New discoveries of palaeolithic sites in South-Eastern Kazakhstan

The author presents a review of palaeogeographic situation in South-eastern Kazakhstan in the Late Pleistocene and describes palaeofaunal finds of the Pleistocene age from this territory. New materials from the Palaeolithic sites Akterek, Kastek, and Maibulak investigated in the 2000-s in South-eastern Kazakhstan are put into scientific circulation. Cultural and historical position of the sites is determined. Maibulak is the only stratified Upper Palaeolithic site in the region. For the first time in Russian scientific literature radiocarbon AMS dates from lower layers of the Maibulak site are published. Archaeological collections obtained from the site are of clearly Aurignacoid appearance. The data shed new light on many problems of the Stone Age in the arid zone of Central Asia, and also question relationship of the Upper Palaeolithic culture of Southern Kazakhstan with so-called Siberian-Mongolian zone.