Кротова О. The Upper Palaeolithic Hunters of the Northern Black Sea Steppes

The thesis is devoted to the reconstruction of social and economic structure of societies of hunters of the Northern Black Sea steppes as multicomponent adaptive system. The archaeological and paleontological materials of about 40 of the Upper Palaeolithic sites of the Northern Black Sea steppes was analyzed. The history of research of the Upper Palaeolithic in the region is summarized. The data from the Pleistocene environments according to main East European geochronology charts is cited. The composition and features of resources – objects of hunting is determined. Classification of the sites of steppe zone is proposed. There are three types of sites: 1) relatively large long-term (seasonal) base camps; 2) small short-term base camps; 3) locations of the having a special purpose setting (kill-sites and/or places of butchering activities, workshops of flint, and others like that). If the first type of sites (base camp) and most of the different locations, mainly, characteristic for life-style with logistic mobility, then the second type – for resident mobility. The reconstructions of hunter’s adaptation systems to specifics of the environment of the Late Pleistocene on different stages of the Upper Palaeolithic, and peculiar to them of cultural-technological traditions, their time of origin, existence/coexistence and interferences which explain some features of ancient history of steppe region and Eastern Europe, are presented.