Lithic industry of multilayer Paleolithic Kharganyn-Gol-5 site

Purpose. This article is presented the results of excavation and stone artifacts analysis of Kharganyn-Gol-5 site. New site is situated in Kharganyn-Gol River valley in the neighborhood of Ikh-Tulbariin-Gol River valley contained Tolbor’s group of the Early Upper Paleolithic sites. The archaeological survey intensification is associated with two factors on the territory of Mongolia for the last three years. At first, stratified sites searching with Initial Upper Paleolithic horizons for expansion and confirmation of the series of dates which could be an evidence of the earliest occurrence of the Upper Paleolithic in the territory of South Siberia and Central Asia. Secondly, whereas the synchronous industries are presented the technological homogeneity in the discovered sites now in Tolbor valley, so the geographic spreading of survey is associated with distinct industries searching for the evidence of alternative migratory waves or their local genesis. No correlation with the Early Upper Paleolithic industry from Tolbor valley’s sites in basic technological attributes Kharganyn-Gol-5 site is of special interest in this point of view. In this publication there are results of techno-typological analysis of Kharganyn-Gol-5 collection. They are supported separate status of Kharganyn-Gol-5 site in Early Upper Paleolithic development in Northern Mongolia region. Results. Kharganyn-Gol-5 site consists of six cultural horizons. Statigraphically the most interesting horizon is 3.1, which is coincident with geological layer 3.1. It demonstrates the laminar multilayer structure in one geological cluster. The same laminarity is presented in the Tolbor-4 (horizons 6-7) and Tolbor-16 (horizon 7a) sites. In that condition without series of dates for Kharganyn-Gol-5 site, this laminar cluster can be a chronological fixed datum, because the dates for these horizons was got in Tolbor-4 and Tolbor-16. Stone material is homogeneous throw the horizons 3.1-5. Flat and prismatic knapping systems are traced the development of all horizons. Kharganyn-Gol-5 material is not associated with the Early Upper Paleolithic blade industry. The dominant spall types are middle size flakes with various form and bladelets to a lesser degree. Totally the main tool component features end-scrapers and specular tools and their combined variations, the various types of perforators prevail in the horizons 3, 3.1 and 4. Most of them are informal or situational tools without typological features stated explicitly. The marker tools are burins, including dihedral burins with retouched working edges, and the backed bladelets. This two tool types are not mass in horizons, but they preserve persistently in the Early Upper Paleolithic horizons of the site. Conclusion. The archaeological researching of Kharganyn-Gol-5 had been starting and it isn’t time for broad conclusion. Material from horizon 1 is a mixed Holocene complex, which could include cultural material since the Neolithic to Middle Ages span time. Horizon 3 is presenting the Terminal Upper Paleolithic material. Horizons 4-7 are the main goal of future researches. These materials presumably belong to the Middle and the Early Upper Paleolithic span time.