GEOMETRIC MICROLITHS IN UPPER PALEOLITHIC OF NORTHERN MONGOLIA: MICROWEAR ANALYSIS AND PURPOSE OF USE

  • T.A. Shevchenko Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS Email: tatiana.752@ya.ru
  • A.M. Khatsenovich Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS Email: archeomongolia@gmail.com
  • L.V. Zotkina Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS Email: zotkina@archaeology.nsc.ru
  • B. Gunchinsuren Institute of Archaeology MAS Email: bgunchinsuren@yahoo.com
Keywords: Mongolia, Upper Paleolithic, Tolbor, cultural complex, geometric microlith, trapeze

Abstract

Middle Upper Paleolithic of Northern Mongolia is currently more likely an ephemeral definition, than a clearly determined cultural event. Some complexes that could be related to this stage according to their stratigraphic position in sequence, are scanty and not dated. Albeit, about 16 000 years BP people occupied the Middle Selenga valley left complexes of artifacts that are still hard to determine by its genesis or cultural attribution. Compare to neighboring Transbaikal pressure microflaking does not exist in this region, except the Tolbor-15 site. These complexes technologically and typologically are closer to Epipaleolithic complexes of western Central Asia and Near East, and, still not well-known Late Upper Paleolithic of East Asia rather than nearby regions. These complexes of the Tolbor group of sites contain the geometric microliths – morphologically described as trapezes, it is bitruncated blades and bladelets. This article presents the results of microwear analysis of trapezes and their possible functional use.

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Author Biographies

T.A. Shevchenko, Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS

Research Engineer at the TsifrA Laboratory of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the SB RAS

A.M. Khatsenovich, Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS

Candidate of Historical Sciences, Researcher at the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS

L.V. Zotkina, Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS

Candidate of Historical Sciences, Researcher of the Paleometal Department of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the SB RAS

B. Gunchinsuren, Institute of Archaeology MAS

Ph.D. (Hist.), Head of the Stone Age Archaeology Department of the Institute of Archaeology of the Academy of Sciences

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Published
2020-03-20
How to Cite
Shevchenko T., Khatsenovich A., Zotkina L., Gunchinsuren B. GEOMETRIC MICROLITHS IN UPPER PALEOLITHIC OF NORTHERN MONGOLIA: MICROWEAR ANALYSIS AND PURPOSE OF USE // THEORY AND PRACTICE OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH, 2020. Vol. 29, № 1. P. 166-175 DOI: 10.14258/tpai(2020)1(29).-11. URL: http://journal.asu.ru/tpai/article/view/%2829%29.-11.
Section
FOREIGN ARCHAEOLOGY

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