Middle Paleolithic variability in Central Asia: Lithic assemblage of Sel’Ungur cave

Кривошапкин, А.И.; Viola, Bence; Chargynov, T. T.; Krajcarz, Maciej T.; Krajcarz, Magdalena; Fedorowicz, Stanisław; Шнайдер, Светлана; Колобова, К. А.

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2018.09.051

Cited by 22 publications

(14 citation statements)

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“…The alteration of aeolian deposition and geogenic colluvial reworking seems to be a recurring pattern not only in caves of the semi-arid part of Central Asia (this work and Sel'ungur; Krivoshapkin et al, 2020) but also in the caves from the boreal and more humid Altai region. Available data from Strashnaya (Krivoshapkin et al, 2018(Krivoshapkin et al, , 2019, Chagyrskaya (Derevianko et al, 2018), and Ust'-Kanskaya (Lesage et al, 2020), suggest that some cave sequences in the Altai are punctuated by the accumulation of loess-like sediments and autochthonous colluvial reworking.…”

Section: The Qaratau Caves In the Context Of Central Asian Palaeolithic And Semi-arid Zonesmentioning

confidence: 57%

“…We know little about the formation processes of the archaeological record in this region, since a high-resolution contextual methodology has been applied only on selected sites associated with hominin remains. In those cases, geoarchaeological approaches employing a microanalytical methodology (Mallol, Mentzer, & Wrinn, 2009;Morley et al, 2019) or broadscale observations (Derevianko et al, 2018;Krivoshapkin et al, 2020) have significantly aided our understanding of geogenic deposition, anthropogenic impact, and local environmental change. These studies have broader archaeological importance since the analysis of cave sediments in arid to semi-arid environments, like Central Asia, is rather limited.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Effect of Formation Processes on The Frequency of Palaeolithic Cave Sites in Semi-Arid Zones: Insights From Kazakhstan

Varis¹,

Miller²,

Cuthbertson³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Central Asian caves with Palaeolithic deposits are few but they provide a rich record of human fossils and cultural assemblages that has been used to model Late Pleistocene hominin dispersals. However, previous research has not yet systematically evaluated the formation processes that influence the frequency of Palaeolithic cave sites in the region. To address this deficiency, we combined field survey and micromorphological analyses in the piedmont zone of south Kazakhstan. Here we present our preliminary results focusing on selected sites of the Qaratau mountains. Sediment cover varies among the surveyed caves and loess-like sediments dominate the cave sequences. The preservation of cave deposits is influenced by reworking of cave sediments within the caves but also by the broader erosional processes that shape semi-arid landscapes. Ultimately, deposits of potentially Pleistocene age are scarce. Our study provides new data in the geoarchaeologically neglected region of Central Asia and demonstrates that micromorphology has great analytical potential even within the limitations of rigorous survey projects. We outline some of the processes that influence the formation and preservation of cave deposits inKazakhstan, as well as broader implications for the distribution of Palaeolithic cave sites in Central Asia and other semi-arid environments.

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Section: The Qaratau Caves In the Context Of Central Asian Palaeolithic And Semi-arid Zonesmentioning

confidence: 57%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Formation Processes on The Frequency of Palaeolithic Cave Sites in Semi-Arid Zones: Insights From Kazakhstan

Varis¹,

Miller²,

Cuthbertson³

et al. 2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The matrix, which fills the space between limestone clasts, has macroscopic characteristics of yellowish‐brown silt or silty loam (Table 1). Its color and consistency resemble loess deposits from the region, known, for instance, from the nearby Sel'Ungur Cave (Krivoshapkin et al, 2020). This material could have been either accumulated directly by wind simultaneously to the debris accumulation or primarily accumulated by wind and later relocated downward into the empty spaces of the original debris open‐work structure.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Depositional history of a talus cone in an arid intermontane basin in Central Asia: An interdisciplinary study at the Late Pleistocene–Late Holocene Obishir‐I site, Kyrgyzstan

et al. 2021

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Cliff‐related talus accumulations are often highly affected by post‐depositional processes, and the sedimentological characteristics are poorly documented, especially in arid settings. In the southern margin of the Fergana Valley, Kyrgyzstan, the Obishir‐I is an archaeological site of the Epipaleolithic Obishirian industry, located within a talus cone. Archaeological excavations have allowed us to study the internal structure, chronology, and depositional history of the cone as well as the relationship between the slope processes and the archaeological assemblage. We applied a multiproxy approach, including sedimentological studies supported by the basic geochemistry of sediments, luminescence dating, paleoecology of fossil mollusks, and archaeological analyses. The Obishir‐I rockfall talus accumulated from the Last Glacial Maximum to the early part of the Middle Holocene. The talus onlaps the bedrock at the foot of a limestone cliff, and its chronology is coherent, spanning from ca. 19–8 ka B.P. The material is an unconsolidated, poorly sorted mixture of angular rock fragments accumulated by rockfall and fine‐grained materials accumulated by aeolian processes, illuviation, and in situ weathering. The sequence bears an archaeological collection attributed to two settlement phases: unidentified Upper Paleolithic and the Obishirian. Both assemblages are affected by post‐depositional relocation within the slope.

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“…We know little about the formation processes of the archaeological record in this region, since a high‐resolution contextual methodology has been applied only on selected sites associated with hominin remains. In those cases, geoarchaeological approaches using a microanalytical methodology (Mallol et al, 2009; Morley et al, 2019) or broad‐scale observations (Derevianko et al, 2018; Krivoshapkin et al, 2020) have significantly aided our understanding of geogenic deposition, anthropogenic impact and local environmental change. These studies have broader archaeological importance since the analysis of cave sediments in arid to semiarid environments, like Central Asia, is rather limited.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of formation processes on the frequency of palaeolithic cave sites in semiarid zones: Insights from Kazakhstan

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Central Asian caves with Palaeolithic deposits are few, but they provide a rich record of human fossils and cultural assemblages that has been used to model Late Pleistocene hominin dispersals. However, previous research has not yet systematically evaluated the formation processes that influence the frequency of Palaeolithic cave sites in the region. To address this deficiency, we combined field survey and micromorphological analyses in the piedmont zone of south Kazakhstan. Here, we present our preliminary results focusing on selected sites of the Qaratau mountains.Sediment cover varies among the surveyed caves, and loess-like sediments dominate the cave sequences. The preservation of cave deposits is influenced by reworking of cave sediments within the caves but also by the broader erosional processes that shape semiarid landscapes. Ultimately, deposits of potentially Pleistocene age are scarce. Our study provides new data in the geoarchaeologically neglected region of Central Asia and demonstrates that micromorphology has great analytical potential even within the limitations of rigorous survey projects. We outline some of the processes that influence the formation and preservation of cave deposits in Kazakhstan, as well as broader implications for the distribution of Palaeolithic cave sites in Central Asia and other semiarid environments.

show abstract

Middle Paleolithic variability in Central Asia: Lithic assemblage of Sel’Ungur cave

Cited by 22 publications

References 14 publications

The Effect of Formation Processes on The Frequency of Palaeolithic Cave Sites in Semi-Arid Zones: Insights From Kazakhstan

The Effect of Formation Processes on The Frequency of Palaeolithic Cave Sites in Semi-Arid Zones: Insights From Kazakhstan

Depositional history of a talus cone in an arid intermontane basin in Central Asia: An interdisciplinary study at the Late Pleistocene–Late Holocene Obishir‐I site, Kyrgyzstan

The effect of formation processes on the frequency of palaeolithic cave sites in semiarid zones: Insights from Kazakhstan

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