TY - JOUR

T1 - Middle Paleolithic variability in Central Asia

T2 - Lithic assemblage of Sel'Ungur cave

AU - Krivoshapkin, Andrey

AU - Viola, Bence

AU - Chargynov, Temirlan

AU - Krajcarz, Maciej T.

AU - Krajcarz, Magdalena

AU - Fedorowicz, Stanisław

AU - Shnaider, Svetlana

AU - Kolobova, Kseniya

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2018 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA Copyright: Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

PY - 2020/1/10

Y1 - 2020/1/10

N2 - Since the beginning of 21st century, a new stage began in investigations of the Central Asian Palaeolithic. The main concern is to re-study the key regional sites, applying modern excavation techniques and up-to-date laboratory methods (including chronometric dating) in order to clarify the rationale and chronology of the local cultural sequences. This research allowed some crucial corrections about the chronological and cultural interpretations of the lithic industries in western Central Asia. This paper presents the first results obtained during our reexcavation of Sel'Ungur cave – usually assumed to be one of the earliest Paleolithic sites in Central Asia, described in the late 1980s as belonging to the early Acheulian technocomplex. Sel'Ungur cave is among the most important pre-Upper Palaeolithic site for our understanding of the Pleistocene inhabitants of Central Asia, as did not only yield rich lithic collections found stratified context but also numerous fossil faunal and even some hominin remains. Re-started at 2014, the new excavations at the site have provided enough evidence to refuse an Acheulian interpretation of site's assemblages. Based on detailed technological and typological analyses of the new lithic collection we argue that Sel'Ungurian complex fits better into the early stage of the regional Middle Paleolithic cultural variability. The previously available U-series date of around 126 ka (albeit without a reliable stratigraphic and spatial context), the new TL date 112 ± 19 ka establishing the lower limit, paleontological analyses of newly obtained material as well as the re-examination of the available information on macro- and microfaunal remains excavated in the earlier excavations, as well as the re-study of the anthropological finds support this assessment.

AB - Since the beginning of 21st century, a new stage began in investigations of the Central Asian Palaeolithic. The main concern is to re-study the key regional sites, applying modern excavation techniques and up-to-date laboratory methods (including chronometric dating) in order to clarify the rationale and chronology of the local cultural sequences. This research allowed some crucial corrections about the chronological and cultural interpretations of the lithic industries in western Central Asia. This paper presents the first results obtained during our reexcavation of Sel'Ungur cave – usually assumed to be one of the earliest Paleolithic sites in Central Asia, described in the late 1980s as belonging to the early Acheulian technocomplex. Sel'Ungur cave is among the most important pre-Upper Palaeolithic site for our understanding of the Pleistocene inhabitants of Central Asia, as did not only yield rich lithic collections found stratified context but also numerous fossil faunal and even some hominin remains. Re-started at 2014, the new excavations at the site have provided enough evidence to refuse an Acheulian interpretation of site's assemblages. Based on detailed technological and typological analyses of the new lithic collection we argue that Sel'Ungurian complex fits better into the early stage of the regional Middle Paleolithic cultural variability. The previously available U-series date of around 126 ka (albeit without a reliable stratigraphic and spatial context), the new TL date 112 ± 19 ka establishing the lower limit, paleontological analyses of newly obtained material as well as the re-examination of the available information on macro- and microfaunal remains excavated in the earlier excavations, as well as the re-study of the anthropological finds support this assessment.

KW - Archaeology

KW - Lithic assemblage

KW - Lower paleolithic

KW - Middle paleolithic

KW - Reassessment

KW - Sel'Ungur cave

KW - Techno-typological analysis

KW - Variability

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85055592830&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.quaint.2018.09.051

DO - 10.1016/j.quaint.2018.09.051

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85055592830

VL - 535

SP - 88

EP - 103

JO - Quaternary International

JF - Quaternary International

SN - 1040-6182

ER -