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This article discusses the technology of manufacturing composite slotted tools, specifically focusing on slot production. The research was aimed at identifying the factors which influenced the dependence between slot shape, tool type, and movement direction. Previously, small size of slots and inability to obtain cross-sections of intact tools complicated slot shape studies. Implementation of 3D scanning has made it possible to produce cross-sections and analyze the morphology without damaging the artifacts. The research involved two stages: experimental modeling and slot shape analysis using 3D technologies. Experiments were conducted on horn blanks with microblades, microburin, and micro-perforator made of dark-colored silicites, involving both unidirectional and bidirectional slot incisions. 3D scanning and modeling were employed for slot analysis, making it possible to create cross-sectional series and take metric measurements. The analysis revealed that unidirectional movements with microblades and microburin produced V-shaped slot profiles, whereas bidirectional movements led to shape changes from W-shaped to U-shaped. Tool breakage also affected slot profiles, increasing the width of slot bottom (U-shaped cross-section) and breaking wall symmetry. Slot shape was found to vary along its length depending on tool type and condition of the working edge. Experiments also revealed the influence of tool position in the slot on cross-sectional symmetry/asymmetry and slot width. The wall which was in contact with the ventral side of the tool was straighter and smoother than the opposite wall. These and other observations require further experimental verification and a larger series of experiments

A survey was carried out by a team from IAET SB RAS in the area of Urochiche Balchikova V( Balchikov locality V) situated in northwestern Altai in 2021. This article presents the preliminary results of studies at this site. The the site is located is in the vicinity of the Sentelek village in the Charyshskiy District of Altai Krai. In geomorphological terms, this area is a cirque formed by an extension of the Sentelek River valley framed by mountains. The exposed artifacts are confined to a promontory on the left bank of the Sentelek River representing the diluvium train of Voskudarnaya Teplukha Mountain. P.I. Shulga found the first stone tools at this site in 1991. The 2021 collection counts 8 artifacts. The most representative part of the exposed complex consists of artifacts associated with primary reduction: a sub-prismatic double platform blade core of the bidirectional reduction pattern with one flaking surface; a preform of the double platform core and technical spalls. The tool kit is represented by a scraper-shaped tool made on a silicite tablet. The few artifacts collected from the surface are technologically-diagnostic. Their morphology and characteristic technological features suggest attribution of the assemblage to the early stages of the Upper Paleolithic. The flaking technique aimed at production of large thin blades under the bidirectional prismatic flaking strategy is characteristic of the industries of the Initial and Early Upper Paleolithic of North and Central Asia. The closest parallels to these materials are in lithic assemblages of the Early Upper Paleolithic of Altai (Kara-Bom, UP complexes 1 and 2, Ust-Karakol-1, layers 8-11), Mongolia (Tolbor-4, horizons 5 and 6) and Eastern Kazakhstan (Ushbulak, layers 6 and 7).

The article provides preliminary results of the spatial analysis of materials from the Early Upper Paleolithic site of Sabanikha-3. Currently, Sabanikha-3 is one of the few EUP sites in the Yenisei River basin with an undisturbed cultural layer. The site is located on the high bank of the Yenisei River (now the Krasnoyarsk Reservoir) and is associated with the top of a ravine that provided a convenient descent to the water and sources of raw materials, specifically pebble bars. The spatial distribution of artifacts has revealed four functional areas (occupation episodes). The first area involved the core reduction, consumption of horses and Siberian ibex, and the production of personal ornaments. The second area was located in the eastern and southeastern parts of the pit. Based on the assemblage of lithic and bone tools (including end scrapers, splinted pieces, borers, and bone needles), it is assumed that hide processing took place here. The faunal assemblage in this area includes remains of several Capra Sibirica or Ragnifer Tarandus individuals. The third area contains the majority of cores, knapping tools, pebble tools, blocks of diabase, pebble tools, diabase blocks, and most fragments of split antlers. The fourth area is associated with a fireplace found in pit 1. The elevation of the fireplace relative to the artifacts suggests that most of the artifacts are not related to the fireplace, which marks the earliest occupation episode of the excavated area. The spatial analysis indicates that the cultural layer of the site represents a palimpsest of short-term occupations by bearers of the same cultural tradition over a relatively short period.

In May 2021, a joint expedition of the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography SB RAS and the National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan carried out archaeological survey at the Aktas site in northern Kazakhstan. The Aktas site is located on the flat top of a hill (420 m) with a quartzite rocky outcrop. The site was studied by V.N. Matvienko in 1982-1983. At that time, a representative collection of faunal remains (several thousand items) was recovered from the excavation area of 25 sq.m. It contains remains of Crocuta crocuta spelaea, Panthera leo spelaea, Coelodonta antiquitatis, Bos primigenius, Cervus elaphus. Occurrence of objects with traces of working and lithic products interpreted as tools allowed researchers to correlate the materials from this site with Upper Paleolithic human activities. The main task of the works in 2021 was to verify involvement of ancient humans information of the materials at the site and determination of its age. A new stratigraphic profile containing 6 lithological layers was established along the wall of the excavation trench of 1982-1983. Faunal remains were mostly collected from layers 3 (brownish-gray sandy loam) and 4 (detrital horizon). In total, 82 animal bones were recovered including remains of Coelodonta antiquitatis, Equus ferus and Caprinae gen. No lithic artifacts were found, however, solitary bones bearing traces of probable anthropogenic impact (splitting, polishing) were found. The Aktas location on a hill excludes the possibility of bone-bed formation due to natural geological processes. The derived information makes it possible to link the accumulated materials at the site to anthropogenic activity. Based on the composition of faunal remains, Aktas was aged to late MIS 3 - early MIS 2.

The article presents the results of field studies of the Chagyrskaya Cave, a key site of the Sibiryachikha facies of the Altai Middle Paleolithic in 2021. In the 2021 field season, the main objectives of the work were to study the site stratigraphy, determine the contribution of predators and humans to the taphocenoses of osteological remains, and techno-typological analysis of archaeological materials from the Middle Paleolithic complexes of the cave. Geological studies have shown that the stratigraphic sequences contain seven major subdivisions of the Holocene and Pleistocene periods. In the course of the excavations, a specific section of layer 6c/2 was determined; its non-disturbed position was supported by the stratigraphic and micromorphological data. The complex of the Neanderthal material culture in layer 6c/2 represents the remains of the Neanderthal base camp for hunting prey consumption. On the other hand, layer 6a was formed as a result of colluvial processes; the artifacts and paleontological remains from layer 6c/2 were redeposited in the overlying stratigraphic unit. Functionally, this layer is defined as a den of hyenas, which used the cave for cub breeding. This conclusion is supported by the shares of bones with traces of acid corrosion determined for the complexes of layers 6a and 6c/2 in 2021. In the course of fieldwork new retouchers were found supplementing the collection of bone artifacts of the Chagyrskaya cave. The discovery of an anthropological fossil indicates the prospect of continuing archaeological studies at the site.

The article provides new materials from the Early Upper Paleolithic site Sabanikha-3 (Middle Yenisei), obtained during the 2024 fieldwork, which is intended to continue the site research begun in 2020, 2023–2023. The research is aimed to expand the evidence base for the Early Upper Paleolithic of the region. Main pit 3 (2024), covering an area of 9.5 sq. m, was connected to the southwestern walls of main pits 1 and 2. The main concentration of archaeological material was recorded in the southeastern part of the pit. The distribution of artifacts suggests that main pit 3 uncovered the western periphery of the site. In the collection of primary knapping, blade cores, mainly unidirectional and bidirectional cores, dominate. Cores for flakes and small blades were also found. Knapping tools are widely represented, including hammers and pecking tools. The toolkit is dominated by end scrapers on flakes and blades, with the presence of splintered pieces and pebble tools, as well as a burin on a retouched blade. The bone industry includes a fragment of a bone needle and an antler punch. The most notable find is a personal ornament in the form of an asymmetric segment of a disk made from soft stone. Based on the appearance of the lithic assemblage and bone tools, as well as the tradition of making ornaments from stone, the closest analogy to Sabanikha-3 is the complex from the Malaya Syya site. Significant similarities are observed with the materials from the Derbina IV site (stratified complex) and the Pokrovka II location. These assemblages appear to represent a single cultural tradition that existed during the EUP of the Yenisei.

The Verkhnyaya Sibiryachikha Cave was discovered in the vicinity of the Okladnikov Cave in the course of the IAET SB RAS survey excavation in 2020; the cave studies were continued in 2021. The karst cavity was documented as a paleontological site, Sibiryachikha-6, by the famous paleontologist N.V Ovodov in the late 20th century. In 2021, the existing test-pit was enlarged by 2 sq. m. Five stratigraphic units were established, four of which contain numerous paleontological materials. Lithic artifacts adding to the small assemblage of the previous year were found in two strata. Preliminary absolute AMS dates indicate that the cave was recurrently visited by ancient people during the Upper Paleolithic and late Middle Paleolithic. The species composition, interspecies ratio, and set of preserved bone remains of the lower layers are typical for cave taphocenoses formed as a result of food activity of large predators, primarily cave hyenas. The taphocenosis of the site is dominated by species of open spaces; a smaller numbers of species offorest-steppe, forest, and rocky biotopes were identified. The study of the Verkhnyaya Sibiryachikha Cave sediments, synchronous to culture-bearing deposits of Okladnikov Cave by preliminary absolute dating, provides an opportunity for detailed reconstruction of paleoenviroment during the Neanderthal habitation. The results of the latest field season suggest that the Upper Sibiryachikha Cave was a den of predators during the late Pleistocene, occasionally visited by various populations of ancient humans.

Studies of a new Middle Paleolithic site in Altai, the Kozya Cave, had been conducted by the team of researchers from IAET SB RAS in 2021. The site was discovered in the course of archaeological survey in 2020. The cave is located in the northwestern Altai, in the Charyshski District of Altai Region. The excavation trench of 3 m2 revealed four stratigraphic units, three of which were attributed to the Pleistocene. Archaeological material was found in layers 2-3.2. Layer 2 contained a truncated-faceted tool. The assemblage of layer 3 consists of 8 artifacts, half of which have been defined as tools. The cultural marker is a fragment of the Levallois point from layer 3.1 with convergent scars on the dorsal surface and a convex faceted striking platform. The zooarchaeological analysis of the paleofaunal collection from layers 3.1 and 3.2 showed that the accumulation of faunal remains in the cave resulted mainly from activity of predators periodically using it as a den. At the same time, finds of bones with traces of premeditated splitting indicate that ancient people also visited the Kozya (Goat) Cave and participated in the accumulation of bone remains. Analysis of the faunal collection of small mammals showed that the deposition took place in open spaces. The inhabitants of taiga and shrub biotopes are few in the fossil fauna. The data of 2021 field season allowed us to clarify the age of the cave deposits formation. The morphology of lithic artifacts and the faunal material as well as the infinite date of layer 3.2 (>55000 (GV3067)) suggest attribution of the archaeological complex of Kozya layer 3 to the Middle Paleolithic. The culture marking artifacts tentatively indicates that this complex belongs to the Denisova trend of the Altai Middle Paleolithic.