Late stage of the initial Upper Paleolithic in Mongolia

The industries of the Siberian-Central Asian variant of the typical laminar Initial Upper Paleolithic (49,000-40,000 BP) are confined to Eastern Kazakhstan, Siberian Altai, and Selenga River Basin. They have a uniform "cultural package.” The data from the analysis of lithic industry from archaeological horizon 4 at the Tolbor 21 site in Northern Mongolia shows a transformation in technology and typology of typical Initial Upper Paleolithic industries ca. 42 ka BP. The assemblage under study contained Levallois cores for producingflakes. Two main variants of Levallois flake production followed the centripetal and parallel reduction techniques. Distribution as well as typological and technological aspects of Late Initial Upper Paleolithic industries are discussed. These complexes are located in southern and eastern regions of Mongolia. The earliest dates of their occurrence (ca. 38 ka BP) are associated with industries from layer 3 of Tsagaan Agui cave in the Gobi Altai, and probably with assemblages from the Otson Tsokhio site in Eastern Mongolia. The latest dates of ca. 30 ka BP are known from the Chikhen Agui grotto and Chikhen Agui site in Southern Mongolia. This distribution of dates demonstrates rapid dispersal of the Late Initial Upper Paleolithic populations to the Gobi desert and Northern China. These industries are distinguished by a combination of the Upper Paleolithic blade technology and Levallois methods of flake reduction. It can be assumed that this tradition in its transformed form continued to exist in the territory peripheral to the geographic core of the Initial Upper Paleolithic until the end of MIS 3, while in other parts of Central Asia it disappeared.