Between East and West. Social Networks and Environmental Conditions before, during and after the Last Glacial Maximum in Volhynia (Western Ukraine)
Final Report Abstract
In our project, we could demonstrate that the settlement history of Volhynia is much more punctuated than previously thought. In particular, there is a hiatus between roughly 30 and 20 ka cal BP, coinciding with the climatic deterioration towards and the unfavourable conditions during the Last Glacial maximum (LGM). Shortly after the LGM at 19 ka cal BP, however, the region was reoccupied, which is attested by the site of Barmaky. Already then, a farflung network spanning at least 500 km between Volhynian and the Desna region in northeastern Ukraine is attested, visible in the striking similarities in the material culture between Barmaky and Mizyn. With the site of Myrohoshcha I, we could document a stratigraphic sequence at an open-air site that comprises 10 archaeological horizons, almost all of which contained datable charcoal remains and showed a good faunal preservation. Geochemical analyses of lithic raw materials showed a great potential for increasing the resolution of raw material sourcing, thereby providing important information about movements of huntergatherers and temporal dynamics of social networks. The most surprising result of the project was the fact that the re-analysis of already excavated materials showed that – in contrast to previously published information – no LGM sites are present in the region and instead there is a likely settlement hiatus of about 10,000 years. At the site of Barmaky, it turned out that a formerly reported pit-dwelling could not be corroborated. Instead, the reported feature originated from a permafrost depression, which could be observed over several meters. However, two nearby pit structures and a fireplace could be identified, which might have belonged to a light dwelling structure at the site.
Publications
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BARMAKY SITE IN THE CONTEXT OF EPIGRAVETTIAN OF THE MIDDLE DNIEPER BASIN. Archaeology and Early History of Ukraine, 37(4), 107-125.
Chabai, V. P.; Stupak, D. V.; Veselsky, A. P. & Dudnyk, D. V.
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On the Technological and Typological Integrity of Assemblages From North-Western Ukraine Between 35 and 30 kyr cal BP. Archaeology(3), 8-23.
Maier, Andreas; Stupak, Dmytro; Vasyliev, Pavlo; Khoptynets, Ivan & Tkach, Vitalii
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The archaeological surveys of Palaeolithic sites in Rivne, Dubne and Zdolbuniv regions. In: Boltryk, editor. Archaeological researches in Ukraine, 2019. Kyiv: Institute of Archaeology, p. 243-248.
Vasyliev, P., Khoptynets, I. & Tkach, V.
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The Cultural and Chronological Variability of the Epigravettian of the Middle Dnieper Basin. Archaeology, 2, 5-31.
Chabai, Viktor; Stupak, Dmytro; Veselskyi, Andrii & Dudnyk, Diana
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On the present habitats and ecology of Vertigo pseudosubstriata Ložek, 1954 (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Vertiginidea) in Central Asia and its distribution history in Central and Eastern Europe. Journal of Quaternary Science, 36(6), 1090-1100.
Meng, Stefan; Vasyliev, Pavlo; Khoptynets, Ivan; Tkach, Vitalii & Maier, Andreas
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THE BARMAKY, LEVEL 2 EPIGRAVETTIAN ASSEMBLAGE: THE CORE REDUCTION STRATEGIES. Archaeology and Early History of Ukraine, 45(4), 33-57.
Chabai, V. P. & Dudnyk, D. V.
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The field investigations of the Upper Paleolithic site Barmaky in Rivne. In: Boltryk, editor. Archaeological researches in Ukraine, 2020. Kyiv: Institute of Archaeology, p. 273-278
Chabai, V., Dudnyk, D., Stupak, D. & Veselsky, A.
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Where the Grass is Greener — Large-Scale Phenological Patterns and Their Explanatory Potential for the Distribution of Paleolithic Hunter-Gatherers in Europe. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, 31(3), 918-945.
Maier, Andreas; Tharandt, Louise; Linsel, Florian; Krakov, Vladislav & Ludwig, Patrick
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Investigations at the Epigravettian site of Barmaky in Volhynia, north-west Ukraine: analyses and taxonomic reflections. Quartär 69: 105-144.
Chabai, V., Dudnyk, D., Pasda, K., Brandl, M. & Maier, A.
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Supplement to: Investigations at the Epigravettian site of Barmaky in Volhynia, north-west Ukraine: analyses and taxonomic reflections.
Chabai, V., Dudnyk, D., Pasda, K., Brandl, M. & Maier, A.
