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Stratified Middle Paleolithic industries in Mongolia are mostly known from final Middle Paleolithic complexes in the Orkhon and Kharganyn Gol valleys in the north-central part of the country, while Middle Paleolithic complexes from Tsagaan Agui have not attracted as much attention. Re-analysis of archaeological collections made during excavations of Tsagaan Agui Cave in 1987–1989 have made it possible to define transitional and index tool types as well as systems of primary flaking. More recent excavations of Tsagaan Agui place the lithic complexes identified there in the 1980s into a more refined chronological sequence. Preliminary technological and typological analyses indicate a non-Levallois Mousterian character for the Middle Paleolithic industry at Tsagaan Agui Cave. Here, we attempt to identify analogies of this industry in Siberia and eastern Asia. Говийн Алтайн дунд палеолитын үе Товчлол. Монголын дунд палеолитын үеийн соёлт давхарга бүхий дурсгалууд тухайн үеийн төгсгөлийн шатанд хамаарах Орхон гол, Харганын голын сав дагуух суурингуудаар илэрхийлэгддэг. Цагаан агуйн дунд палеолитын үед хамаарах давхаргаас гарсан олдворууд удаан хугацааны туршид судлаачдын анхааралд өртөлгүй орхигдсон байна. Тус агуйд 1987-1989 онд хийсэн малтлагын явцад олдсон олдворуудыг дахин нягтлан үзэх явцад өгүүлэн буй үеийг төдийгүй шилжилтийн үеийг илтгэн харуулах олдвор, зэвсгийн зүйлс гарч ирсэн бөгөөд тэдгээрээр анхдагч цуулалтын явцыг сэргээн харах боломжтой болсон. Цагаан агуйд шинээр хийж буй судалгааны явцад 1980-аад оны үед олдсон эдгээр олдворыг агуулан байсан давхаргын он цагийг нарийвчлан тогтоох боломжийг олгох нь гарцаагүй билээ. Олдвор хэрэглэгдэхүүнийг үйлдсэн арга, төрөл зүйн үүднээс нь харахад леваллуагийн бус мустьен үйлдвэрлэлийн аргаар хийгджээ хэмээн урьдчилсан байдлаар таамаглаж болохоор байна. Тус өгүүлэлд чулуун зэвсгийн үйлдвэрлэлийн энэхүү аргаар хийгдсэн бусад дурсгалтай харьцуулсан судалгааг хөндөн авч үзлээ. 2021 оны Цагаан агуйн малтлага судалгаа нь урьд өмнө судлагдаагүй хойд хэсгийг судлахдаа байгалийн шинжлэх ухааны цогц шинжилгээ хийх өргөн боломж байгааг батлан харууллаа.Түлхүүр үгс: Цагаан агуй, дунд палеолит, леваллуагийн бус мустье, чулуун зэвсгийн үйлдвэрлэл

Upper Palaeolithic microlithic complexes in Northeast Asia are usually included in the spectrum of non-geometric industries. Mongolia, which is considered a possible crossroads of Middle and Upper Paleolithic migration routes due to its environmental and geographic conditions, is the only exception in this vast region. The Tolbor cluster of sites in the Middle Selenga Basin contains lithic complexes with trapezes and segments. We define the chronology of geometric microliths in northern Mongolia based on a series on new radiocarbon dates obtained for the Kharganyn Gol 5 site. The available evidrnce seems to indicate the autochthonous appearance of geometric microliths in northern Mongolia and a lack of connections with Mesolithic microlithic types found in the Gobi Altai region to the south.

Northern Mongolia and southwest Transbaikalia, encompassing the Selenga River Basin, constitute the geographical core of the earliest known Initial Upper Paleolithic (IUP) laminar industries. Comparison of the broad spectrum of criteria presented here allows reconstructing variability within these IUP industries, determining regional traits in settlement systems, and the character of population mobility. Workshops were the main site-type identified, visible as several short-term occupational episodes. One of our foci is illuminating the role of the Selenga River Valley and its tributaries as the principal migration corridors for population diffusion in the Upper Paleolithic. Although some unique regional features are apparent, the technology and typology of the lithic industries demonstrate great similarity. We suggest that the cumulative evidence indicates the recent divergence of Mongolian and Transbaikalian IUP populations stemming from a common ancestral group of humans.

The article considers the lithic assemblage of archaeological horizon 4a of Tolbor 4 site in Northern Mongolia (excavation campaign of 2017) in the context of development of Early Upper Paleolithic lithic industries during MIS-3 stage. On the basis of radiocarbon dates, stratigraphic position and techno-typological features of lithic assemblage this complex along with the industry of archaeological horizon 4b of Tolbor 4 is classified as terminal Early Upper Paleolithic. Th is industry is characterized by predominantly flake-based orthogonal and small-blade unidirectional reduction techniques. Th e collection of complex 4a revealed a geometric microlith — trapeze, previously considered a characteristic feature of the late Upper Paleolithic of the region. It was determined that the Early Upper Paleolithic of Tolbor 4 archaeological complexes shows a smooth sequential evolution from the Initial Upper Paleolithic of Archaeological Horizon 5, through the terminal Early Upper Paleolithic of Horizon 4c/5 to the terminal Early Upper Paleolithic of Horizons 4b and 4a. The radiocarbon dates obtained allow the chronological framework of the Terminal Upper Paleolithic to be shifted closer to the lower boundary of the Last Glacial maximum. The Terminal Early Upper Paleolithic technocomplex defined on the basis of complexes 4a and 4b of Tolbor-4, as well as Archaeological Horizon 4 Kharganyn-gol-5 have undoubted cultural and/or stadial reminiscence with the lithic industries of the Kunaley culture of Russian Transbaikal., В статье рассматривается комплекс каменной индустрии горизонта 4а стоянки Толбор-4 (раскопки 2017 г.) в контексте развития индустрий ранних стадий верхнего палеолита периода морской изотопной стадии 3. На основании радиоуглеродных дат, стратиграфического положения и технико-типологических особенностей каменного инвентаря данный комплекс наряду с индустрией горизонта 4b той же стоянки отнесен к терминальному раннему верхнему палеолиту. Эта индустрия характеризуется преимущественно отщеповой ортогональной и мелкопластинчатой однонаправленной технологией расщепления. В коллекции комплекса 4а была выявлена геометрическая трапеция, считавшаяся ранее характерной чертой позднего верхнего палеолита региона. Определено, что в археологических комплексах ранних стадий верхнего палеолита Толбора-4 происходит плавная последовательная эволюция от археологических горизонтов начального верхнего палеолита слоя 5, через пластинчатый РВП горизонта 4с/5 до терминального раннего верхнего палеолита гор. 4b и 4a. Полученные радиоуглеродные даты позволяют сдвинуть хронологические рамки терминального верхнего палеолита ближе к нижней границе последнего максимума плейстоценового оледенения. Определенный на основании комплексов горизонта 4a и 4b Толбор-4, а также горизонта 4 стоянки Харганын-гол-5 технокомплекс терминального раннего верхнего палеолита имеет культурно-стадиальные связи с индустриями куналейской культуры Забайкалья.

Ostrich eggshell bead-making appears relatively early in regions inhabited by ostriches. This type of personal ornamentation emerged in Central Asia together with human populations associated with the laminar Initial Upper Paleolithic culture about 45,000 uncal BP or slightly earlier. Eggshell beads and pendants occur in Central Asia until the Middle Holocene, while the technology of bead-making underwent changes throughout this period. Although beads and eggshell fragments are quite common in Paleolithic sites, ostrich bones are extremely rare. Ostrich taxonomy is based on eggshell analysis, principally on shell thickness variability. Here, we present the results of an additional investigative approach aimed at taxonomic determination - analysis of eggshell pore patterns. We applied this method to samples found over a wide area in Mongolia - from the Middle Selenga Basin in the north to the Gobi Desert in the south. Samples of beads and eggshells were recovered from archaeological sites in cultural layers ranging from the Initial Upper Paleolithic to the Early Holocene Mesolithic. Our experimental studies included the fabrication offossilized (ostrich) and fresh (emu) eggshell beads to better understand the character ofvisible traces that appear on the shell surfaces after drilling and polishing. Namibian ethnographic beads made of S. camelus australis eggshell were also analyzed to compare interspecies pore patterns. This research targets taxonomic determination of the ostrich species that co-existed with humans in eastern Central Asia during the Pleistocene. Another focus of this analysis is the use of fossilized ostrich eggshell by Pleistocene hominins.

The authors present results of excavations of the Tolbor 21 and Tolbor 4 sites, situated in the Tolbor River valley, a tributary of the Selenga River, Northern Mongolia. In 2021, studies of the multilayered Tolbor-21 site that documents human habitation throughout the Upper Paleolithic were resumed. We focus on the stratigraphy, spatial distribution of the finds, zooarcheological data and description of lithic artifacts recovered from the continuing excavation of Pit 2 in the eastern part of site. Preliminary results presented here provide the evidence of residential activity during accumulation of the Initial Upper Paleolithic horizon 4, the exploitation of medium/large herbivores, and a potential structured use of space. We present the division of the site cultural sequence into 6 horizons and description of a newly discovered storage pit. We also provide the overall results of studies at the multilayer Tolbor-4 site carried out in 2017 and 2021. The site is the key object for understanding the Upper Paleolithic sequence of lithic industry development in northern Mongolia. The goal of the new phase of research in 2021 was to clarify the site stratigraphy and collect samples for new series of radiocarbon and OSL dates.

Tsagaan Agui Cave, situated in Tsagaan Tsakhir limestone massif in the Gobi Altai Mountains of southern Mongolia, is the one of the rare stratified Holocene archaeological sites known in the Gobi Desert. During 1995-2000 excavation campaigns, cultural material spanning the late Bronze Age through the ethnographic present was recovered. In 2021, an excavation pit (2021/1) was dug in the gallery that joints the cave’s Main and Small Chambers, and an additional sondage (2021/2) was excavated in the Main Chamber itself. Excavation Unit 2021/1 is subdivided into Layers 1, 2, and 3, in which Layers 1 and 2 are attributed to the Holocene, and 3, the lowermost, is likely of Pleistocene age. Birch barkfragments bearing Old Mongolian inscriptions, cylindrical paste beads, and one additional, presumably carnelian, bead were found in Layers 1 and 2. Excavation Unit 2021/1, Layers 1-3, yielded lithic artifacts made of yellow jasper and Devonian flint, typical of the local Paleolithic industry. Only a single transparent chalcedony microblade can be tentatively dated to the Holocene. The suite of Holocene cultural material obtained during the 2021 excavations at Tsagaan Agui requires additional analysis and interpretation and is of particular interest with respect to the reconstruction of late prehistoric trade networks linking arid southern Mongolia with remote regions and the appearance of historical documents in the Gobi Desert. The study of the Holocene layers at Tsagaan Agui Cave is also of timely significance in terms of preserving Mongolian cultural heritage, since the upper layer of the site is being destroyed due to unregulated and unsupervised tourist activity in spite of its relatively remote location.

В статье рассматриваются результаты нового цикла исследований палеолитических памятников в долине р. Орхон (Центральная Монголия) — Мойлтын ам, Орхон-1, Орхон-7. Основное внимание уделяется памятнику Мойлтын ам, материалы которого представляют культурно-стратиграфическую последовательность от финального среднего до позднего верхнего палеолита. Полученные результаты анализов редкоземельных элементов, Sr-изотопов и фаунистических остатков соотносятся с данными по палеоклиматической обстановке в регионе на протяжении МИС-3 и -2. Рассматриваются постдепозиционные изменения материалов из культуросодержащих слоев памятника Мойлтын ам, выявленные в ходе анализа стратиграфии и специфики осадконакопления, планиграфии, сравнения Sr-изотопов в остеологическом материале. Природная обстановка, реконструируемая на основе геохимических модулей с помощью рентгенофлуоресцентного анализа осадков слоев и Sr-изотопов, сопоставляется с эпизодами заселения человеком долины Орхона в среднем и верхнем палеолите. Проводится корреляция природной среды Северной Монголии с опубликованными результатами реконструкции. Данные, полученные естественно-научными методами исследований, свидетельствуют о семигумидном климате в период, сопоставимый с МИС-3, и последующей аридизации, а также о переотложении седиментов на памятнике Мойлтын ам. Согласно результатам палеонтологического анализа, основными объектами охоты человека здесь в конце среднего — начале верхнего палеолита были быки и лошади, в раннем верхнем палеолите к ним добавились Caprinae. На Хангайских горах на протяжении МИС-3 и -2 господствовал комплекс мамонтовой фауны лесостепных и степных ландшафтов. В это время долина Орхона не была обитаема человеком постоянно, но, поскольку она являлась частью естественного географического коридора, заселялась им спорадически.

Middle and Upper Paleolithic human migrations and dispersals throughout Central Asia are usually associated with middle altitudes and mild steppe and forest-steppe environments with herds of large game mammals. However, since at least the Middle Paleolithic, human populations penetrated areas of Central Asia characterized by extreme arid climatic and environmental conditions in modern times. Investigation of archaeological sites in such regions demands understanding whether Pleistocene environmental conditions were more favorable to human habitation, what types of adaptation pressures human populations faced, and what kinds of adaptive mechanisms were developed. The Gobi Desert and Gobi Altai Mountains of southern Mongolia comprise one such region. Exposed and stratified Paleolithic sites there include Tsagaan Agui Cave and a variety of surface occurrences. Middle and Upper Paleolithic archaeological complexes at Tsagaan Agui are associated with various faunal species recovered in situ from sediments, allowing the reconstruction of the paleoenvironmental conditions of human habitation there. Following trilateral excavations conducted at Tsagaan Agui in 1995-2000, the longitudinal profile of the cave was uncovered in 2021 to collect sediments and other samples and a small test pit was excavated in the cave’s main chamber. Layers 2.1-4 of Test Pit 2021/2 yielded a bone industry, Paleolithic art mobilier, and a small collection of lithic artifacts, all in stratigraphic context. Evidence of episodic hyaena occupation was also revealed in Layer 2.2. The 2021 Tsagaan Agui Cave excavation campaign provides clear rationale for further investigation of this site, especially excavations in the northern part of the cave that has not been previously studied, as well as garnering additional data for refined paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental reconstructions.

The fossil record suggests that at least two major human dispersals occurred across the Eurasian steppe during the Late Pleistocene. Neanderthals and Modern Humans moved eastward into Central Asia, a region intermittently occupied by the enigmatic Denisovans. Genetic data indicates that the Denisovans interbred with Neanderthals near the Altai Mountains (South Siberia) but where and when they met H. sapiens is yet to be determined. Here we present archaeological evidence that document the timing and environmental context of a third long-distance population movement in Central Asia, during a temperate climatic event around 45,000 years ago. The early occurrence of the Initial Upper Palaeolithic, a techno-complex whose sudden appearance coincides with the first occurrence of H. sapiens in the Eurasian steppes, establishes an essential archaeological link between the Siberian Altai and Northwestern China . Such connection between regions provides empirical ground to discuss contacts between local and exogenous populations in Central and Northeast Asia during the Late Pleistocene.