Изучение позднепалеолитической стоянки Притубинск I в Южно-Минусинской котловине: к вопросу о вариабельности кокоревской культуры Среднего Енисея

Abstract

Since the XIX century, South-Minusinsk hollow has been an area of scientific interest for the Paleometal Epoch and Middle Ages researches although many years of intense focus investigations of any ancient sites have not brought the expected outcomes. Based on current data, the territory of South-Minusinsk hollow had been affected by disastrous meltwater freshets three times during the Sartan period (MIS 2), which destroyed cover deposits that could have included the Late Paleolithic sites and Pleistocene fauna remains. Currently, the only known Late Paleolithic site there is Pritubinsk I. Survey works were conducted in 2017–2018. The first cultural layer (11 492±200 ВР) included 853 stone artefacts, mostly small flakes and generalized flakes. The collection also consists of wedge-shaped microcores, graftoir scrapers, burins on small blades and flakes, choppers, retouched flakes and blades. The second cultural layer (14 485±150 ВР) included 320 items among them wedge-shaped core, bigger burins, circular end-scrappers, fragments of blades and microblades, numerous pieces and flakes. The most interest is a «trove» of five end-scrappers (three of them had a broken handle), large blades, flakes with retouche, a piece of a chisel-like tool and three flakes. Trasological study revealed traces of scraping, supplemented by traces of cutting and shaping on six subjects, as well as traces of transportation, which indicate that cores, blanks and tools had been carried all together. Stone inventory of both cultural layers allows us to attribute it to the Kokorevo archaeological culture of the Middle Yenisei. However, the southernmost Kokorevo sites are remote north-west from Pritubinsk I for more than 150 kilometers. Discovering of the site in the lower reaches of Tuba river rises a question about the references of industries between Kokorevo sites of the Yenisei and remote Pritubinsk I. The collection of stone inventory is characterized by multiple multifunctional tools and lack of large cores, which are traditional for Kokorevo. We suppose that Pritubinsk I could have been a hunter’s camping with certain functions (dressing, production of the tools etc.). As for the large cores, they could have been produced in other places. As a result, Pritubinsk I is the only evidence that Kokorevo people settled far away to the East from the indicated area.