ХРОНОЛОГИЯ И ВОПРОСЫ ПЕРИОДИЗАЦИИ ГРАВЕТТИЙСКИХ ПАМЯТНИКОВ В КОСТЕНКОВСКО-БОРЩЕВСКОМ МИКРОРЕГИОНЕ
Over a hundred 14C dates have been obtained from the Gravettian cultural layers in the Kostenki-Borshchevo Lo- cality. Almost half of them come from Kostenki 1/I cultural layer. Datings on bone samples are prevalent. In a series of datings, they vary for almost each site, providing an opportunity to demonstrate one’s chronological preferences and choose a specific timepoint (Fig. 1). The most reliable idea for development of the Gravettian periodization is to examine certain complexes in the context of structural changes of the missiles points typology in the course of time. Thus the Gravettian can be divided into the early phase of ~27,000–25,000 yr uncal BP (Kostenki 8/II), the middle phase of ~25,000–24,000 yr uncal BP (Kostenki 4, Kostenki 9 and Borshchevo 5/I), the late phase of ~23,000–22,000 yr uncal BP (Kostenki 1/I, 13, 14/I and 18) and the final phase ~22,000–21,000 yr uncal BP (Kostenki 21/III). The definitive cultural discontinuity falls upon ~24000/23000 yr uncal BP when the backed points were replaced by the shouldered ones.