BONE RETOUCHERS FROM THE DENISOVA CAVE: NEW EVIDENCE

  • M.B. Kozlikin Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS; Altai State University Email: kmb777@yandex.ru
  • V.A. Mikhienko Novosibirsk State University Email: volnavvv@mail.ru
  • E.A. Frantseva Novosibirsk State University Email: helenroit@gmail.com
  • M.V. Shunkov Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS Email: shunkov77@gmail.com
DOI_disc_logo https://doi.org/10.14258/tpai(2019)4(28).-01
Keywords: Altai Mountains, Denisova Cave, Middle Paleolithic, Upper Paleolithic, unshaped tools, bone retouchers

Abstract

The article presents the results of the research into the types of unshaped bone tools of the Paleolithic – bone retouchers found in the Pleistocene deposits of the Denisova Cave. For the first time, the article introduces into scientific use the retouchers of the Middle and Upper Paleolithic from the materials of excavations in the southern gallery and finds from faunistic collections, from the central hall of the cave obtained during the work of 1993–1998. The study showed that the Paleolithic inhabitants of the cave used fragments of diaphysis tubular bones of large mammals, the size of a horse, bison or rhino as the preparation for retouchers. In some cases, bone fragments have signs of additional processing in the form of longitudinal or transverse trimming, and also bear traces of scraping of the periosteum. The degree of utilization of retouchers varies from low to high, when the working area of the tool shows continuous microflaking. It has been found out that the bone retouchers from layers 21 and 19 in the Main Chamber are currently the oldest in North and Central Asia. The discovery of the Initial Upper Paleolithic bone retouchers in layer 11 indicates a technological continuity n the use of bone during the process of secondary lithic reduction.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

M.B. Kozlikin, Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS; Altai State University

Candidate of Historical Sciences, researcher at the Institute of Archaology and Ethnography SB RAS

V.A. Mikhienko, Novosibirsk State University

Graduate Student, Humanitarian Institute of Novosibirsk State University

E.A. Frantseva, Novosibirsk State University

Third-year Bachelor, Humanitarian Institute of Novosibirsk State University

M.V. Shunkov, Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS

Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Head of the Stone Age Archaeology Department, Chief Researcher, Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, SB RAS

References

Bomann M., Kozlikin M.B., Plisson H., Shun’kov M.V. Slabo modificirovannye kostjanye orudija rannego verhnego paleolita iz juzhnoj galerei Denisovoj peshhery [Weakly Modified Bone Tools of the Early Upper Paleolithic from the Southern Gallery of the Denisova Cave]. Problemy arheologii, jetnografii,тantropologii Sibiri i sopredel’nyh territorij [Problems of Archeology, Ethnography, Anthropology of Siberiaтand Adjacent Territories]. Novosibirsk : Izd-vo Instituta arheologii i jetnografii SO RAN, 2017. Vol. XXIII. Pp. 50–54.

Bomann M., Fedorchenko A.Yu., Kozlikin M.B., Plisson H., SHun’kov M.V. Kostyanye orudiya srednego i verhnego paleolita iz yuzhnoj galerei Denisovoj peshchery [Bone Tools of the Middle and Upper Paleolithic from the Southern Gallery of Denisova Cave]. Problemy arheologii, etnografii, antropologii Sibiri i sopredel’nyh territorij [Problems of Archaeology, Ethnography, Anthropology of Siberia and Adjacent Territories]. Novosibirsk : Izd-vo Instituta arheologii i etnografii SO RAN, 2018. Vol. XXIV. Pp. 32–36. DOI: 10.17746/2658-6193.2018.24.032-036.

Kolobova K.A., Markin S.V., Chabaj V.P. Kostyanye retushery v srednepaleoliticheskih kompleksah Chagyrskoj peshchery [Bone Retouchers in the Middle Paleolithic Complexes of the Chagyr Cave]. Teoriya i praktika arheologicheskih issledovanij [Theory and Practice of Archaeological Research]. 2016. №4 (16). S. 35–39. DOI: 10.14258/tpai(2016)4(16).-03.

Prirodnaya sreda i chelovek v paleolite Gornogo Altaya [The Natural Environment and Humans in the Paleolithic of the Altai Mountains]. A.P. Derevyanko, M.V. SHun’kov, A.K. Agadzhanyan, G.F. Baryshnikov, E.M. Malaeva, V.A. Ul’yanov, N.A. Kulik, A.V. Postnov, A.A. Anojkin. Novosibirsk : Izd-vo Instituta arheologii i etnografii SO RAN, 2003. 448 p.

Costamagno S., Bourguignon L., Soulier M.-C., Meignen L., Beauval C., Rendu W., Mussini C., Mann A., Maureille B. Bone Retouchers and Site Function in the Quina Mousterian: The Case of Les Pradelles (Marillac-Le-France, France) // The Origins of Bone Tool Technologies: Retouching the Palaeolithic: Becoming Human and the Origins of Bone Tool Technology. Mainz : RGZM-Tagungen, 2018. Pp. 1–31.

Daujeard C., Moncel M.-H., Fiore I., Tagliacozzo A., Bindon P., Raynal J.–P. Middle Paleolithic Bone Retouchers in Southeastern France: Variability and functionality // Quaternary International. 2014. Vols. 326–327. Pp. 492–518. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2013.12.022.

Derevianko A.P., Markin S.V., Shunkov M.V. The Sibiryachikha Facies of the Middle Paleolithic of the Altai // Archaeology, Ethnology and Anthropology of Eurasia. 2013. Vol. 41, No. 1. Pp. 89–103.

Henri-Martin L. Maillets ou enclumes en os provenant de la couche moustérienne de la Quina (Charente) // Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française. 1906. Vol. 3. Pp. 155–162.

Kolfschoten T.V., Parfitt S.A., Serangeli J., Bello S.M. Lower Paleolithic Bone Tools from the ‘Spear Horizon’ at Schöningen (Germany) // Journal of Human Evolution. 2015. Vol. 89. Pp. 226–263. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2015.09.012.

Mallye J–B., Thiébaut C., Mourre V., Costamagno S., Claud É., Weisbeckerg P. The Mousterian Bone Retouchers of Noisetier Cave: Experimentation and Identification of Marks // Journal of Archaeological Science. 2012. Vol. 39. Pp. 1131–1142. DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2011.12.018.

Tartar E. Réflexion autour de la fonction des retouchoirs en os de l’Aurignacien ancient // Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française. 2012. Vol. 109. Pp. 69–83.

Taute W. Retoucheure aus Knochen, Zahnbein, und Stein vom Mittelpaläolithikum bis zum Neolithikum // Fund-berichte aus Schwaben. 1965. Vol. 17. Pp. 76–102.

Vincent A. L’outillage osseux au Paléolithique moyen: une nouvelle approche: PhD. Dissertation. University of Paris X, 1993.

Published
2019-12-22
How to Cite
Kozlikin M., Mikhienko V., Frantseva E., Shunkov M. BONE RETOUCHERS FROM THE DENISOVA CAVE: NEW EVIDENCE // THEORY AND PRACTICE OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH, 2019. Vol. 28, № 4. P. 7-14 DOI: 10.14258/tpai(2019)4(28).-01. URL: https://journal.asu.ru/tpai/article/view/%2828%29.-01.
Issue
Vol 28 No 4 (2019)
Section
MATERIAL ANALYSIS IN 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).