Siberian Upper Paleolithic

In 2017, archaeological studies of the Pleistocene deposits in the South Chamber of Denisova Cave have been resumed. The deposits constituting the upper part of the Pleistocene strata have been examined at the mouth of the cave on the lines forming grids Е and Ж, including lithological layers 9 and 11. Layer 11, containing the deposits accumulated during the first half of MIS 3, has yielded lithic artifacts that can be attributed to the Early Upper Paleolithic. Primary flaking in this industry is characterized by radial and sub-prismatic cores. The analysis of flakes suggests that the parallel and Levallois reduction strategies were employed. The tool assemblage also reveals the combination of the Middle and Upper Paleolithic elements. Archaeological evidence from layer 9, whose deposits were accumulated during the Last Glacial Maximum, reflects the ​further development of blade technology.

For full text: https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/1417859
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Özet: Sibirya’da Üst Paleolitik Çağ’ın başlangıcı, en azından, günümüzden yaklaşık 47.000 öncesine tarihlenir. Öncül Üst Paleolitik Çağ’ın nasıl ortaya çıktığı ve hangi insan -alt- türüyle ilişkilendirilmesi gerektiği konusunda tartışmalar sürerken, o evrenin başından itibaren görülen dilgi temelli taş endüstrilerinin gün ışığına çıkarıldığı kültür katmanlarından “simgesel davranışlar”ı işaret eden çok sayıda maddi kültür ögesi bulunmuştur. Anatomik açıdan modern insanların Avrasya’ya yayılımı ile ilişkilendirilen “modern davranışlar” (veya “davranışsal modernlik”) ve onun bir alt kümesi olan “simgesel davranışlar” kavramları altında tanımlanan pek çok unsurun Sibirya’da Öncül Üst Paleolitik Çağ’ın başından itibaren görülmesi, o yeni kültürün modern insan topluluklarına atfedilmesi yönünde önemli bir destek olarak görülebilir. Bu makalede, Sibirya’da Üst Paleolitik Çağ’ın başlangıcı hakkındaki hipotezleri, sorunları; o çağda görülen “simgesel davranışlar”a işaret eden bulguları ve öne çıkan örnekleri; ölü gömme ve inanca ilişkin bulgular, süs nesneleri ve takılar, taşınabilir sanat nesneleri, iki boyutlu betimlemeler, kaya ve mağara resimleri başlıkları altında incelemeye çalışacağım.
Anahtar Kelimeler: Sibirya, Üst Paleolitik Çağ, Simgesel Davranışlar, Paleolitik Sanat, Taşınabilir Sanat Nesneleri.
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Abstract:
The beginning of the Upper Paleolithic in Siberia, at least, dates back to about 47,000 years ago. While there are debates about how the Initial Upper Paleolithic emerged and which human species it should be associated with, many material culture elements that point to "symbolic behavior" were found from the cultural layers where blade-based stone industries were exposed from the beginning of that phase. From the beginning of the Initial Upper Paleolithic in Siberia, the occurrence of many elements defined under the concepts of "modern behavior" (or "behavioral modernity"), and a subset of it, "symbolic behavior", which are associated with the spread of anatomically modern humans to Eurasia, can be seen as an important support for the attribution of the new culture to modern human populations. In this article, I tried to examine the hypotheses and problems about the beginning of the Upper Paleolithic in Siberia; findings and prominent examples indicating the "symbolic behavior" seen during the Upper Paleolithic as categorized them under the headings of the evidences that related burial and belief system and the findings including ornaments and jewelry, portable art objects, two-dimensional depictions on osseous plates, rock and cave arts.
Keywords: Siberia, the Upper Paleolithic, Symbolic Behavior, Paleolithic Art, Portable Art Objects

For full text: https://tez.yok.gov.tr/UlusalTezMerkezi/TezGoster?key=_F5QEpayDXGqGZlp9XiFtAxqwP-ebyYJz4L0V6DExdfJc_scaGXe0-kwzfpyiU1k
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Berkant, E.B. (2020). "In the Light of Genetic and Archaeological Studies, Migrations of the Archaic Altaic Populations from the Eastern Siberia in the Upper Paleolithic" (In Turkish) (Abstract & Contents) // Unpublished PhD Dissertation //
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Abstract:
In our study, firstly, we have outlined Siberian Upper Paleolithic material culture which has never been studied in the Turkish literature before. At the same time, for the main goal of our dissertation, we identified two major migration movements to the “Core-Siberia” (Southern Siberia) and from there to the surrounding areas. The first of these two migrations is linked to the emergence of the blade technology in the Core-Siberia (Initial Upper Paleolithic) and its spread. In the Core-Siberia, the earliest blade-based industries (Kara-Bom Tradition) emerged in the Northwest Altai, most likely in GI-12 (between ~47,000-44,000 cal. BP). Then, around / after ~45,000 cal. BP, those industries spread to Mongolia, Transbaykal, Cis-Baykal and Yenisei regions. We have evidence that blade technology reached Northern China (Shuidonggou) around ~ 43 / 41,000 cal. BP, and then Korea and Japan probably around / after 39 / 38,000 cal. BP. This technological expansion was carrying the traces of the migration of modern human populations starting from Levant and reaching Eastern Asia via Central Asia and Siberia (Overland Route). Another migration to Eastern Asia was carried out by modern human populations who followed probably the "Southern Route" and created the flake-based stone industries called "Core-and-flake" industries.
The second migration we identified was related to the spread of bladelet technology (sensu lato Aurignacian), which began to appear around 40,000 cal. BP  in the Western Eurasia. The spread of this technology which reached Siberia, points to  the “migration chain” formed by “migration rings” in a process involving tens of thousand years. This new stone chipped concept (Ust-Karakol Tradition), which began to appear in the Core-Siberia after (H4) ~ 39 / 38,000 cal. BP, is defined as the Early Upper Paleolithic. In our dissertation, we have defined the human populations who created the stone industries that have a cultural continuity with some technological developments from the beginning of this phase to the end of the Pleistocene, as Archaic Altai Populations. These populations have been described as "Ancient North Eurasians" in genetic researches based on aDNA samples.
Since the beginning of the Sartan Phase (after ~30,000 cal. BP) when the climatic conditions worsened, some groups from the Archaic Altai Populations migrated to Northern China and reached the Yellow River basin and around Beijing. The groups stayed in Siberia took refuge in relatively more suitable regions (e.g. Yenisei region). As a result of this migration, the stone industries with the earliest “true” microblade technology (with the pressure technique) began to emerge in Northern China around / after ~28 / 27,000 cal BP. This migration reached Korea and Hokkaido ~25,000 cal. BP. After the Last Glacial Maximum (~23,000 cal. BP) (GI-2.2), migration of some populations that returned to Core-Siberia as can be called "back-migration" from Northern China brought the new technology with themselves (Late Upper Paleolithic).
This migration movements associated with the spread of the "true" microblade technology gave birth to the Selemdja Culture in the Middle Amur region around ~23,000 cal. BP, and the Dyuktai Culture in Yakutia possibly between ~23,000-20,000 cal. BP. Dyuktai Culture can also be seen as the source of the first migration to the Northwestern of the North America (Eastern Beringia) after ~14,500 cal. BP.
After ~16,000 cal. BP, the Archaic Altai Populations who have “true” microblade technology in the Core-Siberia, began to migrate in west and south directions. The spread of  “the Western Branch” reached the Urals around ~16 / 15,000 cal. BP, and then, at the end of the Pleistocene - beginning of the Holocene, through Eastern Europe to Scandinavia. “The Eastern Branch” (via southern direction) spread all the way to North Afghanistan along the Inner Asian Mountainous Corridor between ~14,000-11,000 cal. BP.
This spread should be related to the emergence of stone industries using "the pressure technique" for produce microblade / blade in the Eastern Wing of the Fertile Crescent in the Middle East in earlier of the Holocene. However, evidences in the region between the North Afghanistan and the Zagros is lacking and the connection is broken.
Genetic researches results clearly revealed the spread of “the Western Branch”. The evidences that can not be underestimated has been found for “the Eastern Branch”.

Keywords: Siberia, Upper Paleolithic, Migration, Blade Technology, Kara-Bom Tradition, Ust-Karakol Tradition, Karginian Period, Sartan Period, Microblade Technology, Pressure Technique, Yubetsu Method, Population Genetics, aDNA, Mesolithic, Americas, Beringia, Bering Standstill Model, Mal’ta-Burets Culture, Afontova Culture, Dyuktai Culture, Ancient Northern Eurasians, Eastern Hunter-Gatherers

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