Spatial Structures of the Initial/Early Upper Paleolithic at Tolbor-21, Northern Mongolia

Abstract

This article describes the spatial structures of archaeological horizon 4 at Tolbor-21 in northern Mongolia, on the basis of data from 2015–2017. The presence of non-utilitarian items, faunal remains with traces of human impact, and the use of fi re render this site near outcrops of raw materials promising for the reconstruction of the spatial organization of Early Upper Paleolithic sites in northern Mongolia. Spatial analysis included visual observations and statistical procedures (clustering with two algorithms) aimed at identifying patterns in the distribution of fi nds in various areas. The infl uence of natural processes on the distribution of artifacts was evaluated with fabric analysis based on the positions of the long axes of fi nds. As a result, it was found that solifl uction variously affected the archaeological horizon in different parts of the slope. The effect was strongest in excavation 2, where two possibly overlapping episodes of fi rerelated activity have been reconstructed. Nevertheless, it is possible to separate two complexes differing in terms of fi nds, including signifi cantly modifi ed tools and bones with traces of human impact (“fi replace 1”) and a concentration of small artifacts (“fi replace 2”). In the upper part of the slope (excavation 4), near the stone structure, an accumulation of cores at the advanced reduction stages is reconstructed, as well as an area where ungulate carcasses were butchered. An area associated with primary reduction has been separated in excavation 1. The differential use of the camp area by its inhabitants seems to be an important feature of the subsistence strategy of the population of northern Mongolia during the initial stages of the Upper Paleolithic.