Beryozovka Cave: new multilayered archaeological site in the northwest of the Altai Mountains

This article presents first results of research in Beryozovka cave near the village of Beryozovka in Soloneshenoe District of Altai Krai. The karst cavity was located in the wall of a deep ravine which cut through the bedrock of the right slope of the valley and extended with its mouth to the Anui River 1.5 km from the cave. Five lithological layers were identified in the section of soft cave deposits over 3 m thick. Judging by lithological and stratigraphic features, preservation and taxonomic composition of bone remains, and appearance of archaeological evidence, layers 1 and 2 emerged in the Holocene; the Pleistocene part of the section in the cave was represented by layers 3-5. The karst cavity was most actively used by humans as a temporary shelter during accumulation of layer 2 where broken animal bones with traces of cuts and burns were discovered. Pottery fragments from this layer most likely belonged to the Afanasievo culture of the Early Bronze Age. During accumulation of the Pleistocene layer in the cave, the main collectors of bone remains of megafauna were predatory animals as indicated by a large number of samples with traces of gnawing and digestion. The anthropogenic contribution to formation of taphocenosis was not great, but was clearly manifested by split and cut bones as well as bone and ivory flakes. These finds, along with scarce lithic artifacts, indicate that the karst cavity was used by the Paleolithic humans for short-term stays. Lithic objects, which included short and shortened flakes with orthogonal and radial dorsal scar patterns as well as flakes from radial cores, are typical of the industries of the Sibiryachikha variant of the Middle Paleolithic in the Altai.