History of studying Kazakhstan stone age

Purpose. The history of studying Stone Age archaeological sites on the territory of Kazakhstan begins at the edge of 19th-20th centuries. The initial stage dates back to the 1950s and was characterized by gradual accumulation of archaeological collections of Paleolithic time on the basis of the materials discovered by local historians, geologists, paleontologists and those interested in archaeology. The archaeological aspect of the Stone Age history of Kazakhstan has not been described in details, and the amount of information about this long-lasting period is far less than that about the history of the same period in Europe. Moreover, the information available is sketchy and can be found in few monographs and different sources which are to be discovered as a result of searching through a large number of journals or collections of articles. We aimed at accumulating the most significant information about the history of research on the Kazakhstan Stone Age sites since the first descriptions up to nowadays, which has not been done yet. Thus, the purpose of this work is to track the history of the Stone Age archaeological sites in Kazakhstan in the context of modern issues arising in studying the Paleolithic of this region. Conclusion. The main milestone in the history refers to the activity of such prominent researchers of the Stone Age of Kazakhstan as H. A. Alpysbayev and A. G. Medoyev, who discovered, investigated and described the majority of the Paleolithic sites known today - Borykazgan, Tanirkazgan, Ushbulak I-VI, Akkol, Kemer by I-III, Sara SU, Kzyl-Dzhar-3, Zhaman-Aybat-3, -4, -5, Obalysan, Muzbel-1, -2, Aydarly-2, Taskuduk-1, Angrensor-1, -2, Batpak-7, -8, -12, etc. Nowadays, the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Science and the National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan have organized joint research and excavations of the stratified Paleolithic sites, which is to considerably expand the amount of information that was previously based on the data obtained from the locations with superficial bedding of artifacts. The sites studied are located on the east coast of the Bukhtarma Reservoir, the south and east coast of Lake Zaysan, Shiliktinsky Valley and northern slopes of the Tarbagatai Ridge. Results. As a result of prospecting work done in 2016, more than ten new objects of the Stone Age were discovered, including the unique multilayered open- type site Ushbulak. Ancient complexes of artifacts were investigated on locations Kurchum and Trotter-2. In addition, the researchers identified several locations with superficial bedding of artifacts reflecting a big timespan from the Middle Paleolithic to the early Holocene industries without ceramic complexes. This research starts a new stage of studying Paleolithic in Kazakhstan.