New data on faunal remains from the Obishir-5 site (Fergana valley, Kyrgyzstan)

This article describes the results of the analysis of small mammal remains from the Obishir-5 site located in the southern part of the Ferghana valley. The site was discovered in 1965 and investigated for several years. Later, in 2015, the excavations of the site have been renewed to supplement the archaeological collection and clarify the age of the site. Comprehensive research on Obishir-5 was conducted in 2015-2019 by the international Russian-Kyrgyz expedition. According to obtained results, 6 lithological layers (0-5) have been identified at the site, which mostly comprise brown clay loams. Lower part of stratigraphic sequence dates around 13 ka BP, middle part-10-7 ka BP, upper part-to Bronze to Middle Ages. During this works, for the first time, small vertebrate remains were collected from the site. Fieldwork was carried out according to the methods and standards adopted in the modern field archaeology. The collection of small mammal remains was carried out by traditional methods of excavation of stone age sites by sieving and flotation, and sorting and extracting bone elements. In total, 2,240 bone fragments were found, most of which are indeterminable pieces. Definable pieces were presented by 69 bone remains: they belong to rodents, lagomorphs, and bats. The predominant species in the fossil fauna was the oriental mole-vole Ellobius ex gr. tancrei. The general composition of the fauna indicates a mild climate, as well as the dominance of open biotopes (alpine meadows, steppes, semi-deserts). Woody and shrubby vegetation was found along the sides of streams and lowlands. According to the degree offossilization of the material, the age of the fauna is estimated as Holocene-Late Pleistocene.