Olga Soffer. The Upper Paleolithic of the Central Russian Plain. London & Orlando: Academic, 1985. xxiv + 539 pages, 186 illustrations, 134 tables. £59 & $79.50 hardback, £22.50 & $29.95 paperback.

Antiquity ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 61 (233) ◽  
pp. 482-483
Author(s):  
Simon Collcutt
Keyword(s):  
Upper Paleolithic ◽  
Russian Plain

scholarly journals THE IMAGE OF THE HORSE: A CASE STUDY OF CARVED BONES FROM THE BYKI UPPER PALEOLITHIC SITES

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Н.Б. Ахметгалеева
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Upper Paleolithic ◽  
Russian Plain ◽  
Ancient People ◽  
Layer I ◽  
Technological Methods

Данная работа посвящена анализу зооморфных скульптурных изображений из бивня мамонта со стоянок Быки-1 и Быки-7, I культурный слой (бассейн реки Сейм, Русская равнина). Радиоуглеродные некалиброванные даты этих памятников находятся в диапазоне 18–16 тыс. л. Поделки отличаются по форме, но их объединяет набор технологических приемов изготовления, стилистика и схематизация зооморфных изображений. Аналогичен и их археологических контекст. Предметы оставлены древними людьми преднамеренно при покидании стоянки. Несмотря на выявленные различия, мы полагаем сходную семантику и их предназначение, связанные с конкретными охотничьими ритуалами. Особое внимание уделено образу коня/лошади, который, по одной из гипотез, имеет важное значение в мировосприятии древних обитателей этих стоянок. The paper represents an analysis of the zoomorphic sculpture ivory objects from the Upper Paleolithic sites of Byki-1 and Byki-7, layer I (Seym River Basin, Russian Plain). Radiocarbon uncalibrated dates for these sites fall within 18 and 16000 BP. Figurines differ in form, but they are united by technological methods of manufacturing and the style / schematic of the zoomorphic image. Their archaeological context is similar. The items were left by the ancient people deliberately while leaving the site. We believe their similar semantics and purpose of zoomorphic figurines associated with specific hunting rituals. Particular attention is paid to the image of a horse / horse, which, according to one hypothesis, is important in the worldview of the ancient inhabitants of these sites.

scholarly journals Investigation of the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Sites in the Don Basin on the Territory of Volgograd Region

2020 ◽  
pp. 167-187
Author(s):  
Stanislav Remizov
Keyword(s):  
Raw Materials ◽  
Volga Basin ◽  
Upper Paleolithic ◽  
Russian Plain ◽  
Small Rivers ◽  
Stone Age ◽  
Volgograd Region ◽  
Stone Industry ◽  
Xix Century ◽  
Favorable Conditions

The locations of the Stone Age on the Volgograd region territory have been known since the beginning of the XIX century. However, purposeful Stone Age sites explorations had only started after the Sukhaya Mechetka site was discovered by A.P. Koptev and M.N. Grischenko in 1951. The data accumulated on series of stratified sites in Volgograd Region makes it possible to outline two significant groups of them. One of the groups belongs to the Lower Volga basin. The other group is associated with the ramified network of gullies and ravines and multiple tributaries of the Don. The Don is the fourth longest river on the Russian Plain; its basin taken in the Volgograd Region is several times larger than the Volga basin taken in the area. The relatively flat landscape of the Don plain, saturated with small rivers, gullies and ravines, as well as stone raw materials available for mining, have been creating favorable conditions for human habitation since the Middle Paleolithic. The well-known Paleolithic and Mesolithic sites are found both in the watersheds and in the floodplain-terrace areas of the Middle Don. The near-mouth section of the Kurmoyarsky Aksai river – the Don tributary in Kotelnikovo District – and the surroundings of Kremenskaya village in Kletskaya District are standing out in terms of being studied. The stone industry detected in the lower layers of the multilayered site Schlyakh indicates that the Don plain was inhabited by people during the Middle to the Upper Paleolithic transition. The prospects of further searches for Stone Age sites in the Middle Don Basin had already been proven by the discovery of at least forty sites in previous decades. Further archaeological research will help to discover new stratified sites with impressive collections of stone and bone items, which will make it possible to draw analogies with synchronous sites in the territories adjacent to the Volgograd region.

scholarly journals Spatial Distribution and Problems in the Interpretation of Radiocarbon Dates of the Sungir Site, Russia

Radiocarbon ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. e1-e15
Author(s):  
Taisiya Soldatova
Keyword(s):  
Horizontal Distribution ◽  
Upper Paleolithic ◽  
Russian Plain ◽  
Cultural Layer ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Lithic Industry ◽  
The One ◽  
The Vertical Distribution

ABSTRACTThe Upper Paleolithic open-air site Sungir is located in the central Russian Plain. The blank production of the lithic industry is characterized by parallel reduction with flakes being the main blank type. The tool assemblage has two components: archaic types (Mousterian-like) on the one hand and Upper Paleolithic types on the other. The available data does not allow for a confident determination of the chronological position of the Sungir site, nor does it enable researchers to distinguish different stages of human occupation. The horizontal distribution of the dated samples demonstrates the almost complete absence of radiocarbon (14C) dates for household features identified at the site (fireplaces, fire and ritual pits, large accumulations of bones, etc.). In addition, the vertical distribution of 14C dates in the rather thick cultural layer points to the exposure of the site to solifluction.

scholarly journals 3D modeling in the studies of the portable art geometrical images of the Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic of Eastern Europe

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 8-24
Author(s):  
Iurii Svoyski ◽  
◽  
Gennadii Khlopachev ◽  
Ekaterina Romanenko ◽  
Mariia Polkovnikova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Eastern Europe ◽  
3D Modeling ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Remote Access ◽  
Upper Paleolithic ◽  
Russian Plain ◽  
Practical Application ◽  
Technical Requirements ◽  
Visualization Algorithms ◽  
Portable Art

One of the plots of the portable art forms of Eastern Europe is abstract, geometric, symbolic images that cannot be deciphered directly. Most of the currently known such geometric images from the archaeological sites of the Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic of Eastern Europe were applied to finished bone products — tools, weapons, household and non-utilitarian items, as well as bones of various animals without traces of processing using various cutting techniques. The bone is well preserved in the cultural layers of the sites of the late Pleistocene — early Holocene of the Russian Plain, which makes objects from this material an important source for the study of geometric images. However, despite the richness of the source base, the problem of classification and systematization of geometric images in the art of small forms remains poorly developed. The purpose of the article is to consider the issues of practical application of three-dimensional 3D modeling in the study of art objects of small forms of the Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic. The authors describe the practice of photographing such objects and the peculiarities of the lighting schemes and camera positioning, developed taking into account the specifics of the geometry and material of the documented objects. The minimal technical requirements for the resolution of the models have been determined, which provide the possibility of using visualization algorithms to study fine engravings on bone and stone. The practical application of mathematical visualization algorithms both directly on polygonal models and on height maps built on their basis is described. A method for visualizing and systematizing research results and providing remote access to them using modern web technologies is proposed.

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