Biśnik Cave and its biostratigraphical position based on equid remains

Excavations in Biśnik Cave have revealed a more or less complete depositional sequence covering the period of MIS 8 to the Holocene. Nearly all layers have produced faunal remains, contributing important information on a fauna of a period which is under-represented in Eastern European Pleistocene collections. Since this region acted as a hinge between the steppe environments of Russia and Central Asia and the oceanic regions of Western Europe, as well as providing refugium areas, research on the site presents an important advance in our knowledge of the late Middle Pleistocene and early Late Pleistocene in this area. Caballoid horse remains present an important source of information on the biostratigraphical position of sites dating from this period, as well as furnishing information on climatic conditions and biogeography based on morphological characteristics. Horse remains from Biśnik Cave are here analysed against a background of other late Middle and Late Pleistocene samples. Remains from all layers in the cave can be attributed to Equus ferus. A gradual morphological change is documented in the sedimentary sequence. Large, robust and somewhat primitive specimens were recovered from the interglacial and interstadial lower deposits, indicating a highly productive but relatively open environment. Their morphology could indicate links with Central Asian populations. The upper sedimentary layers witness a size decrease, while the horses remained robust in the glacial and increasingly marginal environments of the Last Glacial.