Zooms analysis with the Aygirzhal-2 site materials (Naryn valley, Kyrgyzstan)

This study employs a zooarcheology by mass spectrometry (ZooMS) method, which is based on the analysis of the collagen peptide sequence and is used for species identification of animal remains. This analysis method has been widely used in archaeology due to good preservation of collagen protein, relatively simple sample preparation, and low cost. The most well-known discovery made using ZooMS is the identification of human bones through unidentified bones from the Denisova Cave. Moreover, ZooMS also shows efficiency of identification of raw materials for bone industry and bone jewelry and in the analysis of poorly preserved paleofaunal collections. This article discusses the results of the new ZooMS laboratory of the IAET SB RAS, which operates in cooperation with the Center for Mass Spectrometry Analysis of the IHBFM SB RAS. This method was used for the analysis of 16 unidentifiable bone fragments from the Aigyrzhal-2 site (Naryn, Kyrgyzstan) from the layers dating back to 13.8-13.4 ka. The analysis has shown good preservation of the samples. Further, using the peptide sequence, we could identify 14 sample remains, which belonged to the Capra and Ovis genera, with an accuracy to a genus. The obtained results are fully consistent with the fauna of the region and allow stating that hunting in the region was predominantly focused on large and medium-sized mammals. The conducted study generally shows its efficiency in the study of unidentifiable paleofaunal collections.