Systematic Baikal seal hunting and exploitation at a single site since the Neolithic

Lake Baikal’s strictly seasonal, mostly frozen basin features prominently in the social structures of Siberian indigenous communities, which consider it sacred. The lake’s complex occupation history, mainly from its western shore (Cis-Baikal), has been shaped by changing human-animal-environment interaction dynamics, including relation with the world’s only freshwater pinniped species, Pusa sibirica. However, the timing and nature of these processes elsewhere on the basin (Trans-Baikal) remain poorly understood. Taphonomic, palaeontological, zooarchaeological and archaeological (pottery, metal, conifer charcoals) evidence from the Tonkij Ushkany (Dead-seal) island reveals the earliest known recurring close-range hunting of mature seals within haul-outs, with frequent pathologies, burning marks and cutmarks, even on the smallest bone elements, suggesting comprehensive morphological knowledge and carcass exploitation, dating back to ca. 5,100ya. Dentine annuli (isotopically analysed) and epiphyseal fusion suggest a winter and summer slaughter, in contrast to Cis-Baikal patterns. Additionally, our findings highlight the importance of dogs in Neolithic hunting strategies, and document the sporadic exploitation of bear, deer, horse, duck and cattle in Iron Age and later periods. A deep understanding of animal ecology, culture, and spiritual connections have formed local ethnic-changing communities, seals, and Lake Baikal.