The Middle Paleolithic Complexes of the Chagyrskaya Cave: 2018 Field Results (original) (raw)
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Research of the Middle Paleolithic Complexes in the Chagyrskaya Cave in the Field Season of 2024
Problems of Archaeology, Ethnography, Anthropology of Siberia and Neighboring Territories, 2024
This article presents the results of fi eld studies in the Chagyrskaya cave – a key site of the Sibiryachikha phase of the Middle Paleolithic in the Altai – which were done in 2024. In that excavation season, the main focus of excavation works was on studying stratigraphy of the site, searching for anthropological remains, and obtaining a collection of lithic artifacts for technical and typological analysis. Two culture-bearing layers, 6a and 6c/1, with numerous lithic artifacts and anthropological remains were identifi ed during the excavation. Preliminary analysis of the lithic complexes has revealed some differences from the typical collections of the Chagyrskaya cave. Thus, new collections contained a signifi cant share of cortical fl akes, more cortical striking platforms on fl akes, and more bifacial tools in the toolkit. These differences are not cultural, chronological, or stadial, but rather refl ect variation in seasonal habitation of the cave by the Late European Neanderthals or differences in the functioning of the excavated areas. The complexes of layer 6c/2, which were typical for the Chagyrskaya cave, represented the remains of Neanderthal base camp for consuming hunting prey, mainly bison. Layer 6a in the cave resulted from colluvial processes and can be functionally defi ned as a hyena den with remains of Neanderthal material culture from layer 6c/2. Anthropological remains included a proximal fragment of the right humerus of an adult, left upper incisor, and lower right premolar. This discovery of anthropological remains indicates good prospects for continuing field works at the site.
Investigation of the Middle Paleolithic Complexes in Chagyrskaya Cave in the Field Season of 2019
Проблемы археологии, этнографии, антропологии Сибири и сопредельных территорий, 2019
The article presents the results of fi eld research in Chagyrskaya Cave-the key site of the Sibiryachikha variant of the Altai Middle Paleolithic-conducted in 2019. The cave is located in the Charysh River valley in northwestern Altai. In the fi eld season of 2019, research was focused on geological study of stratigraphy at the site, examination of paleontological complex following the zoo-archaeological approach, as well as technical and typological analysis of lithic assemblage from the Middle Paleolithic layer. The geological studies have shown that stratigraphic profi les consisted of seven main subdivisions of the Holocene and Pleistocene. An important feature of the stratigraphic sequence was the presence of lenses in layer 6c/2 which was absent in the section explored in the fi eld season of 2018. A part of layer 6a, from which the main archaeological collection of 2019 originated, was fi rst found in situ in the excavation area. In terms of its technical and typological features, lithic assemblage from layer 6a was similar to assemblages from other subunits of layer 6. The industry manifests a signifi cant share of tools compared to objects of primary reduction. The toolkit includes unifacial side-scrapers, retouched points, truncated and faceted tools, as well as bifacial side-scrapers and points. Preliminarily, this complex was identifi ed as a new habitation episode at the site, different from the event revealed by layer 6c/2. According to zoo-archaeological analysis, the area under study shows high activity of hyenas which used the cave as their den. This fact may indicate that the cave was inhabited alternately by humans and predators in different seasons of the year. Taking into account that the minimum activity of carnivores was observed in layer 6c/2, while their maximum activity was found in layer 6a, it is possible to suggest a gradual decrease in the intensity of human habitation in Chagyrskaya Cave in comparison with the main cultural layer.
Chagyrskaya Cave Middle Paleolithic Complexes Studies in the 2021 Field Season
Проблемы археологии, этнографии, антропологии Сибири и сопредельных территорий, 2021
Исследования среднепалеолитических комплексов Чагырской пещеры в полевом сезоне 2021 года В статье представлены результаты полевых исследований Чагырской пещеры, ключевого памятника сибирячихинской фации среднего палеолита Алтая, в 2021 г. Основными направлениями работ было геологическое изучение стратиграфии стоянки, определение вклада хищников и человека в тафоценоз остеологических остатков и технико-типологический анализ археологических материалов из среднепалеолитических комплексов пещеры. Геологические исследования показали, что полученные стратиграфические профили содержат семь основных подразделений голоценового и плейстоценового возраста. В ходе раскопок был обнаружен небольшой участок слоя 6в/2, который по данным стратиграфического и микроморфологического анализов является инситным. По функциональной принадлежности комплекс остатков материальной культуры неандертальцев в слое 6в/2 представляет собой остатки базового лагеря неандертальцев по потреблению охотничьей добычи. С другой стороны, слой 6а был сформирован в результате коллювиальных процессов, когда артефакты и палеонтологические остатки из слоя 6в/2 были переотложены в вышележащее стратиграфическое подразделение. Функционально данный слой определяется как логово хищных животных (гиены), которые использовали пещеру для разведения потомства. В пользу данного вывода говорят доли костей со следами кислотной коррозии, определенные для комплексов слоев 6а и 6в/2 раскопок 2021 г. Археологический материал из данных комплексов представлен коллекцией каменных артефактов, характерных для сибирячихинского варианта среднего палеолита Алтая. Также в ходе полевых работ были получены новые ретушеры, которые пополнили коллекцию костяных артефактов Чагырской пещеры. Обнаружение антропологической находки свидетельствует о перспективности продолжения экспедиционных работ на памятнике.
Results of Field Works on Middle Paleolithic Complexes of Strashnaya Сave in 2018
Problems of Archaeology, Ethnography, Anthropology of Siberia and Neighboring Territories, 2018
In 2018, comprehensive studies of Pleistocene layers, containing earliest archaeological horizons, were continued in Strashnaya cave. Sedimentation specifi city in the excavated area, in addition to the usual cave factors, was determined by introduction of diapiric type intrusion (deformation of layer 11) to the overlying layers. Developing during the postsedimentation period, this process has had a signifi cant infl uence on the other deposits in the central part of the cave. The archaeological collection from layers 6-9 comprises 110 artifacts. Primary reduction was based on radial fl aking. The toolkit includes side-scrapers, spur-like tools and retouched fl akes. Techno-typological characteristics and stratigraphic context attest to the Middle Paleolithic attribution of this archaeological complex. One of the most signifi cant fi nds of the excavations in 2018 was a human deciduous tooth (Homo sp.) found in the course of cleaning of layer 5. According to preliminary data, the age of the individual was 9-11 years.
Bone Retouchers in the Middle Paleolithic Complexes of Chagyrskaya Cave
Теория и практика археологических исследований, 2016
Журнал основан в 2005 г. С 2016 г. выходит 4 раза в год Учредителем издания является Алтайский государственный университет Утвержден к печати Объединенным научно-тех ническим советом АГУ Все права защищены. Ни одна из частей журнала либо издание в целом не могут быть перепечатаны без письменного разрешения авторов или издателя Печатное издание «Теория и практика археологических исследований»
The article presents first and preliminary results of an experimental study conducted as a part of the multidisciplinary exploration of the Middle Paleolithic complexes in Chagyrskaya Cave in 2017. Research program included physical simulation of mineral raw material knapping and stone tools production, as well as experiments on manufacturing bone tools and using the resulting bone replicas for processing organic and non-organic materials available to the inhabitants of Chagyrskaya Cave. The experiments on processing stone tools by retouchers made of long bones of large mammals have made it possible to identify the sequence traces of utilization and compare the results with the tools from the archaeological assemblage of Chagyrskaya Cave. This data forms the basis for the further experimental trace analysis of the Middle Paleolithic complexes from the Altai Mountains.
2017
The article features an analysis of the Neolithic portion of the Gulyukovo I site – a multilayer monument of the Neolithic and Late Bronze Age periods. The Neolithic ceramics discovered at the site is classified into three groups: comb ceramics of the Kama culture, spindle ceramics of the Tatar-Azibey type, and ceramics with notches (toothed ceramics) dating back to various time periods throughout the entire Neolithic. As a result of a comparing these types of ceramics with similar materials from the Neolithic sites of the Kama region and the Ik and Belaya interfluves area, the authors concluded that they correspond to the late Neolithitic period. At the same time, the comb ceramic complex from the Gulyukovo I site presumably dates back to the early Levshino stage of the Kama culture – middle or third quarter of 5th millennium B.C., which is evidenced by a series of similar features determined after the dating value was adjusted. The authors suppose that the complex of spindle ceramics of the Tatar-Azibey type corresponds to a later chronological period. On the basis of its analogies it can be dated late 5th – early 4th millennia B.C. after the adjustment.
The scientific research activities performed in 2014 by the Institute of Archaeology named after A.Kh. Khalikov, Tatarstan Academy of Sciences, covered a wide range of fundamental and applied research related to the implementation of various programs and projects in the field of research and preservation of the historical and cultural heritage of Tatarstan, Russian and Eurasian peoples. The activities were based on contemporary principles of interdisciplinary research performed in close cooperation with leading research centers, institutions of higher education, state and corporate entities of the Tatarstan Republic, Russian Federation and foreign countries. Научно-исследовательская деятельность Института археологии им. А.Х. Халикова Академии наук Республики Татарстан в 2014 г. охватывала широкий спектр фундаментальных исследований и прикладных работ, связанных с реализацией разнообразных программ и проектов по изучению и сохранению историко-культурного наследия народов Татарстана, России и Евразии в целом. В их основе лежат современные принципы междисциплинарных исследований, проводимых в тесном сотрудничестве с ведущими научными центрами, вузами, государственными и корпоративными структурами республики, Российской Федерации, зарубежных стран.
Geological Journal, 2018
The main achievements of the staff of the Department of paleontology and stratigraphy of the Paleozoic deposits of the Institute of the Geological Sciences of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine for the period from 1990 to 2018 were highlighted. Their goal was to identify the regularities of the geological structure of the sedimentary cover of different regions of Ukraine, to use the phenomena of the animal and plant world evolution during the Paleozoic to justify the stratigraphic boundaries as boundaries of reorganization of paleoecosystems of different rank. The main directions of research are considered: the study and monographic description of the most important groups of fossils with the aim of construction of zonal biostratigraphic scales and detailed regional stratigraphic schemes for Paleozoic systems of different regions of Ukraine; participation in the research of the international projects of the International Union of Geological Sciences for the improvement of the International Chronostratigraphic Paleozoic Scale; the study of the distribution of facies and formations in the past geological epochs, the compilation of lithofacial and paleogeographical maps. Creation of an independent school of highly qualified internationally estimated stratigraphers and paleontologists, authors of papers and books of the international level and stratigraphic schemes of all the Paleozoic systems of Ukraine, as well as its own Stratigraphic Code are considered as the most important achievements of the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in the field of paleontology and stratigraphy for 100 years of its existence. The main trends in the development of paleontological and stratigraphic studies throughout the world and the possibilities for their development in the Institute of Geological Sciences of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine are indicated.
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