TL Age of Loess Deposits in the Yezupil I Palaeolithic Site on the Upper Dniester River (Ukraine)

GEOLOGIJA. 2009. Vol. 51. No. 3–4(67–68). P. 86–96 DOI: 10.2478/v10056-009-0010-4 © Lietuvos mokslų akademija, 2009 © Lietuvos mokslų akademijos leidykla, 2009 © Vilniaus universitetas, 2009 TL age of loess deposits in the Yezupil I Palaeolithic site on the upper Dniester River (Ukraine) Maria Łanczont, Łanczont M., Fedorowicz St., Kusiak J., Boguckij A., Sytnyk O. TL age of loess deposits in the Yezupil I Palaeolithic site on the upper Dniester River (Ukraine). Geologija. Vilnius. 2009. Vol. 51. Stanisław Fedorowicz, No. 3–4 (67–68). P. 86–96. ISSN 1392-110X Th e Yezupil I archaeological loess site, situated in the East Carpathian Foreland (Ukraine), Jarosław Kusiak, with two cultural layers (Middle and Upper Palaeolithic), has been systematically investigated by archaeologists and naturalists for about 20 years. Th ese joint researches gave a very good basis for Andrij Boguckij, the palaeogeographical, cultural, and stratigraphic interpretation of the profi le. Th e scope of the research included also TL analysis. Th e set of TL dates obtained formerly at the Lublin laboratory Oleksandr Sytnyk was supplemented with the dating results from the Gdańsk laboratory. Altogether, 28 samples were dated, enabling us to establish the chronostratigraphy of the profi le. Th e obtained results cor- relate well with the European schemes of Pleistocene stratigraphy and Palaeolithic periodization. Additionally, fi nds connected with considerably younger (Holocene) settlement phases (Early Neolithic, Iron Age) in the Dniester River valley were dated. Key words: loess-soil sequence, archaeological site, TL dating, Palaeolithic chronology, Dnie- ster River valley, East Carpathian Foreland Received 20 March 2009, accepted 03 April 2009 Maria Łanczont, Jarosław Kusiak. Department of Physical Geography and Palaeogeogra- phy, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Al. Kraśnicka 2 cd, 20-718 Lublin, Poland. E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; Stanisław Fedorowicz. Depart- ment of Geomorphology and Quaternary Geology, University of Gdańsk, Dmowskiego 16A, 80- 950 Gdańsk, Poland. E-mail: [email protected]; Andrij Boguckij. Department of Geomorpho- logy and Palaeogeography, Ivan Franko National University, Doroshenka 41, 79000 Lviv, Ukraine; Olek sandr Sytnyk. Ivan Krypiakevich Institute of Ukrainian Studies, National Academy of Sci- ences of Ukraine, Kozelnytskaya 4, 29008 Lviv, Ukraine. E-mail: [email protected] INTRODUCTION dorowicz, 2003; Kusiak, 2007; Maruszczak et al., 1992). How- ever, sometimes it is diffi cult to determine in laboratory the Th e method of thermoluminescence was worked out for the degree of bleaching that occurred before the deposition of archaeological use in the end of the 1950s. However, it be- mineral grains, so the obtained TL age could be overestimat- came popular only in the 1970s when it was adapted for the ed. Such a problem could arise when aeolian transport was dating of deposits, mostly aeolian ones. Th erefore, good pros- too short or a deposit was involved in slope mass-movements pects arose for dating Palaeolithic loess sites. aft er deposition. From the archaeological point of view, the Loess, as aeolian deposit, meets well the methodological obtained dating results are more correct if aeolian deposition requirements of TL analysis. Th is method is based on the as- was rather intensive. In such a situation, we can expect the sumption that the dated deposits had to be exposed to sun- age of the site to be close to the geological age of the deposit light for a suffi ciently long time to bleach the thermolumi- in which the site occurs, because the TL dates determine the nescence accumulated in mineral grains during their former phase of site covering with the next loess layer. A diff erence history. Th is requirement is met in the case of loess deposits. between the obtained TL age and geological age occurs when Mineral grains were subjected to air transport and exposed to the past environmental conditions did not favour accumula- sunlight in the process of loess formation (Bluszcz, 2000; Fe- tion and surface deposits were exposed for some time aft er TL age of loess deposits in the Yezupil I Palaeolithic site on the upper Dniester River (Ukraine) 87 the site had been abandoned by its occupants (Łanczont, tion routes of Palaeolithic people ran along this valley. Nu- Boguckij, 2002). merous traces of younger cultures indicate that this region Th e TL method is also used to determine the age of archaeo- was still preferred as regards settlement and the exploitation logical sites from the Younger Stone Age and younger ones. of the natural environment. In this case, there is a possibility of dating the archaeological In 2008, during the fi eld seminar dedicated to geological fi nds that underwent thermal processing, such as fi red pottery problems of the research on archaeological sites (Łanczont, or loam in a fi replace or kiln. Th eir TL age corresponds to the Mroczek, 2008), samples for TL dating were systematically time that passed since they had been fi red. Th e main problem collected from a newly cleared wall of the Yezupil I (Y. I) exca- with TL dating of pottery is the occurrence of supralinearity vation, giving a chance to determine the profi le chronology in of the TL glow curve. If this phenomenon is not taken into more detail and to verify the results of former thermolumi- account, the obtained TL age could be underestimated (Buko nescence analyses (Łanczont, Madeyska, 2005). An attempt et al., 2008). Because of the young Holocene age of such fi nds was also made to determine the age of fi nds, younger than and the probability margin of the TL method, the obtained re- the Palaeolithic, a large number of which was found during sults are considered to be approximate but irreplaceable when the excavation works. the geological context of a given fi nd is not clear. Th e TL method was used to determine the age of the GEOMORPHOLOGIC SETTING OF THE SITE Yezupil I multi-layer and multi-cultural Palaeolithic site. Th e site is situated in NW Ukraine, in the Halych Prydnistrovya Yezupil village is situated on the left bank of the Bystrycya region – in the Dniester River valley, in the transitional zone River, near its confl uence with the Dniester River, in the between the East Carpathian Foreland and Podolia Upland East Carpathian Foreland, about 40 km from the mountains (Fig. 1A). Numerous traces of seasonal settlement, dating to (Fig. 1A). Loess deposits are widespread in the whole area, the time of the last interglacial at least, indicate that migra- except for the bottoms of valleys. Loess is several to several Fig. 1. Location of the Yezupil site against the background of slope angle map (A) and map of loess distribution in Central Eastern Europe (B). The extent of the detailed geomorphological map (Fig. 2) is marked on the map A 1 pav. Yezupil padėtis žemėlapyje 88 Maria Łanczont, Stanisław Fedorowicz, Jarosław Kusiak, Andrij Boguckij, Oleksandr Sytnyk dozen metres thick and forms the most westerly part of the the northern west it is gradually replaced by a long slope. Th e East European loess province (Fig. 1B). Th e Y.I site is mor- geographical position of the site is described by geographical phologically connected with the Dniester River terrace de- coordinates: latitude (N) 49°02′; longitude (E) 24°46′. scribed as the third one. It belongs to a set of Pleistocene ter- races (from second to fi ft h) developed on the sides of deeply GEOLOGICAL SETTING OF CULTURAL LAYERS incised Dniester River valley. Th e fi ft h terrace is the valley edge. Th e steplike terrace pattern is an important feature of Th e Yezupil I site was discovered by A. Boguckij during a geo- the landscape in the region (Fig. 2). Elements of the Eopleis- logical survey almost 20 years ago, and since then O. Sytnyk tocene and Pliocene relief, connected with outside-valley has managed systematic excavations that covered not only terrace forms, occur on interfl uve plateaux (Boguckij et al. the site itself but also its close vicinity (exploratory excava- 2007). tions II–VII along the third terrace) (Boguckij et al., 2006). Th e third terrace rises 15 to 20 m over the river level and Th e archaeological research is accompanied by complex 230 a. s. l. It is rather narrow, several hundred metres to 1 km natural investigations using geochemical, palaeopedological wide (Fig. 2). Morphologically / hypsometrically, it is simi- and palaeontological methods as well as thermolumines- lar to the second terrace, but its age and geological structure cence dating. Th ose studies provide information concerning are distinctly diff erent (Łanczont, Boguckij, 2002, 2007). Th e the past environment conditions and stratigraphical posi- Y. I site is situated near the modern edge of the third terrace tion of archaeological materials (Boguckij et al., 2001, 2002; that forms a nose protruding towards the east in the junction Łanczont, Boguckij, 2002; Łanczont, Madeyska, 2005; Komar of the Dniester River and its tributary the Bystrycya River. It et al., 2008). should be stressed that the site location was attractive for the Th e great signifi cance of the Yezupil I site for the East Eu- Palaeolithic and next occupants because the clearly isolated ropean Palaeolithic is connected with the well-defi ned posi- nose is surrounded from the southern west by the depres- tion of its cultural layers in the geological profi le composed sions belonging to the system of branched, dry, asymmetric of the last interglacial-glacial sequence of loesses and palae- valley of a distinctly Pleistocene origin. From the northern osols (Figs. 3, 4). Th ree Palaeolithic cultural layers were found east it adjoins to the wide valley of the Dniester River, and to in this site (Fig.

Load more