The extinction of the woolly mammoth and the archaeological record in Northeastern Asia
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3919230 |
|---|---|
| Authors | V Pitulko (0000-0001-5672-2756, Institute of History of Material Culture, corresponding author), V V Pitulko, Pavel A Nikolskiy (0000-0001-6547-9890, Geological Institute) |
| Year | 2012 |
| Volume | 44 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 21-42 |
| Publication date | 2012-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | World Archaeology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0043-8243 • E-ISSN: 1470-1375 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00438243.2012.647574 |
| OpenAlex | W2067136264 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 20 |
| References cited | 33 |
The extinction of the woolly mammoth has attracted public and scientific attention for nearly 200 years. Despite the efforts of generations of scholars, the role of human predation in mammoth extinction is one of the most intriguing questions that remain unanswered. Chronological and spatial distribution patterns suggest that mammoth extinction occurred primarily as a result of climate change. Human predation may have accelerated the process of extinction during the final stages of mammoth migration to northern Siberian refugia. We do not explore the human contribution to the extinction process, but instead note its consequences, especially archaeologically visible cultural changes and a major technological shift that took place in Late Pleistocene Northeastern Asia. There appears to be a correlation between the spread of microblade technology and the timing of the extinction of mammoths in the region. We conclude that the disappearance of a valuable raw material (ivory), environmental change and changes in the availability of hunted animals caused the technological innovation of microblade technology. Keywords: PleistoceneAsiaextinctionmammothsancient humansUpper PaleolithicSiberiamammoth ivory Acknowledgements This work resulted from the studies conducted by the authors under the Zhokhov-Yana project, a long-term Russian-US effort operated by the Rock Foundation, New York, since 2000, and led by Vladimir Pitulko. As a part of the Fundamental Research Program run by the Russian Academy of Sciences, it is supported by the Russian Academy through the Cultural Heritage project. The authors are thankful to Pavel Ivanov (photography), Alla Mashezerskaya (graphic drawings) and Veronika Stegantseva (image processing), as well as to three anonymous reviewers whose comments improved the manuscript
Archaeology · Extinction (optical mineralogy · Geography · Mammoth · Geology · History · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies · Paleontology · Paleopathology and ancient diseases · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology
The population history of northeastern Siberia since the Pleistocene
The mammoth cycle. Hunting with ivory spear-points in the Gravettian site of Pavlov I (Czech Republic)
The material and mental effects of animal disappearance on indigenous hunter-gatherers, past and present
Critical information for the study of ecodynamics and socio-natural systems
Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene climate changes and human habitation in the arctic Western Beringia based on revision of palaeobotanical data
Testing the perspectives for discovery of the Paleolithic sites in the northern portion of the Ob river valley
The Berelekh Mammoth “Graveyard”
Megabeasts under the microscope
The Last Glacial Maximum Microblades from Kashiwadai 1 in Hokkaido, Japan
Proboscidean isotopic compositions provide insight into ancient humans and their environments
Ecological Constraints and Drivers for Human Dispersals and Adaptations in the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene Environments of the East Siberian Arctic
From flint to quartz
Mass accumulations of mammoth (mammoth ‘graveyards’) with indications of past human activity in the northern Yana-Indighirka lowland, Arctic Siberia
Evidence from the Yana Palaeolithic site, Arctic Siberia, yields clues to the riddle of mammoth hunting
Neanderthal and Woolly Mammoth Molecular Resemblance
Spatiotemporal patterns of existence and extinction for woolly mammoth in Siberia in the last 50,000 years
Late Pleistocene to Early Holocene Paleoclimatic Boundaries and Human Settlement of the East Siberian Arctic
Mammoth ivory technologies in the Upper Palaeolithic
Climate change and the deteriorating archaeological and environmental archives of the Arctic
Shamanic Ritual and Ancient Circumpolar Migrations
Collection of radiocarbon dates on the mammoths ( Mammuthus Primigenius ) and other genera of Wrangel Island, northeast Siberia, Russia
Hydrological and Climatic Changes in Deserts of China since the Late Pleistocene
Assessing the Causes of Late Pleistocene Extinctions on the Continents
Pre-Clovis Mastodon Hunting 13,800 Years Ago at the Manis Site, Washington
The Archaeology of Ushki Lake, Kamchatka, and the Pleistocene Peopling of the Americas
The Yana RHS Site
Fuel Management (Bone and Wood) During the Lower Aurignacian in the Pataud Rock Shelter (Lower Palaeolithic, Les Eyzies de Tayac, Dordogne, France). Contribution of Experimentation
Modern Human Colonization of the Siberian Mammoth Steppe
The Berelekh quest
Human ecological niches and ranges during the LGM in Europe derived from an application of eco-cultural niche modeling
Prelude to the extinction
Wooly mammoth mass accumulation next to the Paleolithic Yana RHS site, Arctic Siberia
The extinction of woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) and straight-tusked elephant (Palaeoloxodon antiquus) in Europe
Burning wood or burning bone? A reconsideration of flotation evidence from Upper Palaeolithic (Gravettian) sites in the Moravian Corridor
Radiocarbon Chronologies and Extinction Dynamics of the Late Quaternary Mammalian Megafauna of the Taimyr Peninsula, Russian Federation
Investigating links between ecology and bifacial tool types in Western Europe during the Last Glacial Maximum
Mammoth landscapes
New dates from Ushki-1, Kamchatka, confirm 13,000 cal BP age for earliest Paleolithic occupation
Lugovskoe
The "Microblade Adaptation" and Recolonization of Siberia during the Late Upper Pleistocene
An Arrow-Caused Lesion in a Late Upper Palaeolithic Human Pelvis
| Unique citing works | 20 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,54 |
| Citation span | 2013 - 2026 (14) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 20 |