New Archaeological Site of the Final Stone Age — Kursak-1 in the Lower Reaches of the Katun River (Altai Mountains)

The article presents the results of investigations aimed to discover Mesolithic and Neolithic sites in the Katun River valley in its lower reaches (Altai Republic, Chemalsky District). The research was carried out in 2022 by IAET SB RAS team and as a result, an archaeological object — Kursak-1 site — was discovered on the left bank of the Katun river in the estuary of the Karasu creek. During the inspection of the terrace from the surface we collected numerous archaeological material (274 stone artifacts, 3 small fragments of pottery). To determine the stratigraphic context of the deposits, a test pit was excavated; it revealed: 4 lithological layers, 2 cultural horizons, where 113 stone artifacts and 2 undisturbed objects (fire place and pit) were found. Blades are few, nuclei for blades and microblades are singular. There are also single specimens from the category of tools. About 80% of all stone artifacts are made from local raw materials, which are characterized by fracturing and heterogeneity, but were easily accessible. It is possible that a large number of amorphous flakes are associated with preparatory cleavage, when preforms were created. The results of the investigations indicate an active use of the site in ancient period, possibly as a workshop. At the present time, we can assume that the archaeological materials of horizon 2 belong to the Final Mesolithic, horizon 1 — to a later stage of the Final Stone Age

Archaeology · Fluvial · Geography · Geomorphology · Horizon · Mesolithic · Pottery · River terraces · River valley · Structural basin · Image Processing and 3D Reconstruction · Marine and environmental studies · Geology