Lithic industries of the middle and Upper Paleolithic from the south chamber of Denisova cave: evidence of 2019

The article presents the results of technical and typological analysis of new Paleolithic material evidence from the upper part of the Pleistocene strata in the South Chamber of Denisova cave. In 2019, the deposits of lithological layers 11 and 12 were studied in the central part of the chamber over the area of 12 m2. According to the results of OSL-dating, layer 12 was accumulated during stage 4 of the marine oxygen-isotope scale and at the early MIS 3. The collection of stone artifacts from layer 12 consists of 761 objects. The Middle Paleolithic industry from that layer is distinguished by the varieties of the Levallois, parallel, and radial reduction, represented by monofrontal single- and double platform cores. The typological basis of the inventory consists of longitudinal, transverse, and convergent varieties of side-scrapers. The toolkit includes the Mousterian points, denticulate and notched implements, Upper Paleolithic varieties, as well as truncated-faceted and ventrally thinned spalls. The 14C AMS-dating of bone and charcoal samples from layer 11 has shown that the age of these deposits can be associated with the first half of the MIS 3. Lithic industry of the Early Upper Paleolithic from layer 11 consists of 525 objects. Primary reduction in this industry is distinguished by parallel splitting aimed at obtaining elongated flakes, large blades, and bladelets. The tools include miniature end-scrapers, angle and dihedral burins, retouched blades with well-expressed Upper Paleolithic morphology, and a series of carefully processed thin leaf-shaped bifaces. Bone tools and a representative set of various personal adornments have been discovered together with the stone industry.