Chronology and Faunal Remains of the Khayrgas Cave (Eastern Siberia, Russia)

Abstract

The Khayrgas Cave in Yakutia (eastern Siberia) is one of the most important Upper Paleolithic sites in northern Asia, and has been the subject of extensive 14C dating and study of mammal bones. The upper part of the cave sequence (Layers 2–4) dates to the Holocene (~4100–8200 BP), and the lower part (Layers 5–7) to the Late Pleistocene (~13,100–21,500 BP). In Layers 2–4, only extant animal species are known; ecologically they belong to a forest-type ecosystem. In Layers 5–7, several extinct species were identified, and the environment at that time corresponded to open and semi-open ecosystems. The Khayrgas Cave provides rare but reliable evidence of human occupation in the deep continental region of eastern Siberia at the Last Glacial Maximum, ~20,700–21,500 BP.

Geoarchaeological Analysis of Northeast Asian Stone Age – Review of V.V. Pitul’ko and E.Y. Pavlova. Geoarchaeology & Radiocarbon Chronology of Stone Age Northeast Asia. 2016. Texas A&M University Press. ISBN: 978-1-62349-330-1; xv+222 pages, with 54 illustrations and 26 tables.

“…Recent study of the Khayrgas site in the Lena River basin (also in central Yakutia), with Dyuktai cultural component in clear stratigraphic position, resulted in determination of its age as ca. 20,700–21,500 BP (Kuzmin et al 2017), and this confirms opinion of Pitulko and Pavlova. In the northeasternmost part of the region, the duration of the Dyuktai complex has been extended up to ca.…”

Human population dynamics and Yersinia pestis in ancient northeast Asia

“…The Khaiyrgas Cave on the middle Lena is one of the earliest locations of post-LGM human occupation in northeast Asia ( 8 , 19 , 20 ). However, origin and legacy of people who settled this part of northeast Asia remain unknown.…”

Beringia and the peopling of the Western Hemisphere

“…Our conclusion is bolstered by evidence from various spatial and temporal contexts in northern Eurasia that modern humans occupied most climate zones and habitats of the Northern Hemisphere after 45 ka, including the LGM during 26.5–19 ka [76,84]. Rather than presenting an ecological barrier , the large mammal populations of the GAP—much of which lies within arctic Beringia—probably attracted modern humans to high latitudes, although genetic adaptation to low UV radiation, especially in the absence of dietary sources of vitamin D, may have been an important factor in the settlement history of the GAP [79].…”

“…These artefacts are found in older levels at Khaiyrgas Cave dating to the later LGM (approx. 24 ka) [74][75][76].…”

“…An initial phase of extreme cold was interrupted by a brief interstadial (GI 2) at 24-23 ka, followed by another interval of low temperatures that were slightly milder than the initial phase [21]. Despite the extreme, sustained cryo-arid climate, which lowered plant and animal biomass, new research indicates that people were present in the colder and drier regions of northern Eurasia, including the central East European Plain and subarctic Siberia, although their numbers may have been significantly reduced [76,84].…”