New evidence for Paleolithic human behavior in Mongolia: The Kharganyn Gol 5 site (original) (raw)
Related papers
A new Upper Paleolithic occupation at the site of Tolbor-21 (Mongolia): Site formation, human behavior and implications for the regional sequence, 2020
In Central and East Asia, the Upper Paleolithic dates as early as 45 ka cal BP, but until recently, there was little reliable information concerning human occupation during the following period, between 45 and 40 ka cal BP. Here we present results of the excavation of the site of Tolbor-21, in the Selenga drainage system, Northern Mongolia. We focus on Tolbor-21 Archeological Horizon 4 (AH4), an archeological assemblage that documents human occupations that fall stratigraphically and chronologically between the Initial and the Early Upper Paleolithic. We report on the spatial distribution of the finds, the zooarcheological and the lithic data to determine which of the observations reflect post-depositional processes, and which are informative of human behavior. Our initial results presented here show evidence of reworking and preservation bias on a succession of occupations, the exploitation of medium/large herbivores, and a potential structured use of space. At the regional level, our results suggest that improving the resolution of data collection may identify previously undocumented episodes of human occupation. At a broader scale, the Tolbor-21 AH4 assemblage brings new perspectives on the development of the Early Upper Paleolithic in Central and Northeast Asia.
Quaternary International, 2020
In Central and East Asia, the Upper Paleolithic dates as early as 45 ka cal BP, but until recently, there was little reliable information concerning human occupation during the following period, between 45 and 40 ka cal BP. Here we present results of the excavation of the site of Tolbor-21, in the Selenga drainage system, Northern Mongolia. We focus on Tolbor-21 Archeological Horizon 4 (AH4), an archeological assemblage that documents human occupations that fall stratigraphically and chronologically between the Initial and the Early Upper Paleolithic. We report on the spatial distribution of the finds, the zooarcheological and the lithic data to determine which of the observations reflect post-depositional processes, and which are informative of human behavior. Our initial results presented here show evidence of reworking and preservation bias on a succession of occupations, the exploitation of medium/large herbivores, and a potential structured use of space. At the regional level, our results suggest that improving the resolution of data collection may identify previously undocumented episodes of human occupation. At a broader scale, the Tolbor-21 AH4 assemblage brings new perspectives on the development of the Early Upper Paleolithic in Central and Northeast Asia.
Acta Anthropologica Sinica, 2022
Mongolia’s unique geographical location between northern China and the Siberian Plateau of Russia has facilitated its role as a corridor of regional cultural connection since the Pleistocene. It is evident from archaeological studies of Upper Paleolithic sites at Tsagaan Agui and Chikhen Agui in Bayankhongor province (southwest Mongolia), that the Early Upper Paleolithic of Mongolia dates to ca. 33-27 kaBP. Here, we present the results of archaeological analyses of Paleolithic remains from six sites in the Tsagaan Turuut River Valley located in Galuut district, northern Bayankhongor province. These newly discovered sites significantly expand our knowledge of the prehistory of central Mongolia and, by extension, the larger Central Asian region. The knapping technology at these sites is based on radial cores and unidirectional prismatic cores. Our analyses of lithics from these six sites suggest cultural continuity from the earliest to the final stage of the Early Upper Paleolithic. Special tools such as points and large bifaces were recovered. One radiocarbon date of ≥43,500 cal BP (Beta TSTC1) was generated on a bone sample from the lower layers of a test pit in the Tsagaan Baast Valley.
ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR IN NORTHERN MONGOLIA DURING THE UPPER PLEISTOCENE
This paper discusses the results of multidisciplinary studies of culture-bearing horizons uncovered at the Tolbor-4 site in Mongolia. Lithological analysis suggests that the entire sedimentary sequence belongs to the terminal Upper Pleistocene. The lowermost portion of the pro le is attributed to the late Zyryanka period, the middle portion to the Karga period, and the upper portion, Layers 2 and 3, to the Sartan period. Layers 4 and 5 seem to be contemporaneous; however this attribution contradicts the chronology established on the basis of techno-typological analysis of archaeological materials and their correlation with analogous well-dated sites in contiguous regions. This contradiction can be resolved only through the generation of chronometric dates. Palynological analysis of samples from the Tolbor-4 pro le suggests a gradual and continuous desiccation of the local climate, a regime that was bene cial for human habitation, without any catastrophic changes throughout the period of human occupation of the site.