The Lower Palaeolithic of Ukraine: Current evidence

Magnetostratigraphy of the loess-palaeosol key Palaeolithic section at Korolevo (Transcarpathia, W Ukraine)

“…In the Brunhes palaeomagnetic epoch up to seven events were unambiguously found >44 ka e Kargopolevo (palaeosol III);~110 ka e Blake (palaeosol IV);~180 ka e Biva I (palaeosol V);~210 ka e Biva II (palaeosol V);~350 ka e Biva III (between VI and VII palaeosols);~500e600 ka e Elunino VI (between VII and VIII palaeosols);~> 620 ka e Elunino VII (palaeosol VIII). Stepanchuk (2006) and Stepanchuk et al (2010) summed up the results of the studies in the Korolevo site in a synthetic profile with archaeological and geological data.…”

“…The distinguished settlement episodes were related to the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic. Stratigraphic position of the successive cultural-chronological assemblages and palaeosols is as follows (Stepanchuk et al, 2010):…”

“…Lithologic, stratigraphic, and palaeoecological studies of the site were conducted by Adamenko and Grodetskaya (1987 and references therein) and Koulakovska et al (2010). Stepanchuk (2006), Stepanchuk et al (2010), and Koulakovska and Usik (2011) discussed all results obtained for the Korolevo site against a background of the Lower Palaeolithic in Ukraine. The Palaeolithic artefacts of the multi-layer Korolevo site occurred in a complex loessepalaeosol sequence, which built the Quaternary cover on the slopes and top of the volcanic mount.…”

“…The MatuyamaeBrunhes boundary (MBB) was fixed between VIII and IX palaeosols (Gladilin and Sitlivy, 1990; see also; Haesaerts and Koulakovska, 2006;Stepanchuk, 2006;Stepanchuk et al, 2010). This boundary was defined directly above palaeosol IX, in a very thin (<0.5 m) loess deposit layer separating this soil from palaeosol VIII.…”

MIS 11-locality of Medzhibozh, Ukraine: Archaeological and paleozoological evidence

“…The Lower Paleolithic evidence is very scarce in the region (Stepanchuk, 2006;Stepanchuk et al, 2010) and new data concerning the timing and terms of early stages of colonization of the East European plain east of the Carpathians is of interest. Medzhibozh 1 is the only known in site in Ukraine with rich faunal remains showing numerous signs of human activity.…”