Archaeological survey of the Karasai site (Eastern Kazakhstan) in 2023

This article describes archaeological research at the Karasai site (Shilikty Valley, Eastern Kazakhstan) in 2023. Both nonstratified and stratified archaeological materials were collected from various locations along the left bank of the Zapadny stream. An important objective offield work in 2023 was to clarify the stratigraphy and boundaries of cultural layers at the site. The assemblage of artifacts concentrated along the area of about 15 m downstream from the excavation pit of 2019. The collected artifacts numbered 66 items, including cores, tools, and other products of lithic reduction. According to the features of the finds, the assemblage was divided into two groups. First group corresponded to the industry which was previously discovered in the stratified layers (layer 2 of the excavation pit of 2019) and could be attributed to the Mesolithic. Based on the morphology, the second group appears to be earlier. It was tentatively dated to the Upper Paleolithic, since it manifested some similarities with the assemblages from exploration pit 2 made in 2022, as well as bottom part of layer 5 and upper part of layer 6 at the Ushbulak site. In 2023, a series of OSL dating samples were obtainedfrom the exploration pit of2022. The archaeological collection from this pit represents a more archaic industry. The OSL dating indicated the age of 35 ka BP and confirmed the Upper Paleolithic nature of this assemblage.