According to palaeogeographic, stratigraphic and geochronologic data there were several cycles of settlement across the territory of the plain in Upper Palaeolith. The Sunghir site corresponds to the earliest of them (30000 - 22000 years ago). Some mildening of climate, lower activity of soil formation processes, stabilisation of the surface and landscapes in the conditions of permafrost was characteristic for that time. These facts allowed the man not only to exist at nearly 50° N.L., but also to travel far to the North. Results of such settlement are reflected both in the appearance of specific morphophysiologic complexes, promoting the adaptation to special ecological conditions, and in transformation of cultural experiences. Colonisation of new regions collides people with unusual hunting bag and widens the variety of edible plants. Those facts in their turn stimulate working out of new hunting methods and change the character of nutrition. The process of accommodation to new climate includes transformation of dwellings, clothes and other signs of cultural adaptation, connected by V.V.Bunak (1924) with the ergological factor of acclimatisation of the newly come population. The total of cultural adaptation signs forms the specificity of human behaviour and life style.
Morphological variability
Two morphological variants - high-stature and low-stature (or gracile) - are clearly distinguished in the European Upper Paleolithic. According to these features, the men from Grotte des Enfants 4, Barma Grande 5, Predmosti 3, Pavlov and Sunghir 1 can belong to the group of giant-high variants. European Cro-Magnon 2, Predmosti 9, Predmosti 14, Paviland, Levantian Ohalo 2, African Wadi Kubbaniya belong to the middle-high male group. Relatively low stature was demonsrated by males Predmosti 5, Neuessing, Arene Candide 12. Arene Candide 2, 3, 5 and Riparo Continenza belongs the most low-stature group.
We used the methods of standard statistical analysis to compare characteristics of the morphotype from Sunghir 1.
The examined sample of the Upper Paleolithic males was divided into two main clusters. The first cluster contains pair-group : Grotte des Enfants 4 - Barma Grande 2 and Predmosti 3 - Sunghir 1. The second cluster contains pairs Predmosti 9 - Cough's Cave; Predmosti 14 - Oberkassel 1 and Arene Candide 5 separated from them. The method of principal components confirmed the designated grouping. It outlined that the morphological type of Predmosti 3 is less differentiated then Cro-Magnons from Grimaldi on the one hand, and Sunghir 1, on the other. At the second stage of analysis we added the data of more ancient male hominids to the fossils from the Upper Paleolithic. The remains from earlier finds did not have the same level of preservation that is why we used the codification if the meanings on concrete measurement were absent. This fact can partly diminish the reliability of the obtained distribution. The clusterization revealed two large samples. The first consists of Grimaldi males, Predmosti 3 - Skhul 4, Skhul 5 - Kebara 2 and something apart - Sunghir 1. The second cluster includes Predmosti 9 - Shanidar 1, Predmosti 14 - Oberkassel 1, Cough's Cave - Neanderthal 1, Le Regourdou 1, Shanidar 4,5 and Arene Candide.
In the planes of the first and the second principal components (Fig.30.7) the dichotomous division on Grimaldi people and Predmosti 3- Sunghir 1 with the connecting point Skhul 4 is notable. The other Near Eastern hominids as from Skhul 5 and Kebara 2 are closer to the group, uniting Shanidar 1 and 3 with the European Neanderthals Le Regourdou, Neanderthal 1 together with the males from the Early Upper Paleolithic ( Predmosti 9, 14, Oberkassel 1).
Surviving strategy
The indicators of physiologic stress were analysed on three Sunghirian individuals. The results showed that these people had adequate reactions relatively to their life conditions. The quantity and the character of these indicators are known for the Upper Palaeolithic population. This circumstance allows us to consider Sunghirian population as typical representatives of Upper Palaeolithic.
Reconstruction of everyday activity showed that the comparison of the inner and the outer massiveness indexes of Sunghirians don't give synonymous results. According to the signs of the inner structure the adult individual is opposed to Sunghirian children. However, the development of the outer relief evidences relative similarity to the younger child Sunghir 3.
On one hand, these data can be regarded as the evidence of the existence of some specialisation in activity of the Sunghir site inhabitants. On the other hand, the analogies of physical complexes of individuals indicate the "universal" economic occupations of Sunghirians. Presence of gender differences in the group, when one or another type of activity is characteristic to men or women of Sunghir site is the important result of the study.
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Palaeozoologic analysis of the osteologic material from the Sunghir site revealed clear hunting specialisation - hunt for fur-bearing animals. Apparently, cold climate made it necessary to intensify this type of hunt to obtain materials for clothing. The reconstructed cloth makes it possible to see how adequate the fur was used and how ergologic the cloth was. Proceeding from the results of the biological indicators, it can be supposed that adult and subadult (preadolescent) males of the group participated in hunts. The Sunghirians' clothes ornamented with thousands of beads show how labour-consuming this work was. This type of locomotive activity is revealed in girl's skeleton. It allows us to suppose that the work was done by females. Besides this, carrying of the weights on the head was the work of the female part of the community also, because nor juvenile, neither man possessed this indicator.
Fire pits, tens of fireplaces, agglomerations of bones, the places of bone and flint processing show high human activity at the site. Nevertheless, the fact that only surface dwellings existed across the site can be considered as the evidence of its seasonal use. Placed on the surface or slightly deepened dwellings of Anosov-Mesin type with the socle of large mammoth bones or more complex constructions of Kostjonky-Avdeevo type reveals long usage duration, and consequently a settled life of the groups. Opposite to them, the Sunghir inhabitants were mobile, ready to move in one or another direction, following the needs of night's lodging, preys' processing and obtaining necessary tools. The fact is notable, that the settlement was located on height eminence, far from natural streams. Probably there were springs, serving as sources of drinking water. The tools with the traces of their usage in gathering were found at the site.
Apparently, the Sunghirian group utterly used the patterns of the landscape and was actively adapted to the climatic factors of the environment.
Self-consciousness and environment
M. V. Kozlovskaya:
The analysis of the ritual practice and the graphic activity can demonstrate the importance of the cults of fertility and abundance. Following the general account of the population dynamics from Lower to Upper Paleolithic, the growth of population was going on according to ancient biological tendency.
The cult of the sun is one of the most ancient religious practices. Researchers as solar symbols consider circles, circumferences, and disks - all these images.
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Application of red colour is also related with sun and renewal of life. From a practical point of view all the cults connected with the sun and other heavenly bodies assist for better human orientation in space and for development of the idea of time phenomenon. Migrations in Upper Paleolithic were very intensive. Opening up of vast territories during a very short period is the evidence of a completely different attitude towards space. Probably ancient cults could be the basis for such expansion.
The rapid blossoming of the art at the Upper Palaeolithic societies points to mentality shift. We can try reconstruct most ancient human mentality construction with the funeral ritual description help. According mythological, psychological, neurophysiological researches the binary opposition is the most basic mechanism of human thinking. Universal ancient binary opposition can be considered as basic coordinates of Upper Paleolithic human mentality and the image of world. The description of the Sunghir funeral ritual could show the presence of the main binary oppositions: top-bottom; left-right; mail-female. It is possible that bodies location in the grave is defined by sun summer and winter solstice
M.B. Mednikova:
Rich finds of the Sunghir burials and complexity of the funeral rituals give many reasons to study this unique material and to discuss the attitude of Upper Paleolithic people to their dead, and to death. Concrete examples of special treatment of dead bodies were observed long before the end of the Stone Age is of particular interest.
A German scientist G. Ullrich worked on the anthropological approach of the burials. It was based on a study of the aspects of selectivity of skeleton representation, disturbance of the integrity of separate bone fragments and reconstruction of the degree of biological consanguinity of the buried. Paleolithic bone material can be divided in two categories: isolated bone fragments and complete skeletons. Both categories are present at Sunghir site. On the one hand, there are a femoral bone from Sunghir 4, a skull from Sunghir 5, and a mandible, probably related to it.
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On the other hand, whole skeletons were founded in Sunghir 1, 2, 3. This makes it necessary to revise patterns of conditions of Sunghir skeletons on the European scale.
Among the isolated finds of the Upper Paleolithic the first place belongs to mandible, the second - to skull vault, the third - to teeth and the forth - to femoral bone. The same parts of the skeleton, that were founded at Sunghir site, were isolated, but in obvious semantic connection with whole skeletons - the burials of second category.
A whole skeleton is an extremely rare find in the European Stone Age. The frequent value is only 6,1% in the Middle Paleolithic and 15,9% in the Upper Paleolithic. One can suppose, that only respected person or member of elite class were buried carefully (Ullrich, 1995). The exclusive richness and good preservation of the human skeletons in Sunghir burials 1 and 2 can support this thesis.
A.P. Buzhilova:
Despite the impressive amount of discovered Upper Paleolithic human bone remains (more than 500), only 16% of them can be treated as valuable (full-fledged), due to their anatomical preservation (Ulrich, 1995). One can notice the complexity of funeral rituals with use of animal bones, supplementing assemblage, lots of decoration (adornment) and/or talismans. The uncommon postures of the buried are also notable. Among such interments the double and triple burials were distinguished with undoubtedly high-developed rituals. The most famous are the twin burial in Grimaldi, Italy and Sunghir twin burial in Russia., triple burials in Barma Grande (Grimaldi, Italy) and in Dolni Vestonice (Moravia).
Close consanguinity of the buried is the last similarity, uniting the western and eastern double burials. Taking into consideration that the sites were apparently inhabited by the groups of kindred individuals, the integument of the close relatives in one grave looks intentional. As well as the previous sign, this coincidence can be explained by deliberateness of burial, connected with definite ritual.
So, the preadolescent individuals were presented without fail in double and triple burials from the Western and Eastern Europe. All buried are close relatives. The individuals of both sexes are represented in the burials. In triple burials two males accompany one female. Apparently, the buried are dressed in ritual clothing, embroidered with shells and animal teeth. Buried men and women have a large amount of amulet-adornment and weapons. Ochre is presented in all burials in different forms.
Apparently, these burials are not common, but they probably connected with a certain ritual. As we have many arguments to support the idea that young relatives were buried together intentionally, it is difficult to imagine that they can die at the same time be the fatal accident. Most likely, the reason of the death was the ritual. Therefore, these rich burials can be treated as a form of sacrifice. It is known from the world ritual practice, that individual with special, socially important traits and merits were usually chosen for sacrifices.
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