Kostenki is a complex of archaeological sites, located in the Pokrovsky Valley of Russia, located on the west bank of the Don River, about 400 kilometers south of Moscow and 40 km south of the city of VoronezhRussia. The main site is located near the mouth of a small steep ravine; the upper reaches of this ravine contains evidence of a handful of other Upper Paleolithic occupations. Kostenki, by virtue of its location near the mouth of the inlet, is deeply buried within alluvium deposited by the Don River at least 50,000 years ago.
Late Early Upper Paleolithic at Kostenki
The occupations at Kostenki include several Late Early Upper Paleolithic levels, dated between about 40,000 to 30,000 calibrated years ago (cal BP). Below these levels is a layer of volcanic ash, associated with the volcanic eruptions of the Phlegrean Fields of Italy (aka Campanian Ignimbrite), which are thought to have erupted between about 38,000 and 40,000 years ago.
The most recent excavations at Kostenki discovered occupation levels within and below the ash level (called the CI Tephra). Here was found the remnants of the Early Upper Paleolithic culture called the "Aurignacian Dufour," containing numerous small bladelets and ver similar to lithic tools found in similarly dated sites in western Europe. Typically, the Aurignacian is the oldest component associated with modern humans at archaeological sites in Europe, underlain by Mousterian-like deposits representing Neanderthals. At Kostenki, a sophisticated tool kit of prismatic blades, burins, bone antler, and ivory artifacts, and small perforated shell ornaments lies below the CI Tephra and Aurignacian Dufour assemblage.
- Read more about the Controversy at Kostenki
Excavations at Kostenki
Kostenki was discovered in 1879; and a long series of excavations followed. The oldest occupations at the site were reported in 2008, where the combination of great age and sophistication created quite a stir. Since that time, additional sites such as Byzovaya and Mamontovaya Kurya have supported the early modern human occupations of the eastern Plains of Russia.
Sources
This glossary entry is a part of the About.com guide to Upper Paleolithic , and the Dictionary of Archaeology.
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