Podzvonkaya lower complex: new studies of the initial Upper Paleolithic in the Southwestern Transbaikalia

During the studies conducted in the beginning of 2000s at the Podzvonkaya Lower Complex archaeological location it was found that archaeological materials represented here date back to the Initial Upper Paleolithic with the radiocarbon age of 44 ka. According to the studies, two cultural horizons were identified at the Lower Complex. The first one was considered as compressed with artifacts of the Bronze and Early Iron Ages and with redeposited Paleolithic artifacts. Studies conducted in 2022 allowed revisiting the issue of identifying cultural horizons and its relation with lithological layers. The first cultural horizon with pottery fragments belonged to the Early Iron Age and a few stone artifacts redeposited from underlying layers was clearly distinguished. The relation of the second cultural horizon with the second lithological layer was established. The artifacts are located in the layer densely, a short discontinuity in the artifacts ’vertical distribution is observed both between the first and the second horizons and between the second and the third horizons. The artifacts of the second layer include the indicative toolkit with splintered pieces concentrated in the area studied in 2022, which suggests the functional zoning of the Lower Complex territory in the period of the second cultural horizon formation. The third cultural horizon was revealed in the third lithological layer. Based on the presence of structural elements, its upper part is considered as the habitation level. Therefore, the 2022 studies allowed considerably redefine the quantity and the deposition profile of culture-bearing horizons. Two “pure” Paleolithic horizons with preserved elements of the habitation level were identified. According to the previously obtained radiocarbon dates, both Paleolithic horizons are attributed to the Initial Upper Paleolithic.