Papers by Kseniya Kolobova
Проблемы археологии, этнографии, антропологии Сибири и сопредельных территорий, 2021
но 2 м 2. Было исследовано пять стратиграфических подразделений, четыре из которых содержат много... more но 2 м 2. Было исследовано пять стратиграфических подразделений, четыре из которых содержат многочисленный палеонтологический материал. В двух слоях были обнаружены каменные артефакты, дополнившие немногочисленную коллекцию прошлого года. Предварительные абсолютные AMS-даты свидетельствуют о том, что пещера периодически посещалась древними людьми в период развитого верхнего палеолита и в конце среднего палеолита. Видовой состав, межвидовое соотношение и набор сохранившихся костных остатков из нижних слоев памятника типичны для пещерных тафоценозов, сформированных в результате пищевой активности крупных хищников, в первую очередь пещерных гиен. В тафоценозе памятника доминируют виды открытых пространств, в меньшем количестве определены виды лесостепных, лесных и скальных биотопов. Исследование рыхлых отложений пещеры Верхняя Сибирячиха по предварительным абсолютным датировкам, синхронным культуросодержащим отложениям пещеры Окладникова, предоставляет возможность детальной реконструкции палеоэкологических условий обитания неандертальцев. Результаты последнего полевого сезона свидетельствуют о том, что пещера Верхняя Сибирячиха на протяжении поздних этапов плейстоцена являлась логовом хищников, изредка посещаемым разными группами древних людей.
Theory and Practice of Archaeological Research, 2018
Paleolithic sites in Altai became widely known not only due to the unique paleoanthropological re... more Paleolithic sites in Altai became widely known not only due to the unique paleoanthropological remains, but also because of the discovery of the traces of the non-utilitarian activity of the earliest ancient humans. In the Initial Upper Paleolithic complexes from the Denisova Cave, a numerous assemblage of ornaments and tools made of bone and antler was discovered. Up to the latest research stage the finds of bone tools were unique among the regional Initial and Early Upper Paleolithic. This situation changed with the discovery in the Upper Paleolithic assemblages from the Strashnaya cave of bone tools including various pendants, needles, points and perforators. One of the most impressive part of the bone industry from the Strashnaya cave are two bone needles. The first proximal-medial fragment of the needle with the eyelet was found at the bottom part of the Upper Paleolithic deposits (layer 33). The second find, a distal fragment, originated from the layer 31а in the upper part of the profile. The main stages of both needles manufacture and utilization were reconstructed. Taking in account the available radiocarbon dates, bone needles from the Strashnaya cave fit into a chronological interval of 44 to 19 kyr. A comparison of the bone needles with the needles from the Paleolithic sites from nearby territories made it possible to reveal analogies in the Initial and Early Upper Paleolithic complexes of the Denisova Cave, the Talbaga site (Transbaikal region ), and in the assemblages from Middle Yenisei Upper Paleolithic sites (Lystinka, Afontova Gora-2
Stratum plus. Archaeology and Cultural Anthropology, 2022
Research in recent years has demonstrated complex Neanderthal activity, comparable to that of ana... more Research in recent years has demonstrated complex Neanderthal activity, comparable to that of anatomically modern humans, in the context of bone tool production, pigments, adhesive compositions and non-utilitarian activities. The most numerous and widespread bone tools in Eurasian and African Middle Paleolithic are retouchers, which have been investigated for more than a century. The paper discusses various research approaches to the study of bone retouchers and the scientific results obtained throughout the history of the study of these tools. Traditionally, retouchers have been perceived by researchers as informal, situationally applied tools for retouching, or shaping various stone tools. Nevertheless, the scientific results obtained in the study of retouchers demonstrate the possibilities of their interpretation as formal tools and often link them to possible ritual activities, including the practice of cannibalism.
The article presents the first results of studies concerning the raw material procurement and fau... more The article presents the first results of studies concerning the raw material procurement and fauna exploitation of the Easternmost Neanderthals from the Russian Altai. We investigated the Chagyrskaya Cave-a key-site of the Sibiryachikha Middle Paleolithic variant. The cave is known for a large number of Neanderthal remains associated with the Sibiryachikha techno-complex, which includes assemblages of both lithic artifacts and bone tools. According to our results, a Neanderthal population has used the cave over a few millennia. They hunted juvenile, semi-adult and female bisons in the direct vicinity of the site. Human impact on the paleontological remains provides additional evidence about the exploitation and consumption of at least part of the carcasses at the spot, which is characteristic for a consumption site. The first seasonal data available for the Altai Middle Paleolithic indicates that the death of the animals occurred at the end of the warm season, which corresponds to the annual migration of the Bison priscus from the plains to the Altai foothills. The results of the attribute analysis of lithic artifacts suggest that raw pebbles from the nearby riverbed had been transported to the cave in one piece. The spatial data, the large amounts of lithic tools, the presence of bones with cut marks as well as the quantity of bone tools indicate a high intensity of the cave occupations. The composition of the artifact assemblage from Chagyrskaya Cave is characterized by a relatively high percentage of tools and débitage and a low percentage of cores and bifacial tools. The large number of cortical flakes, a significant number of partly cortical flakes (including different varieties of débordant core-trimming elements), as well as the presence of bifacial thinning flakes and chips are a clear indication of on-site core reduction and tool production. The metrical parameters of the cortical and non-cortical regular flakes testify to the complete reduction sequence on the site. In order to produce tools, the biggest blanks available have been chosen intentionally. The results obtained from the assemblage from Chagyrskaya Cave do not fit to the existing functional variability of the Altai Middle Paleolithic, which was dominated by "ephemeral" hunting camps and base camps with relatively low-intensive raw material utilization. The techno-typological characteristics of the Chagyrskaya Cave assemblage are completely consistent with the characteristics of the Crimean Miсoquian techno-complex, which is an integral part of the European Miсoquian. With regard to the settlement pattern, Chagyrskaya Cave is typical for a recurrently visited base camp with the exploitation and consumption of animal carcasses and an intensive lithic reduction as well as bone tool production. Such a site function demonstrates a considerable overlap with the Eastern and Central European Micoquian. Zusammenfassung-In dem vorliegenden Artikel werden erste Ergebnisse zu Strategien der Rohmaterialbeschaffung und Faunennutzung aus dem östlichsten Bereich des Verbreitungsgebietes der Neandertaler bekannt gegeben. Untersucht wurde die Chagyrskaya Cave im Russischen Altai, eine Schlüsselfundstelle der Sibiryachikha-Fazies des dortigen Mittelpaläolithikums mit Erhaltung nicht nur umfangreicher Steingeräte-Inventare und Überresten der Jagdbeute, sondern auch-zum ersten Mal in der Region-mit Knochenartfakten. Die Höhle erfuhr bereits große Popularität durch die Entdeckung zahlreicher fossiler Überreste des Neandertalers, die innerhalb der Abfolge in der Chagyrskaya Cave ausschließlich mit der Sibiryachikha-Fazies vergesellschaftet sind. Die vorläufigen Ergebnisse lassen bereits jetzt den Schluss zu, dass die Höhle über mehrere Jahrtausende hinweg von einer Neandertaler-Population genutzt wurde. Im Zuge der Begehungen wurden vor allem juvenile und semi-adulte weibliche Bisons in der unmittelbaren der Fundstelle Umgebung gejagt. Anthropogene Manipulationen an den Faunenresten deuten auf
Archaeology and Ethnography, 2021
Purpose. The subject of the article are splintered pieces and their variability from the Upper Pa... more Purpose. The subject of the article are splintered pieces and their variability from the Upper Paleolithic assemblies from Central Asia, which have not yet undergone special study. The authors employed an experimental approach to verify data obtained through the analysis of archaeological splintered pieces and to explore modification patterns of these tools. Results. Experiments included splitting various soft organic materials with splintered pieces, including red deer antler, wood, and bone. The experimental use of splintered pieces allowed to draw the following conclusions. The edge characteristic to splintered pieces was shaped by contact with hammers, but not with the soft material to be processed. Double-edged splintered pieces were produced when the tool was rotated and a new stage of use was performed. The morphology of splintered pieces varies depending on the intensity of their use. Conclusion. In the case of Central Asian splintered pieces (Tien-Shan and Siberia), the aut...
Archaeology, Ethnology and Anthropology of Eurasia (Russian-language), 2020
Применение геофизических методов в пещерах позволяет существенно повысить эффективность археологи... more Применение геофизических методов в пещерах позволяет существенно повысить эффективность археологических исследований, однако имеет ряд особенностей в связи с ограниченностью пространства для проведения измерений и сложностью строения окружающей среды в сравнении с наземными объектами. В 2017 г. при помощи электротомографии была исследована пещера Сельунгур в Ферганской долине (Кыргызстан). С учетом приведенных выше соображений в процессе работы возник вопрос о достоверности полученных данных. С целью его прояснения был поставлен численный эксперимент для определения влияния трехмерной геометрии пещеры на результаты двумерной инверсии. Установлено, что вариации в геометрических параметрах пещеры приводят к неожиданным ложным аномалиям, иногда к весьма значительным ошибкам в определении положения и электрического сопротивления скального фундамента. В случае расходящихся книзу стен пещеры применение инверсии, основанной на двумерной модели, может дать верный геоэлектрический разрез. Та...
Archaeology, Ethnology and Anthropology of Eurasia (Russian-language), 2020
Костяные ретушеры являются самыми распространенными орудиями для обработки каменного сырья в сред... more Костяные ретушеры являются самыми распространенными орудиями для обработки каменного сырья в среднепалеолитических комплексах Евразии. Обычно они воспринимаются палеолитоведами как неформальные немодифицированные орудия на фрагментах костей, случайно полученных в процессе расщепления костей с целью извлечения костного мозга. В статье приводятся новые данные по многочисленной коллекции костяных ретушеров из комплекса Чагырской пещеры (Горный Алтай). Метрические параметры этих орудий демонстрируют высокий уровень стандартизации заготовок, которая свидетельствует об избирательности неандертальцев. Также отбор производился по видам животных и анатомической позиции костей. В ходе исследования было зафиксировано, что такие морфологические характеристики, как количество рабочих зон и степень их сработанности, не оказывают влияния на размеры ретушеров и свидетельствуют только о переориентации орудий в процессе работы с камнем. В ходе ретуширования поперечные сечения диагностических следов в...
Quaternary International, 2020
Middle Paleolithic variability in Central Asia: lithic assemblage of Sel'Ungur cave. Since the be... more Middle Paleolithic variability in Central Asia: lithic assemblage of Sel'Ungur cave. Since the beginning of 21 st 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. Restarted 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.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2020
Significance Neanderthals once inhabited Europe and western Asia, spreading as far east as the Al... more Significance Neanderthals once inhabited Europe and western Asia, spreading as far east as the Altai Mountains in southern Siberia, but the geographical origin and time of arrival of the Altai populations remain unresolved. Excavations at Chagyrskaya Cave in the Altai foothills have yielded 90,000 stone artifacts, numerous bone tools, 74 Neanderthal fossils, and animal and plant remains recovered from 59,000- to 49,000-year-old deposits. The Chagyrskaya Neanderthals made distinctive stone tools that closely resemble Micoquian artifacts from eastern Europe, whereas other Altai sites occupied by earlier Neanderthal populations lack such artifacts. This suggests at least two dispersals of Neanderthals into southern Siberia, with the likely ancestral homeland of the Chagyrskaya toolmakers located 3,000 to 4,000 kilometers to the west, in eastern Europe.
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2018
Until recently, every industry with geometric microliths in Central Asia has been classified as M... more Until recently, every industry with geometric microliths in Central Asia has been classified as Mesolithic solely on the basis that this technology appeared quite late in the region. The situation was further complicated by the absence of absolute dates for Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic sites from this region. Recent research has proved a clear association between the earliest geometric microliths in Central Asia and the Upper Paleolithic Kulbulakian culture (Shugnou, layer 1; Kulbulak, layer 2.1). The most comprehensive archeological collection in Central Asia that documents the shift from the production of non-geometric microliths (backed bladelet, Arzheneh points) to geometric microliths (scalene triangles) in a very early chronological context is Dodekatym-2 site. The main morphometric characteristics of the Central Asian Upper Paleolithic geometric microliths correspond to the development of the Upper Paleolithic and Epipaleolithic of the Near East (Masraquan cultures) and the Middle East (Zarzian culture). The absolute dates available for the Dodecatym-2 site are older than presently known ones for the early Epipaleolithic Levantine industries with geometric microliths, thus making it possible to conclude that Central Asia was at least one of the microlitization origin centers.
Bulletin of the Irkutsk State University. Geoarchaeology, Ethnology, and Anthropology Series, 2018
Antiquity, 2018
New data from Strashnaya Cave have revealed previously unknown complexity in hominin occupation o... more New data from Strashnaya Cave have revealed previously unknown complexity in hominin occupation of the Altai Mountains, including the first regional evidence for the presence of anatomically modern humans.
Antiquity, 2018
New data from Strashnaya Cave have revealed previously unknown complexity in hominin occupation o... more New data from Strashnaya Cave have revealed previously unknown complexity in hominin occupation of the Altai Mountains, including the first regional evidence for the presence of anatomically modern humans.
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2016
Kulbulak (Uzbekistan) is among the most important Paleolithic sites in Central Asia. Based on exc... more Kulbulak (Uzbekistan) is among the most important Paleolithic sites in Central Asia. Based on excavations from the 1960s to the 1980s, a stratigraphic sequence yielding 46 archeological horizons of the Lower, Middle and Upper Paleolithic has been described. The lowermost 22 layers were at that time defined as Acheulean, both in cultural and chronological aspects. Based on these previous works, Kulbulak has thus often been cited as one of the rarest occurrences of Lower Paleolithic and Acheulean in the region. However, this attribution was debatable. New excavations at Kulbulak in 2007-2010 provided new material and the first reliable dates that permitted us to tackle this issue. Moreover, a reappraisal of the lithic collections and documents from previous excavations was also conducted. These new data clearly indicate the absence of Acheulean or even Lower Paleolithic at Kulbulak. On the contrary, the lithic assemblages from this site only correspond to Middle and Upper Paleolithic periods. The lowermost layers are particularly interesting due to the presence of an early industry with blade and bladelet technology.
Izvestiya of Altai State University, 2015
Archaeology, Ethnology and Anthropology of Eurasia (Russian-language)., 2015
The assemblages of the Sibiryachikha facies of the Middle Paleolithic stand out in terms of their... more The assemblages of the Sibiryachikha facies of the Middle Paleolithic stand out in terms of their production technology and typology among the other contemporary lithic assemblages of Gorny Altai. In this study, the role of raw materials in the development of characteristic features of the Okladnikov and Chagyrskaya caves' industries is determined. The proximity of sources of the raw material used has been established, and the main principles of its exploitation (quality and availability) have been con rmed. For the Sibiryachikha facies of the Middle Paleolithic of the Altai, these principles were implemented through selection of easily-accessible good-quality stones and less accessible high-quality materials-Cambrian-Ordovician Zasurye jasperoids. The latter were used selectively, and the quality of raw materials was important for secondary working of stone tools in the Sibiryachikha assemblages. Increase in the proportion of artifacts made of Zasurye jasperoids in the later assemblages of the Sibiryachikha facies is not associated with the introduction of new techniques, and may re ect the increased availability of this high-quality material and the development of adaptive skills of the ancient population.
Archaeology, Ethnology and Anthropology of Eurasia, 2014
Before the 1970s, Eurasian Aurignacian artifacts of the carinated type were interpreted as tools,... more Before the 1970s, Eurasian Aurignacian artifacts of the carinated type were interpreted as tools, specifically endscrapers or burins. At present, they are more and more often regarded as cores for bladelets with a curved profile. In the southeast, their distribution area was previously believed to extend to the southern part of the Afghan-Tajik depression. Recent studies in western Central Asia, however, suggest that the boundary passes across northwestern High Asia. In this area, carinated pieces are associated with the Kulbulakian culture (35–30 to 20 ka; the upper chronological limit may be even later). Comparison with tentatively contemporaneous Aurignacian industries of the Levant, Zagros, and Gorny Altai indicates a common evolutionary trend, regional specificity notwithstanding.
Archaeology, Ethnology and Anthropology of Eurasia, 2011
Upper Paleolithic sites in the northern part of Western Central Asia are few, and their distribut... more Upper Paleolithic sites in the northern part of Western Central Asia are few, and their distribution is irregular. Most have no cultural layer. The scarcity of sites and nds is usually explained by depopulation in the 40-25 ka BP time range. Results of eld work conducted by expeditions from the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS in Uzbekistan since 1998 suggest that even an arid climate did not prevent humans from settling in the piedmonts and at middle altitudes. Findings of ve-year-long excavations at Dodekatym-2 have suggested a revision of traditional views concerning the Upper Paleolithic of the region, making it possible to reinterpret cultural parallels between the known Paleolithic sites in Uzbekistan.
Archaeology, Ethnology and Anthropology of Eurasia, 2012
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Papers by Kseniya Kolobova