Archaeological survey in the basin of the upper reaches of the Anui river in 2020

The article presents the results of archaeological survey carried out in Soloneshensky District of Altai Krai in 2020. The survey was aimed atfinding new Paleolithic sites confined to rock shelters ofvarious types, such as caves, grottoes, and abri. Previously identified and well-studied sites indicate active human settlement in this area at different stages of the Paleolithic. The survey route ran along the sides of the valley in the upper reaches of the Anui River and its largest tributaries. Seven karst cavities were identified and examined. Archaeological and paleontological evidence was found in several of them. Late Upper Paleolithic stone artifacts were discovered in situ in the Pleistocene sediments of Elinovskaya cave. The fossil fauna was represented by bones of bear, cave hyena, mountain goat, and beaver. Holocene finds included fragments of undecorated pottery and human bones. Bronze plaques - belt plates of the Middle Ages or later period, as well as human bones possibly going back to the boundary between the Pleistocene and Holocene were found in Karaminskaya cave. Only faunal materials, including a bison tooth were found in the sediments of Tumanovskaya cave. Fragments of smooth pottery were discovered in one of Telezhikhinskaya caves. The Nizhniy and Verchniy Karaminskiy and Ust-Kazanda rock shelters did not contain loose sediments or any archaeological or paleontological evidence. Survey works in the basin of the upper reaches of the Anui River have demonstrated good prospects for discovering new archaeological sites in this area, including Paleolithic sites associated with rock shelters