Is there Initial Upper Palaeolithic in Western Tian Shan? Example of an open-air site Katta Sai 2 (Uzbekistan)

Abstract

The paper presents the results of multidisciplinary studies on the open-air loess site Katta Sai 2 located in the western piedmonts of Tian Shan in Uzbekistan. Two archaeological horizons contain features associated with the Initial Upper Palaeolithic (IUP) - both Levallois and blade/bladelet volumetric technology, together with an Upper Palaeolithic toolkit. The cultural traits observed in Katta Sai 2 might have local roots dating back to MIS 5a and can be found in so-called Obirakhmatian technocomplex determined in several archaeological sites in the region. Thus, the obtained results question the hypothesis of non-local origins of IUP complexes associated with the early modern human migration from the Near East to Mongolia along the piedmonts of Pamir and Tian Shan. Until reliable anthropological and genetic data are obtained, it seems to be too early to conclude about the relationship between modern human migration and the appearance of IUP assemblages, at least across the western parts of Central Asia.