Archaeological survey on the Kushevatskaya channel (right bank of the Great Ob) in 2022

The article discusses the results of work performed in 2022 at the Upper Paleolithic site Kushevat (Shuryshkarsky District, YaNAO). In 2022, a series of pits was made with a total area of 106 sq. m. The results of the work confirmed that the stratum of loose deposits at the site consists of four main units: cover-subaerial, mudflow (veloflux), ravine-gully deposits, and alluvium of the Great Ob. The bone-bearing horizon lies at a depth of 1.5 to 3.5 m, but always at the interface of the units: gully deposits and the Ob alluvium. It was also established that the bone-bearing horizon begins to wedge out up the slope, and the concentration of faunal remains in it sharply decreases. At the same time, the pit made almost in the watershed area, uncovered oxbow deposits at the hypsometric level of the alluvial member. The results obtained suggest that the site was located directly near the river at lower elevations rather than on the watershed. During the work, a representative collection of the Pleistocene fauna was obtained. The traces of the anthropogenic impact on the split humerus of a reindeer were revealed. Moreover, several stone objects in the bone horizon, which may also be artifacts, were also found. The available complex of natural science data as well as the preliminary results of AMS and OSL dating confirm that the bone-bearing horizon was most likely formed in the range of45-40 thousand cal. BC.