From Bisserka Gaydarska <b_gaydarska@yahoo.co.uk>:linebreak==============linebreaklinebreakARWA – The International Association for Archaeological Research inlinebreaklinebreakWestern & Central Asia has the pleasure to invite you to the followinglinebreakAAA online lecture of the North Pontic region:linebreaklinebreakThe Late Upper Palaeolithic mammoth bone structures of Eastern Europe as ritualized middenslinebreakDr. Natasha Reynolds, University of Bordeaux, Francelinebreaklinebreak25th May 2023linebreak16.00 CET (Rome, Paris, Berlin / GMT+2)linebreak17.00 (İstanbul, Athens / GMT+3)linebreak10.00 (New York / GMT-4)linebreaklinebreakThe Late Upper Palaeolithic mammoth bone structures of western Russia and Ukraine are famous in archaeology as the supposed remains of massive dwelling constructions. However, recent Eastern European scholarship has turned against this interpretation, and instead suggests that the structures were predominantly ritual in nature. They are in fact very similar to ritualized middens known from many archaeological and anthropological contexts. Here, based particularly on work at the Russian site of Yudinovo, I outline what we know about the structures and argue against their traditional interpretation as dwellings. The ritualized midden interpretation adds to our understanding of the complexity of human-mammoth relationships during the Late Upper Palaeolithic. It also demonstrates the inadequacy of narrowly economic interpretations of the archaeological record.linebreaklinebreaklinebreaklinebreakTo participate in this online lecture please follow this Zoom link:linebreaklinebreakhttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/83617591529?pwd=MWl2Q0hWdmFITWp6cnBNU1dUU3dBdz09linebreaklinebreakMeeting ID 836 1759 1529linebreaklinebreakPasscode 455616linebreaklinebreakThe lecture will be recorded and posted on the ARWA dedicated channel a few days later:linebreaklinebreakhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCToebiQ52IVrZXGQEjtMJmA/playlistslinebreaklinebreak