New Paleolithic sites in the Ertashsai valley (Western Tien Shan)

The article provides the results of archaeological survey in the Ertashsai valley (right tributary of the Akhangaran River). During survey of the left bank, in the middle part of the valley, five surface sites were recorded, i.e. Ertashsai 8-12. The technical and typological features of lithic artefacts make it possible to attribute the sites to a wide chronological range of the Middle and Upper Paleolithic. Some patterns in the location of the discovered Paleolithic sites were identified: they are mainly confined to the outcrops of raw materials (flint in the form of outcrops of silicified limestone strata and effusive in the form of channel gravel). Also, slope exposure played an important role. To confirm this conclusion, stratified sites are needed in this area. The Ertashsai-9 site is the most promising in terms ofpresence of in situ culture-bearing deposits. All stages of lithic production are presented in the collection of artifacts collected from the surface at this site - pebbles with approbation removals, Levallois cores, burin cores, core trimming elements, front and striking platforms design and reshaping, blanks and tools (side-scrapers, retouched flakes). The location of the site virtually excludes the possibility of the artifacts ’ redeposition as a result of slope processes. If archaeological excavations show the occurrence of cultural layers in situ, this will put the Ertashsai-9 site on a par with the sites of the Western Tien Shan such as the Kulbulak site and the Obi-Rakhmat grotto.