Paleoenvironment, the stone age. Рубрика в журнале - Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology of Eurasia
Scientific article
Primary reduction techniques used at the site of Kara-Bom in the Altai Mountains, are analyzed using the refi tting method. In previous studies, the Kara-Bom assemblages provided the basis for reconstructing the evolution of lithic industries in the Altai Mountains over most of the Middle Paleolithic and at the early stages of the Upper Paleolithic (ca 60–30 ka BP). Under the new stratigraphic subdivision of Kara-Bom, four habitation stages are described. The refi tting of artifacts from the Middle Paleolithic (MP2) layer indicates Levallois unidirectional convergent fl aking aimed at producing points and blades as a co-product of reduction sequences. Based on cores and groups of spalls from the Upper Paleolithic layers UP2 and UP1, the variation of Upper Paleolithic reduction techniques is reconstructed and a conclusion is made that signifi cant changes in core reduction occurred: the Middle Paleolithic (Levallois) fl at unidirectional technique gave way to bidirectional volumetric subprismatic and prismatic reduction of the Upper Paleolithic type. The Kara-Bom assemblages appear to have been stable variants of blade technology aimed at producing large and medium-sized blades as well as reduction of narrow-faced cores aimed at producing bladelets. The comparison of Kara-Bom with contemporaneous industries of northern and eastern Central Asia suggests that the earliest Upper Paleolithic assemblages (before 35 ka BP) show a marked predominance of the Kara-Bom-type reduction techniques.
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Scientific article
My article in the previous issue, based on findings of archaeological excavations of Paleolithic sites in the Altai, primarily in Denisova Cave, as well as facts concerning the time of origin of Neanderthal anatomy and genetics in Europe, challenged the view, based on the genetic analysis of the Altaian Neanderthals, that they had migrated to the Altai before 175 ka BP and occupied Denisova Cave by turns with Denisovans. In fact, the Neanderthal occupation of the Altai began apparently no earlier than 60 ka BP. Thus far, Neanderthal fossils with a Micoquian Mousteroid industry have been found in three caves: Chagyrskaya, Okladnikov, and Strashnaya. This group of Neanderthals, evidencing the easternmost dispersal wave of those humans in Asia, was termed the Chagyrskaya group.
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Scientific article
We analyze the archaeological evidence of the deliberate placement of valuables («caches») in mammoth skulls at sites of the Eastern Gravettian Kostenki-Avdeyevo culture (Zaraysk A, E, F, and Kostenki 1 layer I). Six such finds are examined, specifically their spatial arrangement, stratigraphic context, and composition. Special attention is paid to the connection of «caches» with living structures (semi-subterranean dwellings) and ritual complexes, as evidenced by the presence of ocher, specific placement of artifacts, etc. A classification of «caches» is suggested: lost (accidentally left), returnable (intended for subsequent retrieval), and irretrievable (ritual sacrifices). The composition of such complexes is diverse. A «special» cache at Zaraysk E contained 24 artifacts including Kostenki knives, placed in the alveolus of a mammoth skull; at Kostenki 1, a spatula made of a rib with a figured top had been hidden in the skull. Notably, the tradition of using mammoth skulls for storing valuables has been traced over a long period of time at sites of the Upper Paleolithic Kostenki-Avdeyevo archaeological culture belonging to the Eastern Gravettian. It was practiced on the Russian Plain even after the LGM at sites of the Anosovo-Mezin type, representing another cultural tradition. Our findings indicate a complex interaction of utilitarian and symbolic practices among ancient hunters, expanding our knowledge of their worldview.
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