Слой 5.1 верхнепалеолитической стоянки Ушбулак: археология, петрография, планиграфия

Abstract

The article deals with the Late Upper Paleolithic complexes of the Ushbulak site and issues of the condition of specific culture-containing (with materials of different cultures or more than one cultural layer) deposits of this multilayered site. Undisturbed consistency of the culture-containing layer 5.1 is determined based on the analysis of the lithological-stratigraphic situation of the site and the results of refitting, indicating the absence of natural processes that contributed to the appearance of small and medium gravel and clumps in the layer, as well as relatively quiet sedimentation conditions. The presence in the collection of layer 5.1 of a series of applied artefacts (their spread in the layer does not exceed 1 m) also indicates the insignificance of post-deposition processes that affected layer 5.1. These data and petrographic analysis of artefacts and rock fractures composing the stone construction in layer 5.1 allow us to conclude that there is a high degree of probability of the artificial origin of the structure found here. Similar structures with a diameter up to 1 m are known as “stone constructions of unclear function” at Maima and Ushlep-3 sites attributed by researchers to the Final Paleolithic time.