Research at the Afontova Gora V site in 2023

The Afontova Gora-5 site is known as one of the earliest complexes of the Paleolithic in the area of the city of Krasnoyarsk. The evidence from the Kargin period was discovered there at the end of the 20th century. Subsequently, four more cultural horizons of the Sartan period were found. In 2023, the archaeological team from the IAET SB RAS excavated the Afontova Gora-5 site in order to clarify its boundaries. Twenty one exploration pits from 2 to 6 m deep with the total area of 136 sq. m were made over the general area of51,508 sq. m. Geomorphologically, the site is located on the fourth terrace of the Yenisei River valley at 75-80 m of relative height above the river level. This area has been subjected to significant anthropogenic impact. For selecting the places for the pits, both anthropogenic impact and geomorphology of the site were taken into consideration. Archaeological evidence (flakes and fragments of bones) occurred in the pits in the southern part of the site directly next to the exit to the Yenisei bank on the edge of a terrace-like ledge on the left side of a paleoravine. The stratigraphic position of evidence and faunal remains indicate that the cultural layer can be preliminarily dated to the Final Paleolithic (Sr4). Archeological works have made it possible to clarify the paleogeomorphological position of cultural deposits. It was concluded that there were no cultural layers of the Kargin peiod in the surveyed area. The discovery of archeological evidence of the Sartan period has made it possible to clarify the area of cultural deposits and adjust the boundaries of the site.