TY - JOUR

T1 - Ushbulak—A new stratified Upper Paleolithic site in northeastern Kazakhstan

AU - Anoikin, A. A.

AU - Pavlenok, G. D.

AU - Kharevich, V. M.

AU - Taimagambetov, Z. K.

AU - Shalagina, A. V.

AU - Gladyshev, S. A.

AU - Ulyanov, V. A.

AU - Duvanbekov, R. S.

AU - Shunkov, M. V.

PY - 2019

Y1 - 2019

N2 - We present thefindings ofexcavations at the stratified site of Ushbulak, discovered during a joint Russian-Kazakhstan research project in 2016. The site is located in the Shilikty Valley, northeastern Kazakhstan, at the junction of routes connecting southwestern Central Asia, southern Siberia, and northern China. On the basis of stratigraphy, chronology, and technological evidence, we identify three technological complexes, relating to the Metal Ages (stratum 1), Final Upper Paleolithic (strata 2-4), and Initial Upper Paleolithic (strata 5.2-7). Focusing on the principal markers of the Initial Upper Paleolithic in the region, we conclude that finds from strata 5.2-7 belong to the southern Siberian-Mongolian variant of the Initial Upper Paleolithic, as evidenced by the uni- and bidirectional parallel volumetric blade core reduction, tool types, and absolute chronology. The tool kit includes mostly endscrapers, heavily retouched blades, and truncated-facetted or notched implements. Particularly diagnostic types include waisted blade, blade with a ventrally retouched distal edge, beveled point, backed blade, stemmed implement with a sharp tip, stemmed endscraper, and burin-core. Two AMS-dates from stratum 6 date this layer to ca 36,180 ± 730 and 41,110 ± 302 BP. The closest known parallels to the industry of the lower strata of Ushbulak arefinds from horizon UP2 ofKara-Bom in the Russian Altai. Our results suggest that Ushbulak strata 5.2-7 correlate with the Initial Upper Paleolithic industries of the Altai (Denisova Cave), northern China (Luotoshi), and Mongolia (Tolbor-4 and -21).

AB - We present thefindings ofexcavations at the stratified site of Ushbulak, discovered during a joint Russian-Kazakhstan research project in 2016. The site is located in the Shilikty Valley, northeastern Kazakhstan, at the junction of routes connecting southwestern Central Asia, southern Siberia, and northern China. On the basis of stratigraphy, chronology, and technological evidence, we identify three technological complexes, relating to the Metal Ages (stratum 1), Final Upper Paleolithic (strata 2-4), and Initial Upper Paleolithic (strata 5.2-7). Focusing on the principal markers of the Initial Upper Paleolithic in the region, we conclude that finds from strata 5.2-7 belong to the southern Siberian-Mongolian variant of the Initial Upper Paleolithic, as evidenced by the uni- and bidirectional parallel volumetric blade core reduction, tool types, and absolute chronology. The tool kit includes mostly endscrapers, heavily retouched blades, and truncated-facetted or notched implements. Particularly diagnostic types include waisted blade, blade with a ventrally retouched distal edge, beveled point, backed blade, stemmed implement with a sharp tip, stemmed endscraper, and burin-core. Two AMS-dates from stratum 6 date this layer to ca 36,180 ± 730 and 41,110 ± 302 BP. The closest known parallels to the industry of the lower strata of Ushbulak arefinds from horizon UP2 ofKara-Bom in the Russian Altai. Our results suggest that Ushbulak strata 5.2-7 correlate with the Initial Upper Paleolithic industries of the Altai (Denisova Cave), northern China (Luotoshi), and Mongolia (Tolbor-4 and -21).

KW - Blades

KW - Central Asia

KW - Cores

KW - Initial Upper Paleolithic

KW - Kazakhstan

KW - Lithic industry

KW - Tool kit

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85082325159&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=43275117

U2 - 10.17746/1563-0110.2019.47.4.016-029

DO - 10.17746/1563-0110.2019.47.4.016-029

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85082325159

VL - 47

SP - 16

EP - 29

JO - Archaeology, Ethnology and Anthropology of Eurasia

JF - Archaeology, Ethnology and Anthropology of Eurasia

SN - 1563-0110

IS - 4

M1 - 2

ER -