Not one but two mammoth hunting strategies in the Gravettian of the Pavlov Hills area (southern Moravia)

In southern Moravia (Czech Republic), the Gravettian groups based part of their economic system on mammoth exploitation between 29 and 24,000 uncal. BP. The origin of mammoth bone accumulations at several sites of this area has been debated since the discovery of Předmosti in the middle of the 19th century. Study of the Milovice faunal remains demonstrated that hunting was the main, if not the only, procurement pattern. Considering the published data from Pavlov I (Moravia) and the reconstructed age profiles based on mammoth teeth, we suggest the proboscidean was hunted at that site. More unexpectedly, two hunting strategies have been identified in the Pavlov Hills area: one affecting subadults and adults, and the second one affecting young and subadult individuals. Chronology and the physical condition of the mammoth population are not convincing arguments to explain such a difference. Human behaviour was involved, and we suggest economic goals related to mammoth resources were the reasons for such a hunting selection. Nevertheless, it is unclear whether season or human group identity could have produced this behaviour.