Upper Paleolithic Sidorikha Site on the Middle Yenisei

This article presents the results of archaeological research at the Sidorikha site (Republic of Khakassia), which was done in 2024. The site is located on a high terrace of the Yenisei River on the left bank of the Krasnoyarsk Reservoir. It is a single-layer stratified archaeological complex dating to the Final Paleolithic. The main objectives of this year’s research were to continue studying the area around the hearth, which started in 2023, search for new areas with stratified artifact deposits within the site’s boundaries, and to collect surface material evidence. During the fieldwork, surface materials were found only on the opposite, left side of the gully where a test pit was made for clarifying the boundaries of the site. No cultural layer was discovered there. The primary area of works focused on the test pit of 2023, where an additional 6.5-square-meter excavation was added to the southwestern wall, following the main direction of artifact concentration. As a result, 133 artifacts, primarily small spalls and flakes, were recovered from this area. All artifacts occurred at the same level. The most notable finds were a series of chisel-like tools and utilization flakes from their use. Faunal remains were sparse and included bones of hare, marmot, and gopher. New research supplemented and confirmed previous data about the habitation and type of the Sidorikha site. The assemblage and accompanying osteological evidence indicated that the area excavated in 2023–2024 resulted from a single short-term habitation event revealing hunting activities as well as active use and repair of specific types of tools brought to the site

Archaeology · Geography · Middle Paleolithic · Pleistocene · Upper Paleolithic · Geological Studies and Exploration · Indigenous Studies and Ecology · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology · Geology · Paleontology