Les occupations gravettiennes de Buran-Kaya III (Crimée) : contexte archéologique

Buran-Kaya III (Crimea, Ukraine) is a unique site, with a stratigraphy from Middle to Final Palaeolithic. The Gravettian layers 5-2, 6-1 and 6-2 of this site yielded numerous lithic and bone industries, ornaments from marine and freshwater shells, mammal teeth and mammoth ivory, human fossils and abundant faunal remains. Аccording to the stylistic indications of the lithic and bone inventories, the settlements of layers 5-2, 6-1 and 6-2 of Buran-Kaya III represent local variants of the Gravettian in Crimea and in mainland Ukraine and, therefore, the existence of separately social communities. Conversely, ornament objects and human remains (with specific mortuary practices) of Buran-Kaya III may suggest extensive social contacts of its Gravettian inhabitants with other human populations from mainland Ukraine. These hypotheses make necessary future investigations about the social organisation of the Epigravettian societies in Eastern Europe.