Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology of Eurasia 37 (2) 2009

Annotation:  Evolution of the Quaternary Environment in the Northwestern Altai Kostenki-4: The Position of Artifacts in Space and Time (the Analysis of the Cultural Layer) Stratigraphic Data on Middle Paleolithic Sites in the Upper Desna Basin Human-made Bedrock Holes (Mortars and Cupmarks) as a Late Natufi an Social Phenomenon Tsaram: A Burial Ground of the Hsiung-nu Elite in Transbaikalia Species Attribution of Hair of the Pazyryk Fur Coat from the Olon-Kurin-Gol-10 Burial Ground, Mongo Shaitanskoye Ozero II: New Aspects of the Uralian Bronze Age Yankovsky Economics: Animal Bones from 1st Millennium BC Settlements in Primorye, Russian Far East “Technical Decoration” of the Tripolye Ceramics On the Interpretation of Central Asian and South Siberian Rock Art Forms of Nomadism and Livestock Management of the Eastern Sayan Buryats in the Late 19th and Early Harvesting of Siberian Pine Nuts in Mountain Shoria: Traditions and Nowadays The Ethnic History of Medieval Novgorod (Based on Craniometric Data) Seliungur Teeth Revisited L.K. Gudkova.   

Kostenki-4: The Position of Artifacts in Space and Time (the Analysis of the Cultural Layer)

M.N. Zheltova.

A.N. Rogachev’s excavations of the Upper Paleolithic site Kostenki-4 revealed several clusters of archaeological fi nds and remains of four dwellings including two long dwellings, which are rather unusual. While it is commonly considered that the site is stratifi ed, Rogachev hesitated before reaching this conclusion, and not all his arguments appear to be suffi ciently solid. In the present article, Rogachev’s published fi ndings are reviewed in order to assess the structure of the site in both plan and profi le. The position of various sublayers is evaluated and an interpretation of the results is attempted.

Keywords: Upper Paleolithic, settlement, dwelling, dwelling complex, culture-bearing layer, cultural horizon, hearth.