Unshaped bone tools in the Paleolithic assemblages from the east chamber of Denisova Cave

This article presents the analysis of a new collection of unshaped bone tools obtained during revision of faunal evidence from Pleistocene deposits in the East Chamber of Denisova Cave. The earliest bone artifacts were found in the layers of the Early Middle Paleolithic, which accumulated in MIS 7. Artifacts from this part of the profile include fragments of retouchers, tools with retouched edges, and numerous small bone flakes and chips. Currently, this assemblage of bone objects is the earliest in Northern and Central Asia. The Middle Paleolithic collection from the layers accumulated in MIS 6-4 had the same types of bone artifacts. The faunal remains from layer 11.2 of the Initial Upper Paleolithic contained a series of retouchers with varying degrees of utilization from weak to intense. Blanks for retouchers in the Middle and Upper Paleolithic industries were mainly diaphysis fragments of large tubular bones of animals which had the size of a bison, horse, or red deer, and less often of smaller ungulates with the size of Siberian mountain goat or argali. Many retouchers show signs ofpreliminary preparation of the working area like scraping the periosteum. New evidence from the East Chamber significantly expands the collection of unshaped bone artifacts from Denisova cave. A variety of tools forming stable series indicates long existence of a developed industry, demonstrating a continuity ofprocessing traditions and use of bone throughout the Middle and Upper Paleolithic.