Quaternary International 80–81 (2001) 131–167 Pleistocene climate change, natural environments and palaeolithic occupation of the Altai area, west-central Siberia Jiri Chlachula Laboratory for Palaeocology, University Zlin, 762 72 Zlin, Czech Republic Abstract Diversity of the relief and the Pleistocene environments of the mountain areas of SW Siberia played a major role in the history of the palaeolithic peopling of this territory. The geographical and contextual distribution of the cultural records reflects a climatic instability in the Altai area. Palaeoenvironmental proxy data indicate that the natural conditions during the earlier stages were generally more favourable for early human occupation than during the later stages. The cyclic nature of the glacial and interglacial periods led to periodic landscape transformations and generation of specific ecosystems adjusted to particular topographic settings and responding to climatic variations. The initial occupation of the broader Altai region associated with ‘‘pebble-tool’’ industries from alluvial formations likely occurred during some of the Middle Pleistocene interglacials accompanying the northern expansion of the temperate zone and biota. Mixed coniferous and broadleaf forests established in the tectonically active mountain zone with elevations of 1500–2000 m and parklands in the adjacent plains and continental basins provided a wide range of occupation habitats. There is limited evidence for persistence of Early Palaeolithic inhabitation during glacial stages due to inhospitable periglacial conditions. The last interglacial warming, indicated by re-colonization of southern Siberia by coniferous taiga forests, is linked with the appearance of the Mousterian tradition. Changes in the relief configuration influenced the local climate regime and opened new habitats for the Middle Palaeolithic population concentrated in the transitional zones of 500–1000 m elevation in the karstic area of the NW Altai foothills. Occupation of the central and southern Altai during the early last glacial was impeded by harsh, ice-marginal environments and expansion of glaciers in the valleys filled by large proglacial lakes. Progressive warming during the early mid-last glacial interstadial stage (59–35 ka BP) caused wasting of the ice fields accompanied by cataclysmic releases of ice-dammed lakes and large-scale erosional processes. Periodic outbursts of the glacial basins had a dramatic impact on the regional ecosystems, also obliterating the earlier cultural records. Appearance of the transitional early Late Palaeolithic stone industries reflects adaptation to mosaic interstadial habitats, including sub-alpine forest, dark coniferous forest, mixed parklands and open steppe. The identical geographical distribution of the Middle and Late Palaeolithic sites and the time-transgressive lithic technologies suggest a regional cultural (and biological?) continuity in the broader Altai area during the Late Pleistocene. Re-establishment of cold tundra–steppe and tundra–forest habitats correlates with the Late Palaeolithic horizon with developed stone industries dominated by blade-flaking techniques. These techniques possibly survived in more protected locations characterized by warm microclimates in the northern Altai throughout the last glacial maximum (20–18 ka BP). Emergence of the microlithic assemblages with wedge-shape cores is linked with a new cultural adjustment in the final stage of the Palaeolithic development responding to transformations of the former periglacial ecosystems towards the end of the Pleistocene. r 2001 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. 1. Introduction remainder of Siberia from the southern regions of Central Asia. Study of the Pleistocene occupation of the Geoarchaeological investigations of human occupa- Altai was initiated by discovery of the Ulalinka Site in tion dating to the Pleistocene have a long tradition in the Gorno Altaisk in 1961 by A.P. Okladnikov following Altai region. A particular significance of the local the find of isolated palaeolithic artefacts in the vicinity Palaeolithic research lies in the geographical location of the city of Biysk (Okladnikov, 1964; Okladnikov of the Altai area on the margin of SW Siberia, believed and Adamenko, 1966). Despite the controversial age of to be the main gateway for the initial peopling of the the former site, this discovery started systematic 1040-6182/01/$ - see front matter r 2001 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. PII: S 1040-6182(01)00023-4 132 J. Chlachula / Quaternary International 80–81 (2001) 131–167 investigations that eventually resulted in locating other The current study objectives of geoarchaeological palaeolithic sites in the broader Altai region, the adjacent research relate to particular site-specific problems, as Gorna Shoria Mountains and in the Kuznetsk Basin. By well as to general aspects of the Pleistocene peopling of the late 1980s, geoarchaeological surveys gradually north Asia. These include implementation of new expanded from the northern foothills into the central approaches aimed at site location in diverse topographic and southern Altai, mapping a number of open-air sites settings and geological contexts, the chronological (Tyumechin I and II, Tytkesken’, Ust’-Sema, Ust’- classification of the cultural records, the complex Karakol, Ust’-Kuyum, Anui I-III) as well as cave sites palaeoenvironmental reconstruction, the technological (Okladnikova, Denisova, Strashnaya, Kaminnaya, analysis of stone industries and comparative studies Razboinichia, Iskra, Maloyalomanskaya, Dmitrievka, leading to a broader territorial correlation. Apart from Tytkesken’ Caves) (Shunkov, 1982; Lapshin, 1982; the principal cultural evidence, some multistratified Kungurov, 1984, 1993; Derevianko and Markin, 1990, open-air sites (e.g., Kara-bom, Ust’-Karakol), and 1992; Derevianko and Zenin, 1990; Derevianko and particularly cave sites (the Denisova, Okladnikova, Petrin, 1990; Derevianko and Shunkov, 1992; Shunkov Kaminnaya Caves) have provided important biostrati- et al., 1994; Derevianko et al., 1995, 1999). The principal graphic and climatological records of the Quaternary long-term investigations have focused on three areas: the history and the Pleistocene climate change in south- Anui River Basin in the NW Altai foothills, the middle western Siberia. Katun River basin in Central Altai and the Chuya River Reconstruction of the Pleistocene climate dynamics basin in the southern part of the Altai Mountains that shaped the configuration of the topographic relief (Fig. 1). The recorded occupation/workshop sites, de- and ultimately governed the past ecosystems is essential scribed as Middle or Late Palaeolithic, can be classified for understanding the process and timing of the initial in respect to a particular geological context as buried peopling of the territory of north-central Asia. This sites (both open-air and cave sites) and sites exposed on study presents an up-to-date overview of the geological, the present surface; and in terms of preservation as intact biotic and archaeological evidence concerning past sites and sites re-deposited in secondary positions. climatic variations of the broader area of the Altai and Fig. 1. Geography of the Altai area with location of the principal Quaternary geology sections and the palaeolithic sites discussed in the text. Geology sections: 1FBachat, 2FBelovo, 3FBiysk, 4FChernyy Anui, 5FIniya, 6FChuya, 7FTeleckoye Ozero. Archaeological sites: 1FMokhovo, 2FUlalinka, 3FOkladnikova Cave, 4FDenisova Cave, 5FKaminnaya Cave, 6FUst’-Kanskaya Cave, 7FUst’-Karakol, 8FKara-Bom, 9FKara Tenesh, 10FTyumechin I, II; 11FMaloyalomanskaya Cave, 12FBarburghazy, 13FBigdon, 14FYustyd I, II; 15FUst’-Sema, 16FMaima, 17FIskra. J. Chlachula / Quaternary International 80–81 (2001) 131–167 133 the natural conditions during the palaeolithic occupa- higher elevations. Semi-desert communities with admix- tion of this part of Siberia. ture of taxa characteristic of the Mongolian steppes are found in the upland depressions of the southern Altai. The present soil cover corresponds to the zonal 2. Geographical location and natural setting vegetation distribution. In the northern lowland basins and plains, steppe chernozems prevail with luvisolic soils South-western Siberia, including the Altai and the formed in more humid locations in the river valleys. Kuzbass regions, is characterized by a rather diverse Kastanozems and podzolic forest soils prevail in the physiography with high mountain massifs in the south lower mountain zone; thin brunisols and tundra regosols and east, and open lowlands in the north and west are found in the (sub)-alpine zone; and kastanozems, (Fig. 1). The Altai Mountains (maximum elevation brown calcareous soils or solonets appear in the high- 4506 m asl) and the Kuznetskiy Alatau (2171 m asl) mountain basin (Chuya and Kuray Depression) and on form a natural barrier to the south and east, respec- the upland plateaus (Ukok) (Rudoy et al., 2000). tively, connected by the Gornaya Shoria Mountains (1560 m). The Salair Range (590 m) separates the adjacent continental depression in the north: the upper 3. Pre-Quaternary history of the Altai area Ob Basin and the Kuznetsk Basin (150–300 m), repre- senting the marginal parts of the Western Siberian Geological history of the broader Altai region is Lowland. Hydrologically, the area belongs to the Ob closely linked with the formation of the major central River drainage system, with the Katun, Biya, Irtysh and Asian mountain system. The Caledonian orogenesis