Pages: 239-250 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.55086/sp261239250
Identifying agents of bone accumulation in caves is often complicated by intense activity of carnivores. A methodology based on studying the density of finds and testing correlation between bones and lithic artifacts was applied to the Pleistocene layers of the Main Chamber in Tsagaan Agui Cave. Principal component analysis was performed to reduce data dimensionality, and its results were grouped using clustering. As a result, a group of layers (3, 4, 5.3, and 6) with the most significant human contribution to bone accumulation was identified. Here, bones and lithics form joint concentrations of comparable size, and correlations within types exist. Layer 7 has intermediate characteristics, with denser clusters of lithics and isolated bones that do not correlate with them. Evidence of raptorial bird nests functioning in the cave ceiling is observed in Layer 5.1 as a concentration of small mammal bones. Layer 2.2, where bone accumulation is primarily associated with hyenas, is the most distinct from the others: its only concentration is of bones, has high density, covers a significant area, and has an irregular shape. Thus, the densest bone accumulations in the cave are associated with animals, while traces of human activity are not characterized by high concentrations, which seems to have been due to the short-term nature of occupation episodes. The main indicators of anthropogenic accumulations are spatial correlation between bones and artifacts and presence of several concentration areas of finds.
Keywords: Mongolia, Gobi Altai, Middle Pleistocene, Late Pleistocene, spatial statistics, correlation, principal component analysis, cluster analysis
Information about authors:
Daria Marchenko (Novosibirsk, Russian Federation). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Akademik Lavrentiev Ave., 17, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]
ORCID: 0000-0003-3021-0749
Arina Khatsenovich (Novosibirsk, Russian Federation). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Akademik Lavrentiev Ave., 17, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]
ORCID: 0000-0002-8093-5716
Alexey Klementiev (Novosibirsk, Russian Federation). Candidate of Geographical Sciences. Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Akademik Lavrentiev Ave., 17, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]
ORCID: 0000-0002-2129-7072
Evgeny Rybin (Novosibirsk, Russian Federation). Doctor of Historical Sciences. Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Akademik Lavrentiev Ave., 17, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]
ORCID: 0000-0001-7434-2757
Dashzeveg Bazargur (Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Institute of Archaeology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences. Zhukov St., 77, Ulaanbaatar, 13343, Mongolia
E-mail: [email protected]
ORCID: 0009-0007-8450-9902
Yadmaa Tserendagva (Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia). Candidate of Historical Sciences. Institute of Archaeology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences. Zhukov St., 77, Ulaanbaatar, 13343, Mongolia
E-mail: [email protected]
ORCID: 0000-0002-8937-6447