CLUSTER ANALYSIS FOR SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF LITHIC ARTIFACTS AT THE TOLBOR-4 SITE (Northern Mongolia) DURING FINAL MIS-3

  • D.V. Marchenko Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS Email: dasha-smychagina@yandex.ru
  • E.P. Rybin Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS Email: rybep@yandex.ru
  • A.M. Khatsenovich Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS Email: archeomongolia@gmail.com
DOI_disc_logo https://doi.org/10.14258/tpai(2020)2(30).-09
Keywords: Mongolia, Upper Paleolithic, cultural layer, lithic artifacts, clustering, spatial analysis

Abstract

This article analyzes cultural complexes of Archaeological Horizon 4 at the multi-layered Tolbor-4 Paleolithic site, situated in the Middle Selenga River basin. All sites in this region are located near primary outcrops of high-quality sedimentary raw material previously described as workshops. Cultural materials from Archaeological Horizon 4 were deposited during the final Early Upper Paleolithic and radiocarbon dates place them within the final MIS-3. Objective studies of consistent patterns in lithic artifact distribution were carried out using a clustering statistical method. Artifact distribution made it possible to distinguish spatial structures that include three clusters. Clusters 1 and 2 are zones of intensive core reduction. Cluster 3 represents an area where activities exclusively associated with tool making and use took place. These new data reveal an example of the functional organization of Paleolithic workshops resulting from a variety of activities, not simply core reduction.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

Author Biographies

D.V. Marchenko, Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS

Junior Researcher at the DigitalA Laboratory, Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, SB RAS

E.P. Rybin, Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS

Candidate of Historical Sciences, Senior Researcher, Stone Age Archaeology Department, Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, 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

References

Derevyanko A.P. Perehod ot srednego k verhnemu paleolitu na Altae [Transition from the Middle to the Upper Paleolithic in Altai] Arheologiya, etnografiya i antropologiya Evrazii [Archaeology, Ethnography and Anthropology of Eurasia]. 2001. №3. Pp. 70–103.
Derevyanko A.P., Zenin A.N., Rybin E.P., Gladyshev S.A., Cybankov A.A., Olsen D., Ceveendorzh D., Gunchinsuren B. Tehnologiya rasshchepleniya kamnya na rannem etape verhnego paleolita Severnoj Mongolii (stoyanka Tolbor-4) [Flintknapping Technology at an Early Stage of the Upper Paleolithic of Northern Mongolia (Tolbor-4 site)]. Arheologiya, etnografiya i antropologiya Evrazii [Archaeology, Ethnography and Anthropology of Eurasia]. 2007. T. 1. №29. Pp. 16–38.
Derevyanko A.P., Olsen D., Ceveendorzh D., Gladyshev S.A., Zenin A.N., Cybankov A.A., Chargynov T.T. Arheologicheskie issledovaniya rossijsko-mongolo-amerikanskoj ekspedicii v 2004 g. [Archaeological Research of the Russian-Mongol-American Expedition in 2004]. Problemy arheologii, etnografii, antropologii Sibiri i sopredel’nyh territorij [Problems of Archaeology, Ethnography, Anthropology of Siberia and Adjacent Territories]. Novosibirsk : Izd-vo In-ta arheologii i etnografii SO RAN, 2004. T. X, part 1. Pp. 87–89.
Derevyanko A.P., Rybin E.P., Gladyshev S.A., Cybankov A.A., Gunchinsuren B., Olsen D. Razvitie tehnologicheskih tradicij izgotovleniya orudij v kamennyh industriyah rannego etapa verhnego paleolita Severnoj Mongolii (po materialam stoyanok Tolbor-4 i 15) [Developments of Technological Traditions of Lithic Tool Manufacture in the Lithic Industries of the Early Upper Paleolithic in Northern Mongolia (on the materials from the sites of Tolbor-4 and 15)]. Arheologiya, etnografiya i antropologiya Evrazii [Archaeology, Ethnography and Anthropology of Eurasia]. 2013. №4. Pp. 21–37.
Rybin E.P., Gladyshev S.A., Cybankov A.A. Vozniknovenie i razvitie «otshchepovyh» industrij rannej pory verhnego paleolita Severnoj Mongolii [The Emergence and Development of “Flaking” Industries of the Early Stages of the Upper Paleolithic of Northern Mongolia]. Severnaja Evrazija v antropogene: chelovek, paleotehnologii, geoekologiya, etnologiya i antropologiya [Northern Eurasia in Quaternary: Man, Paleotechnology, Geoecology, Ethnology, and Anthropology]. Irkutsk : Ottisk, 2007. T. 2. Pp. 137–153.
Anderson K.L., Burke A. Refining the Definition of Cultural Levels at Karabi Tamchin: a Quantitative Approach to Vertical Intra-Site Spatial Analysis. J. Archaeol. Sci. 2008. Vol. 35, №8. Pp. 2274–2285.
Kintigh K.W. Intrasite Spatial Analysis: A Commentary on Major Methods. Mathematics and Information Science in Archaeology. 1990. Vol. 3. Pp. 165–200.
Koetje T. The Simulation and Recovery of Archaeologically Meaningful Levels. In: Archaeology and the Information Age: A Global Perspective. London and New York : Routledge, 1994. Pp. 109–115.
Kuhn S., Zwyns N. Rethinking the Initial Upper Paleolithic. Quaternary International. 2014. Vol. 347. Pp. 29–38.
Simek J.F. Integrating Pattern and Context in Spatial Archaeology. J. Archaeol. Sci. 1984. Vol. 11, №5. Pp. 405–420.
Published
2020-06-22
How to Cite
Marchenko D., Rybin E., Khatsenovich A. CLUSTER ANALYSIS FOR SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF LITHIC ARTIFACTS AT THE TOLBOR-4 SITE (Northern Mongolia) DURING FINAL MIS-3 // THEORY AND PRACTICE OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH, 2020. Vol. 30, № 2. P. 128-137 DOI: 10.14258/tpai(2020)2(30).-09. URL: http://journal.asu.ru/tpai/article/view/%2830%29.-09.
Issue
Vol 30 No 2 (2020)
Section
FOREIGN ARCHAEOLOGY

Theory and Practice of Archaeological Research is a golden publisher, as we allow self-archiving, but most importantly we are fully transparent about your rights.

Authors may present and discuss their findings ahead of publication: at biological or scientific conferences, on preprint servers, in public databases, and in blogs, wikis, tweets, and other informal communication channels.

Theory and Practice of Archaeological Research allows authors to deposit manuscripts (currently under review or those for intended submission to ABS) in non-commercial, pre-print servers such as ArXiv.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

    1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
    2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
    3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).

Most read articles by the same author(s)