Field research in the Bulunsky district (the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)) in 2022

Reconstruction of physical and geographical conditions in the Pleistocene in Eastern Siberia with a detailed study of the areas of initial settlement and the stages of development of this territory by ancient hominins as part of solving the fundamental task of the problem for the Eurasia development by mankind and penetration into the North America territory is one of the most important tasks of the Paleolithic. Many previously discovered archaeological and paleontological finds have been studied in fragments without taking into account the lithological and stratigraphic situation. Determination of the paleoecological situation at the discovered sites of archeology and Pleistocene fauna, and characterization of the interaction between human paleopopulations, the natural environment, and the Late Pleistocene megafauna determines the search for new archaeological and paleontological objects. The exploratory study area in 2022 was determined by the studies carried out in 2021 on the coast of the Neelov Bay and is a continuation of the general study of the Bykovsky Peninsula in the Bulunsky District begun in 2020. The discovery of a frozen mammoth skeleton made it possible to carry out excavations while taking into account frozen soil thawing. Bones were found in a scattered state, and some were fragmented by an ancient man. About 20 % of the bone remains were found from the skeleton of a young mammoth, the individual age of which can be approximately determined to 15 to 20years. Thus, a new paleontological and archaeological site was recorded in the Bulunsky District, which indicates the undoubted prospects for this region in terms of discovering new evidence of human presence during the Pleistocene period. Numerous archaeological and paleontological materials provide an exceptional opportunity to restore migration routes and determine the resource base of the primitive population and reconstruct cultural interactions in space and time.