Chagyrskaya cave middle paleolithic complexes studies in the 2021 field season

The article presents the results of field studies of the Chagyrskaya Cave, a key site of the Sibiryachikha facies of the Altai Middle Paleolithic in 2021. In the 2021 field season, the main objectives of the work were to study the site stratigraphy, determine the contribution of predators and humans to the taphocenoses of osteological remains, and techno-typological analysis of archaeological materials from the Middle Paleolithic complexes of the cave. Geological studies have shown that the stratigraphic sequences contain seven major subdivisions of the Holocene and Pleistocene periods. In the course of the excavations, a specific section of layer 6c/2 was determined; its non-disturbed position was supported by the stratigraphic and micromorphological data. The complex of the Neanderthal material culture in layer 6c/2 represents the remains of the Neanderthal base camp for hunting prey consumption. On the other hand, layer 6a was formed as a result of colluvial processes; the artifacts and paleontological remains from layer 6c/2 were redeposited in the overlying stratigraphic unit. Functionally, this layer is defined as a den of hyenas, which used the cave for cub breeding. This conclusion is supported by the shares of bones with traces of acid corrosion determined for the complexes of layers 6a and 6c/2 in 2021. In the course of fieldwork new retouchers were found supplementing the collection of bone artifacts of the Chagyrskaya cave. The discovery of an anthropological fossil indicates the prospect of continuing archaeological studies at the site.