Change and Continuity in the Prehistoric Rock Art of East Siberia

The book offers a detailed study of large corpus of rock art which is little known to an international audience. The book covers not only a huge region of East Siberia but also a period spanning from Late Paleolithic to the Iron Age, providing detailed accounts of the regional archaeology and rock art through the perspective of ethnicity, identity, and symbolism.

Study Of Amir Temur 1 And Teshik-Tosh 2 Sites

Uzbek-Russian international archeological expedition, archeological researches in Boysun mountain of Surkhandarya, study of Amir Temur 1 cave of Middle Paleolithic period, study of Teshik-Tash 2 cave of Late Paleolithic period, qualification of material sources found in Middle and Late Paleolithic period.

Methodological approaches to the design of archaeological-paleontological parks in Ukraine

The article was examined conceptual approaches to the museumification of Monuments of the Palaeolithic Age in Ukraine. The projects for the preservation of Late Paleolithic domestic complexes with the remains of mammoth-bones dwellings of the Magdeleine time (Mizin, Mezhyrich, Dobranichevka, Gintsy) were analyzed. The creation of archaeological- paleontological parks has been proposed.

Use-wear Traces and Plant Micro-remain Analysis Reveal the Function of Perforated Shells From the Xianrendong and Diaotonghuan Sites in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River, China

Shell remains are common cultural relics recovered from the late Paleolithic to the historical-age sites in China. Archaeological evidence shows that the number of perforated shells gradually increased at the transition from the Paleolithic to Neolithic age, a time period that coincides with the beginning of farming activities. Usage traces and plant residues from prehistoric perforated shells are often used to interpret tool function. In this study, we analyzed use-wear traces and recovered ancient starches and phytoliths from both the used edges and unused backs of twelve perforated shells from the Xianrendong and Diaotonghuan sites (30,000–12,000 cal. Y BP). These sites are well-known for the earliest pottery and the earliest cultivated rice micro-remains in the world. We found that: (1) all the twelve shells had scars and use wear, and the use traces occurred on the used edges; (2) an assemblage of 83 identifiable starch grains were recovered from the twelve perforated shells, including remains of acorns, Panicoideae and the tribe Triticeae, tubers and roots; (3) only six phytoliths from the stems and leaves of grass taxa including Panicoideae and Bambusoideae were recovered from four shells. The meta-analysis of the use-wear and plant micro-remain analysis indicate that the functions of perforated shells were nearly identical from the late Paleolithic to early Neolithic periods. These functions include processing, harvesting or cutting grasses from the Panicoideae, Bambusoideae, and the tribe Triticeae, processing acorns or/and their starchy products, and digging and scraping tubers and roots. The digging and scraping of tubers and roots increased in intensity with the increase in rice cultivation during the period between 20,000 and 12,000 cal. Y BP.

INFORMATION POTENTIAL OF BONE ARTIFACTS’ ORNAMENTED FRAGMENTS FROM THE CHERNOOZERYE COLLECTION

The research is aimed at updating the attention to the collections from museum storerooms, to the artifacts fragments that make up the bulk of their funds. The late Paleolithic Chernoozerye II site is located in the Sargatsky district of the Omsk region, it was discovered and studied in the late 1960s and early 1970s by the Ural archaeological expedition led by V. F. Gening and V. T. Petrin. Materials of this complex are well published by its discoverers. Bone artifacts decorated with ornaments are represented by a dagger, fragments of diadems, pendants, and a “hatchet”. The study is focused on two fragments of bone artifacts with a disturbed ornamental record, they are stored at the Omsk State Museum of History and Local Lore (OMK 9675/710, OMK 9675/713). The author discusses the technical algorithm of ornamental practice that is typical for this complex. The revealed stylistic features of ornamental plots contribute to the development of certain topics of paleoart studies — morphology of ornamental plots/signs, chronological markers of ornaments, principles of observation and fixation of patterns, cultural and genetic aspects of the development of simple plots. The results are offered as arguments for the development of a discussion about the vectors of cultural development in the south of Western Siberia in the final Paleolithic. For the first time, based on the characteristics of the key parameters of ornamental plots (the form of signs and the syntax of their constituent elements), the paper has indicated to the connection between the Chernoozerye material and the Ural ornamental tradition of the final Paleolithic — early Mesolithic.

Assimilation of the Lower Ob in the Late Pleistocene According to Archeological Data

Archaeological sites indicate the assimilation of the Lower Ob region by humans during the Upper Paleolithic. Modern paleogeography reconstructions testify to the possibility of settlement in this area from the MIS 3, however all stone assemblages found in situ were dated to the end of the Upper Paleolithic - the end of MIS 2. Purpose. Analyze the relationships of Lower Ob Paleolithic sites with the Upper Paleolithic industries in the adjacent area. Results. Over the past three years, several new sites of Paleolithic age have been discovered in the Lower Ob region. The comparison of their materials with the assemblage from the Lugovskoye site allow to speak about two industries: bladelet complex (Lugovskoye, Komudvany) and another complex, conventionally called ‘pebble’ (Gorki III, Khashgort, Yugan-Gort IV), represented in the Lower Ob region in the Late Paleolithic. Comparison between the Lugovskoye assemblage and Talitsky, Shestakovo assemblages testifies their relationship. Radiocarbon dating of these sites (Shestakovo (cultural layer 6): 24 000–20 000 years ago, Talitsky: 18 700 ± 200 years ago, Lugovskoye: 13 500–9 400 years ago; all dates are not calibrated) allow the assumption of successful Paleolithic migration from the south-east of the West Siberian Plain to the Urals and then to the Lower Ob region. Conclusion. The Lower Ob region was part of a historical and cultural area of bladelet industries in MIS 2. Lugovskoye and Komudvany sites can be attributed to the Uralic Late Paleolithic culture, which testifies in favor of the assumption of assimilation on this territory from the Ural region in MIS 2. Two kinds of Paleolithic assemblages in the Lower Ob region allow us to speak about two coexisting culture or the functional differences of archeological sites or two waves of assimilation on this territory – early (pebble industry) and late (bladelet industry). Most likely, the ‘pebble’ industries came to this territory from the Ural region too.

Afontova Gora II Late Paleolithic site: Results of multidisciplinary research in 2014

Results of the rescue excavations of the multilayered Late Paleolithic site of Afontova Gora II in 2014 are described. Th e monograph presents the data derived in the course of the interdisciplinary studies including detailed analyses of the stratigraphy and geomorphology of the study areas on the slopes of Afontova Gora. Th e results of fi eld and laboratory studies of archaeological and paleontological collections and morphological and genetic analyses of paleoanthropological materials are provided. Based on the technical-typological analysis of stone and bone implements, the variability of tradition within the Afontova archaeological culture is shown. Th e analysis of the spatial distribution of artifacts reveals the features of activity zones in the season camps of mobile groups of the ancient population. Th e time of accumulation of the culture-bearing deposits has been established through a set of new 14C and AMS dates. The publication is addressed to archaeologists, paleontologists, anthropologists, humanity students and specialists in preservation of the archaeological heritage.

TOOLS WITH SECONDARY TREATMENT OF THE LATE PALEOLITHIC SITE NEAR THE KAMYANKA VILLAGE

The tools with secondary treatment from collection of the Late Paleolithic site near the Kamyanka village of Izum district in Kharkiv region are published in the paper. The collection of 8356 flint artifacts comes from the excavated area of 225 m2. The group of the tools with secondary treatment is not large — it consists of 88 items (1.05 %), typical for sites located near flint raw material outputs, where primary treatment took place directly in the dwelling area. From 27 burins 16 are straight burins, 5 are angle burins, 5 are truncation burins, a flat-faceted burin, a many-faceted burin and a double burin. As a preform, the flakes, blades, massive flakes and residual cores were used. There are 12 end-scrapers and scrapers; end-scrapers on flakes and blades prevail. The tools with notches are represented by 9 exemplars. Working elements of the piercing tools (4 exemplars) are formed by several splits on the flakes; in one case the tool is combined with middle burin. 11 flakes and blades have retouched areas. Microblades with truncated edge are represented by 16 exemplars. Notched backed points (whole one and 2 fragments) have no analogs in collections of the sites of allied territories. A high trapeze on a wrong-shape blade, a massive blade with an angle unit pointed out by retouch, a chisel-like item, a disk-shaped tool with retouched area are represented in one exemplar for now. Generally the tools set is typical for Epigravettian sites, though the presence of notched backed points in it raises a range of questions which can be answered on during the further research.