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. Radio...

We present an arhaeoparasitological analysis of a unique burial from the Neftprovod II burial ground in East Siberia, which dated from the Bronze Age. Analysis of a sediment sample from the sacral region of the pelvis revealed the presence of Taenia sp. eggs. Because uncooked animal tissue is the primary source of Taenia, this indicated that the individual was likely consuming raw or undercooked meat of roe deer, red deer, or elk infected with Taenia. This finding represents the oldest case of a human infected with Taenia sp. from Eastern Siberia and Russia.

Antemortem cranial trepanation in the Late Bronze Age in Western Siberia We report a case study of cranial trepanation in a male subject 30 to 40 years of age from the Nefteprovod II burial ground in the Anzhevsk archeological site. This burial dates back to the Late Bronze Age, in particular the Karasuk culture located in the Minusinsk Basin on the Yenisey River and on the upper reaches of the Ob River. The left parietal bone had an opening with evident signs of bone healing, as well as signs of inflammatory reaction from both bone plates of the calvarium. The strongest signs of inflammation were located around the trepanation opening at the exocranium, suggesting that it occurred after, rather than before, the operation. Although trepanation was the main cause for the development of the changes noted above, there are no reasons to believe that the subject died from complications arising from infection after trepanation. The patient survived and later died for reasons that may never be determined. Medical necessity was the most likely justification for trepanation. Immersion in altered states of consciousness may also have been a necessary part of the trepanation process as a mode of sedation, along with other shamanic practices, such as consumption of psychotropic substances or ecstatic dance. These data, together with reports This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. of other antemortem burials, raised questions about the application of anesthesia and possible techniques of cranial trepanation. These issues and possible postoperative complications are discussed in the following text.

The article presents the materials of the Late Paleolithic site Spartak I that was found in Irkutsk in 1996. The site has seven stratigraphic layers. Archaeological and paleontological remains consist in layer 6. Lithic collection counts 312 specimens among which are hammerstones, cores, flakes and rare blades, tools, debitage and retouch waste. Also there are two bone fragments with cut marks. Core reduction was aimed at shortened wide blanks with exploitation of planar parallel and radial reduction system. General types of tool blanks were wide frequently clumpy flakes. Blades and blade tools are quite rare in collection and made only from chert rocks. Set of stone tools counts 46 specimens among which are chopper, side-scrapers, end-scrapers of various types, thorned tools, borers, retouched flakes and blades, specific adze-like unifacial tools. The scaled semi-abrupt and abrupt invasive dorsal retouches were applied in majority of cases. Combination of sidescapers’ various types and upper Paleolithic forms like end-scrapers and borers in single complex characterizes Paleolithic sites of Irkutsk and neighborhood in range of 40 000–30 000 years ago.

The article represents an analysis of the lithic collection excavated during numerous field researches of the Upper Paleolithic site Gerasimova I (located in Irkutsk) in 2007–2009. Cultural remains were found in 2 horizons. Lower, second horizon was recorded in soliflucted layer of the Upper Karga loams with radiocarbon ages dated 37–27 ka BP. The core reduction was aimed at shortened wide blanks with the exploitation of planar (more rare volume) parallel unidirectional and radial reduction system with a minimal preparation of preform. General types of tools are the following: side-scapers, end-scrapers, rare bifaces, knife-like and thorned tools. Upper, the first horizon of cultural remains was recorded at the bottom of the Lower-Middle Sartan loams with radiocarbon ages of 22–18 ka BP. The sparse lithic collection contains some indications of blade and microblade reduction. There were found edge-faced and prismatic cores, blade- and flake-based tools in collection. The lithic industry of the second horizon correlates with such assemblages as Mamony II (horizon 2), Shchapova I and Spartak I. First horizon’s materials are too scanty for correlations.

The paper deals with materials of new Upper Paleolithic site in Irkutsk named after M. P. Aksenov (1934–2002), the well-known archaeologist, researcher of the Stone Age in Eastern Siberia. Aksenov site was found in 2016 and is situated at the north of Irkutsk, in 3,5 km from Arembovskiy Paleolithic workshop. Cultural remaines were found in two positions but they came from one technocomplex (according to vast number of artifact application links). Lithic collection consists of 324 artifacts made of limestone almost completely. There were three strategies of primary knapping. The first core reduction was aimed at blade and flake blanks with exploitation of flat parallel uni- and bidirectional reduction system, the second – at flake using radial system and the third – at bladelet by edge faced knapping. General types of tools are end-scrapers, knifes and retouched blades, other tool categories such side-scraper, notched piece, thorned piece and point are sporadic. Blade and flake blanks are used in producing of tools in equal degrees but bladelet tools are absent. Scaled invasive dorsal retouch was applied in majority of cases. Chronometric position of the complex is not clear today. Cultural layer could be interpreted as Karginskii sediment (on the basis of its structure and layout) but without absolute dating the age of it should be attribute in wide diapason of MIS 3 – MIS 2. The most similar techno-typological and raw materials characteristics are recognized in industry of Paleolithic workshop Arembovskiy that preliminary age is 35–25 thosands years ago. The close spatial location of these two sites and their raw materials and technological likeness afford ground for hypothesizing of existence in prehistorian times the «knapping workshop – site system». This supposition considers revising during future field and analytic researches.

The paper deals with materials of the Upper Paleolithic site Mamony II situated at the north-east of Irkutsk near eponymous village. The site was found in 1995 and excavated in 2011–2012. Cultural remains were found in 2 horizons. The lower, 2nd horizon was recorded in solifluctional loess of layer 4 with radiocarbon age dated 40–30 ka BP (second part of MIS 3). Lithic collection consists of 2318 artifacts made of quartzite, chert, effusive rock, quartz and argillite. There were two strategies of primary knapping. The first core reduction was aimed at flake blanks with exploitation of flat unidirectional reduction system, the second – at flake blanks also using radial system. General types of tools are side-scrapers, end-scrapers, pièce écaillée, thorned tools, rare burins, choppers and retouched blades. The upper, 1st horizon of cultural remains was recorded in loess loams of layer 3 with supposed age 21–18 ka BP (first part of MIS 2). Lithic collection consists of 425 artifacts made of the same raw materials that were used in the industry of the 2nd horizon. The sparse collection doesn’t contain any specific features for characterizing of its habitus; rare tools are presented by end-scrapers, burins and retouched flakes and blades. The lithic industry of the 2nd horizon correlates with such nearest synchronous assemblages as Gerasimova 1 (horizon 2), Spartak 1 and Shchapova 1. The unified chronometry, technical-typological characteristics and presence of non-utilitarian ornamented items allow us to single out the local industrial group named after the most informative complex of Mamony group. The lithic collection of the 1st horizon yields little information for correlation. We can notice that materials of the 1st horizon have several synchronous neighbors – Gerasimova 1 (horizon 1), Shchapova 2, New Angara Bridge (horizon 4) but their collection also sparse and can’t be correlated. Perhaps, the future excavations will allow us to better imagine the nature of the material culture of the middle stages of the Upper Paleolithic in the region.