Middle Palaeolithic sites in the vicinity of Mariampil on Dnister River

Abstract

Over many years of archaeological research a number of Middle Paleolithic sites have been discovered in the vicinity of Mariampil, including Bukivna IV, Bukivna V, Yezupil I, Kolodiiv, Mariampil I, Mariampil V and others. The site of Mariampil I was discovered in the 1920s by Yu. Polanski. Since then the site has not been researched, although it is quite promising from the point of view of the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic studies in the region. In 2014, the study of the site was renewed using a number of modern methods of natural sciences. The samples were taken from the section of the site. Samples were taken every 0.2 m from the loess horizons and every 0.1 m from the Horokhiv fossil pedocomplex for granulometric analysis, general chemical analyses (humus content, Fe2O3, CaCO3). A number of samples were also taken for absolute dating of the sediments (TL, OSL), palynological research, as well as from certain horizons of the Horokhiv fossil pedocomplex for micromorphological research and analysis of biomarkers. The history of research, the geological structure and the archaeological material of Mariampil I were highlighted in the article. The association of the oldest (fourth) cultural layer, which was found by Yu. Polanski and confirmed by our fieldwork in 2014–2015, with the eluvial horizon of Horokhiv fossil pedocomplex (MIS 5e) was determined. It was dated by the OSL method at 102+16 ka BP and it correlates well with the archaeological determination of the age of the artifacts. As a result of the research, a large amount of factual material was obtained concerning the structure of the Upper Pleistocene loess-soil sequence, whose thickness is over 17 m, which is abnormally high for the Halych-Dnister region. Information about two important stratified Middle Palaeolithic sites in Ivano-Frankivsk region is also given. This is a three-layer Palaeolithic site of Yezupil I of Tysmenytsia district and Mariampil V of Halych district, which by chronological position and cultural and technological tradition are analogues of Mariampil I. Numerous Middle Palaeolithic sites in the vicinity of Mariampil on the Dnister River indicate a quite powerful centre of the Neanderthal communities in this area. Key words: Mousterian, Micoquien, Upper Palaeolithic, loess-soil sequence, Halych-Dnister region.