Mezmaiskaya cave
Encyclopedia
Mezmaiskaya Cave is a cave
at 44° 10' N 40° 00' E overlooking the right bank of the Sukhoi Kurdzhips (a small tributary of the Kurdzhips River) in the southern Russian Republic of Adygea, located in the northwestern foothills of the Caucasus Mountains
. Preliminary excavations recovered Mousterian
artefacts, dated to about 35,000 B.P.
and older, in the middle of the last glacial period. However, a rib fragment from the partial skeleton of a Neanderthal
infant found in the cave was radiocarbon-dated to 29,195 ± 965 B.P., and therefore belonging to the latest lived Neanderthals. The value obtained from the bone itself rather than from associated material gives the most reliable date for this individual. Ancient DNA
was recovered for a mtDNA sequence showing 3.48% divergence from that of the Feldhofer Neanderthal
, some 2,500 km to the west in Germany. Phylogenetic analysis places the two in a clade
distinct from modern humans, suggesting that their mtDNA types have not contributed to the modern human mtDNA pool.
Fauna
l remains show a very low degree of weathering
, with many bones having traces of stone tool
cuts and carnivore modification. The most common large mammal
s are Steppe bison
(Bison priscus), Caucasian goat (Capra caucasica), and Asiatic mouflon
(Ovis orientalis). Reindeer
(Rangifer tarandus) remains were encountered for the first time in the Caucasus. Although most of the smaller vertebrate remains appear to have been accumulated by nonhuman processes (for example, owl
predation
), the majority of the ungulate
remains probably represent animals hunted by the Mousterian era occupants of the cave.
Evidenced recovered from the cave suggests that a Campanian ignimbrite
volcanic super-eruption
around 40,000 years ago may have been a setback for the Neanderthal, with an as yet only postulated eruption contributing to their demise about 29,000 years ago.
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
at 44° 10' N 40° 00' E overlooking the right bank of the Sukhoi Kurdzhips (a small tributary of the Kurdzhips River) in the southern Russian Republic of Adygea, located in the northwestern foothills of the Caucasus Mountains
Caucasus Mountains
The Caucasus Mountains is a mountain system in Eurasia between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea in the Caucasus region .The Caucasus Mountains includes:* the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range and* the Lesser Caucasus Mountains....
. Preliminary excavations recovered Mousterian
Mousterian
Mousterian is a name given by archaeologists to a style of predominantly flint tools associated primarily with Homo neanderthalensis and dating to the Middle Paleolithic, the middle part of the Old Stone Age.-Naming:...
artefacts, dated to about 35,000 B.P.
Before Present
Before Present years is a time scale used in archaeology, geology, and other scientific disciplines to specify when events in the past occurred. Because the "present" time changes, standard practice is to use AD 1950 as the origin of the age scale, reflecting the fact that radiocarbon...
and older, in the middle of the last glacial period. However, a rib fragment from the partial skeleton of a Neanderthal
Neanderthal
The Neanderthal is an extinct member of the Homo genus known from Pleistocene specimens found in Europe and parts of western and central Asia...
infant found in the cave was radiocarbon-dated to 29,195 ± 965 B.P., and therefore belonging to the latest lived Neanderthals. The value obtained from the bone itself rather than from associated material gives the most reliable date for this individual. Ancient DNA
Ancient DNA
Ancient DNA is DNA isolated from ancient specimens. It can be also loosely described as any DNA recovered from biological samples that have not been preserved specifically for later DNA analyses...
was recovered for a mtDNA sequence showing 3.48% divergence from that of the Feldhofer Neanderthal
Kleine Feldhofer Grotte
Kleine Feldhofer Grotte was a cave, a paleoanthropologic site in the Neandertal Valley in northern Germany. In 1856, 60 Neanderthal specimens were unearthed from the cave...
, some 2,500 km to the west in Germany. Phylogenetic analysis places the two in a clade
Clade
A clade is a group consisting of a species and all its descendants. In the terms of biological systematics, a clade is a single "branch" on the "tree of life". The idea that such a "natural group" of organisms should be grouped together and given a taxonomic name is central to biological...
distinct from modern humans, suggesting that their mtDNA types have not contributed to the modern human mtDNA pool.
Fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
l remains show a very low degree of weathering
Weathering
Weathering is the breaking down of rocks, soils and minerals as well as artificial materials through contact with the Earth's atmosphere, biota and waters...
, with many bones having traces of stone tool
Stone tool
A stone tool is, in the most general sense, any tool made either partially or entirely out of stone. Although stone tool-dependent societies and cultures still exist today, most stone tools are associated with prehistoric, particularly Stone Age cultures that have become extinct...
cuts and carnivore modification. The most common large mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s are Steppe bison
Steppe Wisent
The Steppe Bison or steppe wisent was a bison found on steppes throughout Europe, Central Asia, Beringia, and North America during the Quaternary...
(Bison priscus), Caucasian goat (Capra caucasica), and Asiatic mouflon
Mouflon
The mouflon is a subspecies group of the wild sheep Ovis aries. Populations of Ovis aries can be partitioned into the mouflons and urials or arkars...
(Ovis orientalis). Reindeer
Reindeer
The reindeer , also known as the caribou in North America, is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic, including both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous, some of its subspecies are rare and one has already gone extinct.Reindeer vary considerably in color and size...
(Rangifer tarandus) remains were encountered for the first time in the Caucasus. Although most of the smaller vertebrate remains appear to have been accumulated by nonhuman processes (for example, owl
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
predation
Predation
In ecology, predation describes a biological interaction where a predator feeds on its prey . Predators may or may not kill their prey prior to feeding on them, but the act of predation always results in the death of its prey and the eventual absorption of the prey's tissue through consumption...
), the majority of the ungulate
Ungulate
Ungulates are several groups of mammals, most of which use the tips of their toes, usually hoofed, to sustain their whole body weight while moving. They make up several orders of mammals, of which six to eight survive...
remains probably represent animals hunted by the Mousterian era occupants of the cave.
Evidenced recovered from the cave suggests that a Campanian ignimbrite
Ignimbrite
An ignimbrite is the deposit of a pyroclastic density current, or pyroclastic flow, a hot suspension of particles and gases that flows rapidly from a volcano, driven by a greater density than the surrounding atmosphere....
volcanic super-eruption
Supervolcano
A supervolcano is a volcano capable of producing a volcanic eruption with an ejecta volume greater than 1,000 cubic kilometers . This is thousands of times larger than most historic volcanic eruptions. Supervolcanoes can occur when magma in the Earth rises into the crust from a hotspot but is...
around 40,000 years ago may have been a setback for the Neanderthal, with an as yet only postulated eruption contributing to their demise about 29,000 years ago.