Discovery of Mammuthus cf. intermedius Jourdan, 1861 Skeleton, from Singil Deposits near the Lenino Village (Lower Volga, Russian Federation) and its Paleontological and Archaeological Signifi cance

The find of an incomplete skeleton of the mammoth Mammuthus cf. intermedius near the Lenino village (Yenotayevka district, Astrakhan region) is described. The bones occurred in the layer of continental sandy deposits of the Singil regression (end of the Middle Neopleistocene). The skeletal remains belong to a female with an individual age of 35—40 years. This find allows us to clarify the species diversity of elephants that inhabited the Lower Volga area during the relatively cool phase of the Khazar faunal complex existence. Some bones bear what appears to be traces of ancient human activity including traces of hunting. Traceological analysis of one of the bones makes it possible to suggest the anthropogenic nature and ancient origin of these traces. The available evidence may be taken as an indication that the first humans appeared in the territory of modern Astrakhan Region at least at the end of the Middle or beginning of the Late Neopleistocene (MIS 6 — MIS 5). Previously, it was thaught that humans appeared in this territory only 12—14 thousand years ago.