Archaeological research at the Upper Paleolithic site of Sidorikha in the Middle Yenisei region

This article presents the results offield work at the Upper Paleolithic site of Sidorikha (Krasnoyarsk Reservoir), discovered in 2020. A small but typologically significant assemblage was collected from the shore. Artifacts have been found in situ in two test pits. AMS dating gave the age of the assemblage between 14,222 and 14,624 cal. BP (GV-03072). The typology of artifacts discovered on the surface and in stratified assemblages has made it possible to attribute them to a single assemblage belonging to the Kokorevo archaeological culture which existed in the Missle Yenisei region in the Final Paleolithic. The main objectives of research in 2023 were to obtain new data on the stratified part of the site and determine perspectives for further research. During the works in 2023, surface finds were collected, and a 5 sq. m test pit was made, revealing an undisturbed section of the cultural layer which contained remains of a short-term fire pit with lithic and bone artifacts around. The lithic assemblage included microscrapers, end-scraper, chisel-like tools, and a fragment of the basal part of a point made of antler. Faunal remains belonged to reindeer and birds. Functionally, the excavated area represents the remains of a short-term site around a fire pit. Reindeer were consumed there and hunting equipment was repaired. The stratified part of the assemblage did not have distinctive features sufficient for its unambiguous cultural attribution. However, typology of the surface assemblage obtained during the works of2023 and previous years indicates that it belonged to the Kokorevo archaeological culture.