The Age of the ‘Anosovka-Tel’manskaya Culture’ and the Issue of a Late Streletskian at Kostёnki 11, SW Russia

Abstract

Triangular, concave-base ‘Streletskian points’ are documented in several assemblages from the Kostёnki complex of Upper Palaeolithic sites in south-western Russia. Some of these assemblages have been argued to evidence very early modern human occupation of Eastern Europe. However, Streletskian points are also recorded from younger contexts, notably at Kostёnki 11, where examples are attributed both to Layer V and the stratigraphically higher Layer III. The apparent relatively young age of Layer III has led some to view it as the latest manifestation of the Streletskian, although its assemblage has also been compared to the non-Streletskian Layer I of Kostёnki 8, with the two described together as the Anosovka-Tel’manskaya Culture.Radiocarbon dates of 24–23,000 bp (c. 28,500–27,000 cal bp) for a wolf burial associated with Layer III of Kostёnki 11 confirm the layer as younger than other Streletskian assemblages at Kostёnki. New radiocarbon dates for Kostёnki 8 Layer I show that the two layers are broadly contemporary, and that both are close in age to assemblages of Kostёnki’s (Late Gravettian) Kostёnki-Avdeevo Culture. In the light of these new radiocarbon dates the context of the Streletskian point from Kostёnki 11 Layer III is considered. Although firm conclusions are not possible, unresolved stratigraphic problems and the lack of technological context for this single artefact at the very least leave a question mark over its association with other material from the layer.

The Late Gravettian Site of Kostënki 21 Layer III, Russia: a Chronocultural Reassessment Based on a New Interpretation of the Significance of Intra-site Spatial Patterning

“…The only specimen from the southern assemblage associated with ochre is a jaw of a large canid that can be described as "dog-like in size". In the slightly earlier (non-Gravettian) assemblage of Kostënki 8/I, dated to c. 27,500-26,000 cal BP (Dinnis et al 2018), large canids are the most common group in the mammal assemblage and are mainly represented by paw elements, often in anatomical connection, suggesting the working of skins (Vereshchagin and Kuz'mina 1977). A canid femur from the same assemblage is "dog-like in size" (Germonpré and Sablin 2017).…”

“…2) (Rogachëv and Popov 1982). Up to eight archaeological layers have been identified at the site (see Dinnis et al 2018 for a recent English-language summary). The principal excavations at the site took place from the 1950s to the 1970s, led by A. N. Rogachëv, although investigation of the site continues to the present day, now led by A. E. Dudin (Rogachёv and Popov 1982;Dudin 2016Dudin , 2017.…”

Eastern Europe’s “Transitional Industry”?: Deconstructing the Early Streletskian

“…Streletskian assemblages have also been found at Biriuch'ia Balka 2 in Rostov Oblast (Matyukhin and Sapelko 2009;Matyukhin 2012), Garchi 1 in the Urals (Pavlov 2010;Svendsen et al 2010) and Vys' in Ukraine (Zaliznyak et al 2008(Zaliznyak et al , 2013Zaliznyak and Belenko 2011). Although not always referred to explicitly as 'Streletskian', other Russian assemblages have been linked culturally to Streletskian assemblages, notably Sungir' and Layer III of Kostenki 11 (Popov 1989;Anikovich 1992Anikovich , 2001Anikovich -2002Bradley et al 1995;Sinitsyn 2010;Dinnis et al 2018) (Fig. 1).…”

“…Where possible we targeted horse and wolf bones. Some accumulations of the remains of these taxa in later periods are undoubtedly anthropogenic (Dinnis et al 2018;Hoffecker et al 2018).…”

“…1). The excavated assemblage was allocated to Layer III, but the layer in this area was poorly defined and there is reason to doubt that Layer III across the site reflects a single period of activity (Rogachev and Popov 1982;Popov 1989;Dinnis et al 2018).…”