretation of culture-stratigraphy at Kostenki 12 in the context of the formation and occupation history of the site, and we draw parallels between the EUP of the East European Plain and prehistoric sites on the High Plains of North America. Kostenki 12 is located at the mouth of a large side-valley ravine on the west bank of the Don River, near an active spring. During EUP times, it was situated on the distal floodplain of the river (now the second terrace) and below steep bedrock slopes at the confluence of the ravine and main valley. Traces of human occupation are buried in a complex interplay of alluvial and slope deposits, repeatedly saturated by carbonate seeps, which promoted lush vegetation and in situ soil development. Artifacts and faunal remains often were disturbed or transported downslope by flowing water on the relatively steep slope (11%). Despite the pattern of recurring post-depositional disturbance, the EUP occupations yield evidence for both the processing of large-mammal carcasses and extended habitation (campsites). The most abundant mammal remains in these occupations are horse (Equus latipes), and taphonomic and paleodemographic data indicate that they primarily represent small herds (probably marebands) killed en masse at or near the site. Kostenki 12 exhibits parallels with many open-air sites and site-complexes on the High Plains of North America, where (a) large mammals were ambushed at springs/wetlands or stampeded down steep slopes into a natural or artificial trap, and (b) camp sites were established near the kill locations and carcass-processing areas. When our conclusions about site history are factored into the interpretation of the EUP culture-stratigraphy, the long perceived cultural variability at Kostenki 12 (where at least four EUP culture-stratigraphic units are thought to be represented) is more parsimoniously explained in terms of different activities (carcass processing areas versus campsites), which exhibit characteristic archaeological signatures on both the East European Plain and the High Plains of North America. The most significant axis of cultural variability is temporal (before versus after the Campanian Ignimbrite ashfall and HE4 cold interval [40,000-38,000 cal BP]) and is supported by paleogenomic data, which indicate a replacement of the human population of the central East European Plain after 38,000 cal BP.
... Their stratigraphic characteristics and spatial distribution indicate a surface-dwelling structure ( Fig. 3: B, C), currently representing the earliest known Upper Palaeolithic dwelling in Eastern Europe (Stepanchuk 2021a(Stepanchuk , 2021b. The fi nd material includes a molar crown fragment of an anatomically modern human ( Fig. 5: 1), numerous, predominantly fl int artefacts, palaeontological remains, mainly Pleistocene horse bones, bone artefacts such as retouchers, polishers, point fragments and needle-like objects, and also perforated polar fox and fox The Mira layer I assemblage comprises about 54,000 fl int artefacts, of which almost 97% are micro-fragments, the by-products of intensive reshaping and resharpening of bifacial and fl ake tools (Stepanchuk et al. 2004a;Stepanchuk 2005Stepanchuk , 2013aStepanchuk , 2013b. The 0.9 g average single artefact weight illustrates the microlithic vast majority of the lithic objects are made of raw materials originating from remote outcrops in the eastern part of the Carpathians (Petrougne 2002(Petrougne -2003Stepanchuk & Petrougne 2005). ...
... There are somewhat atypical Krems/Font-Yves points (4), two varieties of Dufour bladelets (15) (Demars & Laurent 1989), supplemented by micro-points on bladelets (7), and microtruncations (6) (Fig. 8: A10). The assemblage also includes specifi c non-geometric Mira type microliths (138) (Fig. 8: A11), formed by noninvasive marginal retouching and representing a unique morpho-typological feature (Stepanchuk 2005;2013a). These artefactsusually tiny fl akes with a blunted transverse edge trapezoidal in plan view -possess basic analogies in chronologically younger Eastern European epi-Aurignacoïde assemblages of the steppe zone, i.e. ...
... There is no reason to defi ne the industry of Mira layer I as Middle Palaeolithic, although its bifaces include several Micoquian types. It cannot be correct even considering the close or even overlapping chronological positions of Mira and the latest sites of the Crimean Middle Palaeolithic (Chabai 2004;Stepanchuk 2005). The Mira layer I industry belongs to the Upper Palaeolithic but, at the same time, is characterised by the presence of developed bifacial components. ...
Located in the Dnieper valley and dated to ca. 32,000–31,000 cal BP, the site of Mira is characterized by a well-preserved record of past human activities. Lithic artefacts in perfect condition, rich faunal remains, bone tools and bone art objects, and anthropological remains have been discovered here in a position close to as it was at the moment of abandonment of the site. An important specificity of the site is its position in an area without lithic raw material outcrops. The lithic industry of Mira, layer I with confidence can be regarded as homogenous and containing no admixtures. At the same time, it is multicomponent and includes specific Middle and Upper Palaeolithic tool types. Such a multicomponent character is often treated as an unmistakable indication of heterogeneity in an archaeological assemblage. However, it is not true for layer I of Mira as it represents the remains of a single seasonal occupation. The assemblage demonstrates a so-called Szeletian aspect, as it includes bifacial foliates and Upper Palaeolithic flake tool types. Bifacial products constitute an essential archaic feature and are the focus of the present paper. As a pivotal issue, several related tasks emerge: to evaluate whether intensive use and recycling can distort the set of bifacial artefacts; to understand what role (core versus tool) did bifacial artefacts play in the technological chaîne operatoire under the terms of raw material shortage; to examine which analogies for bifacials of Mira, layer I can be found, based on their technology and morphology. The analysis of available data concludes that the initial set of bifacial products was distorted: some bifaces were used as cores, while others were significantly reshaped and reduced. At the same time, no indication exists that the bifaces were served as mobile cores from the onset. Instead, they played the role of occasional cores. Bifacial products have sometimes been intentionally fragmented. The same practice of intentional fragmentation has been widely applied to flake tools. The industry is characterized by the relatively frequent use of anvil splitting technology. Techno-morphological features of the Mira, layer I bifaces suggest analogies in the local Micoquian-related Middle Palaeolithic record. Association of bifacial leaf-shaped points and Aurignacian features is an essential feature of the lithic assemblage and determines the search for analogies among the Szeletian and Streletskian assemblages. This article is the revised and updated English version of our Russian-language paper published in the PAJIS journal
... частично вскрыли периферийную и центральную части поселения слоя I (Степанчук 2013; Степанчук та ін. 2004; Hoffecker et al. 2014;Stepanchuk 2005). ...
The Mira site is a stratified Upper Palaeolithic site in the Dnieper valley. The stratigraphic sequence includes three layers with archaeological finds from the period between 31,000 and 28,000 cal BP. The upper layer (layer I) yielded the remains of a seasonal autumn-winter settlement of horse hunters. The composition of flake tools suggests analogies with the Gorodtsovskaya culture of the Middle Don. The presence of bifacial tools and Aurignacian forms points to the Szeletian and, possibly, Micoquian analogies. Remains of a surface frame structure, production areas and hearths were revealed in the layer. The structure of the inhabited space is not complicated by a reorganization of the inhabited area, which allows identifying the specificity of particular features of the layer with greater reliability. The article gives a detailed description of an unusual feature from the upper layer of the Mira settlement. The feature is a pit located within the contour of the dwelling. There are grounds to think that the pit was dug at the beginning of the occupation, and shortly after that backfilled. Charcoal, bone and tooth fragments and a piece of a stone artifact made of an exotic raw material were found at the bottom of the pit. The composition of the finds and the circumstances of their placement suggest that we are dealing here with possible traces of some magical practice, namely the so-called “building offering”.
... It is believed that the material and patterns iden tified to allow for the assertion that excavations be tween 1997 and 2013 have partially uncovered the peripheral and central parts of a relatively longterm seasonal occupation (Stepanchuk 2005;Ste panchuk et al. 2004;Hoffecker et al. 2014). ...
The purpose of this article is to present data on the surface structure identified in the upper layer of the Mira site in the Dnieper valley. The occupation of layer I, based on a set of consistent data, constitutes the remains of a seasonal winter camp of Pleistocene horse hunters. Ten available radiocarbon dates place the calibrated age of layer I between 31,000 to 28,000 cal BP. The rapid albeit gentle overlapping of the settlement remains with alluvial sediments ensured that the original settlement and dwelling patterns and their elements survived well. Thanks to this, it is possible to reconstruct
some significant aspects of the construction process, as well as details of the arrangement of the dwelling’s interior space. A 30,000-year-old, permanent skeleton cylindrical yaranga type surface construction from Mira layer I is currently representing the oldest dwelling known in the Upper Palaeolithic of Ukraine and a broader context of the steppe zone of the East European plain.
... It is believed that the material and patterns identified to allow for the assertion that excavations between 1997 and 2013 have partially uncovered the peripheral and central parts of a relatively long-term seasonal occupation (Stepanchuk 2005;Stepanchuk et al. 2004;Hoffecker et al. 2014). ...
The collection of scientific works is dedicated to the eightieth anniversary of Prof. Mykhailo I. Gladkikh, a well-known Ukrainian archaeologist, prehistorian, teacher and world-class scientist. The issue of the collection is related to the field of scientific research of the jubilee – the interaction of human and the environment in prehistory. The articles are devoted to modern research and interpretations of living space in the prehistoric cultures of Europe, as a system of human adaptation to changing natural conditions. The proposed collection will be useful for anyone interested in the prehistory, archaeology and paleoecology of Europe – archaeologists, prehistorians, paleogeographers, local historians, museum workers, cultural heritage researchers, and students of higher education.
... Lithic assemblage of Mira, layer I enumerates ca. 54,000 artefacts, out of which almost 97% are tiny micro-flakes representing by-products of rejuvenation of flake and bifacial tools Stepanchuk, 2005Stepanchuk, , 2013. Among tools, there are points, sidescrapers, endscrapers, various combinations of end scraper and side scraper, point, burins, pointed blades, ''piè ces esquillé es'', retouched flakes, blades and bladelets. ...
... There are rather atypical Krems/Font-Yves points, two varieties of Dufour bladelets, complemented by micro-points on bladelets, micro-truncations, and morphologically distinct non-geometric microliths of Mira type. Layer I lithic industry can be regarded as homogenous and containing no admixtures, though at the same time it is multi-component and finding parallels in local late MP (Micoquian, Szeletian) and early UP (Szeletian, Aurignacian, Gorodtsovskaya) records (Stepanchuk, 2005(Stepanchuk, , 2013. The occupation of layer II/2 provides about 200 knapped flints. ...
... The occupation of layer II/2 provides about 200 knapped flints. The morpho-technological features make it possible to consider the industry as a fully Upper Palaeolithic and, in the most preliminary terms, to classify it as an Early Gravettian industry (Stepanchuk, 2005(Stepanchuk, , 2013. ...
Situated in Dnieper valley, in the central part of continental Ukraine, the site of Mira yields two well-preserved Palaeolithic occupation levels, possessing features of true living floors. The uppermost layer I, presenting remains of autumn-winter seasonal occupation, is dated to between 32,000 and 31,000 cal BP. Layer I contains EUP assemblage combining the technological and morphological features of local Middle and Upper Palaeolithic. Layer I includes many various objects, like pits, postholes, hearths, bone and ashes accumulations etc. Remains of sub-circular surface-dwelling construction with an area of about 14.5 m² were recognised in the uppermost layer due to numerous postholes and specific characteristics of the living floor. Micro-stratigraphic and spatial features recognise two distinct construction elements, namely the external irregular spherical contour and the inscribed slightly asymmetrical rectangular contour. An entrance, associated with four ashy lenses of likely smoke hearths, was recognised oriented east-wards toward a current river channel. This outer, close to the entrance, zone of construction contains numerous flints, in particular, flint tools, thousands tiny debris and waste-flakes of tool resharpening and reshaping, as well as bone ornaments and ornamented bone pieces, and also a fragment of a human molar. On the contrary, the practically free lithics though containing plenty of burned organic material, the back part of the construction, likely separated from the outer zone by a special partition, was seemingly served as a sleeping zone. It is possible to conclude about the recovery of remains of permanent carcass surface cylindrical dwelling that found analogies in ethnographical records. Keeping in mind the age and geographical position, we deal with the earliest instance of complicate surface-dwelling construction currently known in the steppe area of the East European plain.
... These assemblages, individually, are claimed to have no direct analogies in the regional archaeological records of the Upper Palaeolithic (Palma di Cesnola, 2000;Stepanchuk et al., 2004). At the same time, they show striking similarities, particularly with respect to the very distinctive bladelets with blunted backs that are found at both locations (Stepanchuk, 2005(Stepanchuk, , 2013a. To date, the marginal backed PA24A1 type bladelets represent a distinct feature of the Italian UP, and are only identified at Paglicci cave. ...
... The closest East European UP analogies are seen in the Gorodtsovian assemblages, which are known for their archaic components (Stepanchuk et al., 1998;Anikovich et al., 2007Anikovich et al., , 2008Sinitsyn, 2010). The lowermost assemblage of the 2d horizon of layer II, which is completely UP in its technological and morphological characteristics, has no regional analogies (Stepanchuk et al., 2004;Stepanchuk, 2005Stepanchuk, , 2013a. Layer II horizon 1, which occupies an intermediate position, contains only a few small fragments of bones and flint artefacts that may have migrated down from layer I via bioturbation. ...
... The type of retouch depends on the thickness of the processed area. The assemblage contains artefacts that feature signs of the soft hammer knapping technique (Stepanchuk, 2005). ...
The aim of this paper is to present the evidence for, and to discuss the aspects of the striking similarities that have been identified between backed bladelets recovered in two geographically distant assemblages, one found in Southern Italy (Paglicci, layer 24 horizon A1) and the other in Eastern Europe (Mira, layer II horizon 2). Both assemblages are dated to around 29–28000 BP and are taxonomically defined as Early Upper Palaeolithic. Detailed comparison of technical and morphological data is impossible because the Eastern European site does not contain an assemblage that lends itself to statistical analysis.
The backed bladelets of type PA24A1, found in Paglicci, layer 24 horizon A1-0, and Mira, layer II horizon 2, have no direct analogies in chronologically close Aurignacian and Gravettian sites, in either Southern or Eastern Europe. Taking into account the similar chronological position of the sites, separated by a distance of ca. 2,500 km, it is concluded that the significant similarity of the backed bladelets is most likely explained not by the convergence of development or by trade, but by the direct migration of a group of modern humans who manufactured such specific microliths.
The Paglicci (24A 1) and Mira (II/2) industries generally belong to the Early Upper Palaeolithic, being placed chronologically at the transition between the EUP and MUP, being located morphologically and technologically between the Aurignacian and Gravettian. Despite the scarcity of data, the distinctiveness of the backed implements indicates that the sites belong to the same episode of sociocultural development. The issue of the cultural affiliation of the industry with PA24A1 type bladelets remains unanswered, and the search for analogies, either in Eastern or Southern Europe, needs to be continued.
... It is believed that the material and patterns iden tified to allow for the assertion that excavations be tween 1997 and 2013 have partially uncovered the peripheral and central parts of a relatively longterm seasonal occupation (Stepanchuk 2005;Ste panchuk et al. 2004;Hoffecker et al. 2014). ...
The purpose of this article is to present data on the surface structure identified in the upper layer of the Mira site in the Dnieper valley. The occupation of layer I, based on a set of consistent data, constitutes the remains of a seasonal winter camp of Pleistocene horse hunters. Ten available radiocarbon dates place the calibrated age of layer I between 31,000 to 28,000 cal BP. The rapid albeit gentle overlapping of the settlement remains with alluvial sediments ensured that the original settlement and dwelling patterns and their elements survived well. Thanks to this, it is possible to reconstruct some significant aspects of the construction process, as well as details of the arrangement of the dwelling’s interior space. A 30,000-year-old, permanent skeleton cylindrical yaranga type surface construction from Mira layer I is currently representing the oldest dwelling known in the Upper Palaeolithic of Ukraine and a broader context of the steppe zone of the East European plain. Keywords: Upper Palaeolithic, surface dwelling, Eastern Europe
... The carcass-processing areas at Kostenki 14 and 15 suggested that the killing of herds or mare bands might have been an important method of procurement with some analogue to the hunting of bison herds (which yield a similar taphonomic signal) on the North American Plains (e.g., Frison, 1991). At least one other EUP site on the central East European Plain contains evidence of a mare band kill (Stepanchuk, 2005a;Hoffecker et al., 2014) and two major EUP sites in Western Europe also yield evidence for hunting horses in groups, indicating that the pattern was widespread during the EUP (e.g., Olsen, 1989;Niven, 2007). ...
... Mira occupies the second terrace and former high floodplain of the Dnepr River roughly 15 km south of Zaporozhye. V. N. Stepanchuk (2005aStepanchuk ( , 2013) excavated a total of 70 m 2 of the site during 1997-2009 and undertook additional field research in 2012 (Hoffecker et al., 2014). The artifacts, features, and faunal remains at Mira are buried in fine sandy clay that represents a low-energy floodplain deposit; it exhibits traces of weak soil formation under cool climate conditions (Stepanchuk et al., 2013, pp. ...
The archaeological record of the early Upper Paleolithic on the central plain of Eastern Europe yields evidence for the repeated hunting of horses in small herds. Several major sites contain large bone beds that represent the butchered remains of a mare band. The bone beds are consistently associated with expedient tools, often made on local raw materials, that are typical of mass kill sites and carcass-processing areas in other settings (for example, North American Plains). Many of these sites may have been occupied by people related to the Aurignacian technocomplex, which otherwise is poorly represented on the central East European Plain, their industrial affiliation obscured by the profusion of expedient tools (often classified as Middle Paleolithic types) related to mass-processing of horse carcasses.
... The carcass-processing areas at Kostenki 14 and 15 suggested that the killing of herds or mare bands might have been an important method of procurement with some analogue to the hunting of bison herds (which yield a similar taphonomic signal) on the North American Plains (e.g., Frison, 1991). At least one other EUP site on the central East European Plain contains evidence of a mare band kill (Stepanchuk, 2005a;Hoffecker et al., 2014) and two major EUP sites in Western Europe also yield evidence for hunting horses in groups, indicating that the pattern was widespread during the EUP (e.g., Olsen, 1989;Niven, 2007). ...
... Mira occupies the second terrace and former high floodplain of the Dnepr River roughly 15 km south of Zaporozhye. V. N. Stepanchuk (2005aStepanchuk ( , 2013) excavated a total of 70 m 2 of the site during 1997-2009 and undertook additional field research in 2012 (Hoffecker et al., 2014). ...
... A. Brugère, unpub. notes; Stepanchuk, 2005a;Hoffecker et al., 2014, p. 74 Kostenki 14/Layer II 2083 19 adults = 14 juveniles = 5 (distal tibiae, distal radii) females predominate among adults (teeth) Vereshchagin and Kuz'mina, 1977, p. 107;Hoffecker et al., 2010Hoffecker et al., , p. 1078 Kostenki 15 1501 11 adults = 4 juveniles = 4 (calcanea) ...
The archaeological record of the early Upper Paleolithic on the central plain of Eastern Europe yields evidence for the repeated hunting of horses in small herds. Several major sites contain large bone beds that represent the butchered remains of a mare band. The bone beds are consistently associated with expedient tools, often made on local raw materials, that are typical of mass kill sites and carcass-processing areas in other settings (for example, North American Plains). Many of these sites may have been occupied by people related to the Aurignacian technocomplex, which otherwise is poorly represented on the central East European Plain, their industrial affiliation obscured by the profusion of expedient tools (often classified as Middle Paleolithic types) related to mass-processing of horse carcasses.
