Early upper Paleolithic ivory bracelet from Denisova cave

In 2017, a bracelet made of mammoth ivory, the first artifact of such kind found in the Altai, was found in layer 11 in the South Chamber of Denisova Cave. Main stages in bracelet manufacturing have been reconstructed, such as blank production based on longitudinal flaking or knapping of moistened ivory; shaving with a stone tool and bending the moistened blank for giving the needed shape to the artifact. Technological analysis of the bracelet substantially complements the knowledge about the techniques of processing mammoth ivory, which were used in Southern Siberia in the Early Upper Paleolithic. The comparison of this adornment with similar finds from other sites makes it possible to consider the bracelet from layer 11 in Denisova Cave as the earliest artifact of that kind in Northern Eurasia.