Studies of the Kozya New Altai Middle Palaeolithic Cave Site in Field Season 2021

Studies of a new Middle Paleolithic site in Altai, the Kozya Cave, had been conducted by the team of researchers from IAET SB RAS in 2021. The site was discovered in the course of archaeological survey in 2020. The cave is located in the northwestern Altai, in the Charyshski District of Altai Region. The excavation trench of 3 m2 revealed four stratigraphic units, three of which were attributed to the Pleistocene. Archaeological material was found in layers 2-3.2. Layer 2 contained a truncated-faceted tool. The assemblage of layer 3 consists of 8 artifacts, half of which have been defined as tools. The cultural marker is a fragment of the Levallois point from layer 3.1 with convergent scars on the dorsal surface and a convex faceted striking platform. The zooarchaeological analysis of the paleofaunal collection from layers 3.1 and 3.2 showed that the accumulation of faunal remains in the cave resulted mainly from activity of predators periodically using it as a den. At the same time, finds of bones with traces of premeditated splitting indicate that ancient people also visited the Kozya (Goat) Cave and participated in the accumulation of bone remains. Analysis of the faunal collection of small mammals showed that the deposition took place in open spaces. The inhabitants of taiga and shrub biotopes are few in the fossil fauna. The data of2021 field season allowed us to clarify the age of the cave deposits formation. The morphology of lithic artifacts and the faunal material as well as the infinite date of layer 3.2 (>55000 (GV3067)) suggest attribution of the archaeological complex of Kozya layer 3 to the Middle Paleolithic. The culture marking artifacts tentatively indicates that this complex belongs to the Denisova trend of the Altai Middle Paleolithic.