Resuming archaeological research at the Orkutsay section (Eastern Uzbekistan)

The Chirchik River basin is one of key regions for studying loess-soil formations in Central Asia. One of the most complete loess sections in this area is located in the Orkutsay sai on the right bank of the stream having the same name (Bostanlyk District, Tashkent Region, the Republic of Uzbekistan). It is confined to a narrow watershed between the valleys of the Chirchik River and its last major tributary, the Ugam River. In the 1980s, A.E. Dodonov discovered in this area 16 fossil paleosols alternating with loess and carbonated deposits. In the same years, N.G. Mavlyanov recorded single archaeological material in the deposits of PC 1 and PC 6. The study of the Orkutsay section was resumed by a Russian-Uzbek joint expedition to obtain clearly stratified archaeological collections, develop a detailed stratigraphic scheme of the section, and obtain valid absolute dating using advanced methods (OSL, cosmogenic dating). The work performed in 2024 involved the discovery of a sequence of 38 lithological units from the Holocene to the Middle Pleistocene. Scarce archaeological material was recorded in the deposits of PC 1 and the loess deposits unit above PC 2. Collection broadening will make it possible to conduct reliable comparisons with the synchronous complexes of the region (the first half of MIS 5 and older), which are represented in the sequences of the Kulbulak and Kuksaray 2 sites. A conclusion can be made that the substantiation of the Orkutsay position as an archaeological site and resumed comprehensive studies give an important impetus to the development of the issue of the loess Paleolithic in the western part of Central Asia, as well as of geochronology and correlation of the loess formation in the region.