Diring Yuriakh: A lower Paleolithic site in central Siberia

Science

Volumn 275, Issue 5304, 1997, Pages 1281-1284

  Waters, Michael R ^a   Forman, Steven L ^b   Pierson, James M ^b  

^a TEXAS A AND M UNIVERSITY   (United States)

^b UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

ARCHEOLOGY; ARTICLE; ARTIFACT; COLD CLIMATE; MIGRATION; PRIORITY JOURNAL; RUSSIAN FEDERATION; THERMOLUMINESCENCE;

ANIMALS; ARCHAEOLOGY; CLIMATE; DNA-BINDING PROTEINS; HOMINIDAE; HUMANS; SIBERIA;

ARTIFACT; PALAEOLITHIC; THERMOLUMINESCENCE DATING;

RUSSIAN FEDERATION, SIBERIA, DIRING YURIAKH;

EID: 0030621122     PISSN: 00368075     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1126/science.275.5304.1281     Document Type: Article

References (34)

1. F. A. West, American Beginnings: The Prehistory and Palaeoecology of Beringia (Univ. of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL, 1996).
2. H. E. Michael, Arct. Anthropol. 21, 1 (1984); Y. A. Mochanov, in Early Man in America From a Circum-Pacific Perspective, A. L. Bryan, Ed. (Occasional Paper 1, Department of Anthropology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, 1978), pp. 54-66; W. R. Powers, Arct. Anthropol. 10, 1 (1973); Y. A. Mochanov and S. A. Fedoseeva, in (1), pp. 157-214; S. Yi and G. Clark, Curr. Anthropol. 26, 1 (1985).
3. H. E. Michael, Arct. Anthropol. 21, 1 (1984); Y. A. Mochanov, in Early Man in America From a Circum-Pacific Perspective, A. L. Bryan, Ed. (Occasional Paper 1, Department of Anthropology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, 1978), pp. 54-66; W. R. Powers, Arct. Anthropol. 10, 1 (1973); Y. A. Mochanov and S. A. Fedoseeva, in (1), pp. 157-214; S. Yi and G. Clark, Curr. Anthropol. 26, 1 (1985).
4. H. E. Michael, Arct. Anthropol. 21, 1 (1984); Y. A. Mochanov, in Early Man in America From a Circum-Pacific Perspective, A. L. Bryan, Ed. (Occasional Paper 1, Department of Anthropology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, 1978), pp. 54-66; W. R. Powers, Arct. Anthropol. 10, 1 (1973); Y. A. Mochanov and S. A. Fedoseeva, in (1), pp. 157-214; S. Yi and G. Clark, Curr. Anthropol. 26, 1 (1985).
5. H. E. Michael, Arct. Anthropol. 21, 1 (1984); Y. A. Mochanov, in Early Man in America From a Circum-Pacific Perspective, A. L. Bryan, Ed. (Occasional Paper 1, Department of Anthropology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, 1978), pp. 54-66; W. R. Powers, Arct. Anthropol. 10, 1 (1973); Y. A. Mochanov and S. A. Fedoseeva, in (1), pp. 157-214; S. Yi and G. Clark, Curr. Anthropol. 26, 1 (1985).
6. H. E. Michael, Arct. Anthropol. 21, 1 (1984); Y. A. Mochanov, in Early Man in America From a Circum-Pacific Perspective, A. L. Bryan, Ed. (Occasional Paper 1, Department of Anthropology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, 1978), pp. 54-66; W. R. Powers, Arct. Anthropol. 10, 1 (1973); Y. A. Mochanov and S. A. Fedoseeva, in (1), pp. 157-214; S. Yi and G. Clark, Curr. Anthropol. 26, 1 (1985).
7. Y. A. Mochanov, The Ancient Paleolithic Site of Diring and the Problem of a Nontropical Origin for Humankind (Nauka, Novosibirsk, Russia, 1992); Arct. Anthropol. 30, 22 (1993).
8. Y. A. Mochanov, The Ancient Paleolithic Site of Diring and the Problem of a Nontropical Origin for Humankind (Nauka, Novosibirsk, Russia, 1992); Arct. Anthropol. 30, 22 (1993).
9. R. E. Ackerman and R. L. Carlson, Curr. Res. Pleistocene 8, 1 (1991); V. Larichev, U. Khol'ushkin, I. Laricheva, J. World Prehistory 1, 415 (1987). Dumond [Sci. News 145, 243 (1994)] suggested that the artifacts from Diring may be geofacts produced by natural geological processes. However, the geological context of the material and the characteristics of the specimens themselves indicate that they are artifacts of human origin. The artifacts occur on a single surface littered with gravels. This surface is a lag created by eolian deflation. The gravel lag is not a continuous stone pavement but a loose pavement with gravels separated by expanses of sand. Deflation is a low-energy geological process, incapable of breaking quartzite cobbles. Further, the deflation surface is covered by sand deposited by low-energy eolian processes that would be unable to break stones. The characteristics of the artifacts from the lag also attest to their human origin. First, the unifacial choppers show multiple flakes that were removed at the same time (flake scars show no differential wear) that form a distinct pattern that is replicated by other specimens. Second, flakes with distinct striking platforms, impact points, and bulbs of percussion are present. Third, in several instances flakes could be refitted onto cores lying in close proximity, which showed a systematic pattern of flake removal. Fourth, the artifacts and flakes form a distinct pattern on the lag surface; typically, artifacts and flakes are clustered around large anvils that show much abrasion along their edges where they were battered. Cryogenic processes that affected the site area after abandonment could not have produced the artifact characteristics listed nor the patterning of the archaeological material.
10. R. E. Ackerman and R. L. Carlson, Curr. Res. Pleistocene 8, 1 (1991); V. Larichev, U. Khol'ushkin, I. Laricheva, J. World Prehistory 1, 415 (1987). Dumond [Sci. News 145, 243 (1994)] suggested that the artifacts from Diring may be geofacts produced by natural geological processes. However, the geological context of the material and the characteristics of the specimens themselves indicate that they are artifacts of human origin. The artifacts occur on a single surface littered with gravels. This surface is a lag created by eolian deflation. The gravel lag is not a continuous stone pavement but a loose pavement with gravels separated by expanses of sand. Deflation is a low-energy geological process, incapable of breaking quartzite cobbles. Further, the deflation surface is covered by sand deposited by low-energy eolian processes that would be unable to break stones. The characteristics of the artifacts from the lag also attest to their human origin. First, the unifacial choppers show multiple flakes that were removed at the same time (flake scars show no differential wear) that form a distinct pattern that is replicated by other specimens. Second, flakes with distinct striking platforms, impact points, and bulbs of percussion are present. Third, in several instances flakes could be refitted onto cores lying in close proximity, which showed a systematic pattern of flake removal. Fourth, the artifacts and flakes form a distinct pattern on the lag surface; typically, artifacts and flakes are clustered around large anvils that show much abrasion along their edges where they were battered. Cryogenic processes that affected the site area after abandonment could not have produced the artifact characteristics listed nor the patterning of the archaeological material.
11. R. E. Ackerman and R. L. Carlson, Curr. Res. Pleistocene 8, 1 (1991); V. Larichev, U. Khol'ushkin, I. Laricheva, J. World Prehistory 1, 415 (1987). Dumond [Sci. News 145, 243 (1994)] suggested that the artifacts from Diring may be geofacts produced by natural geological processes. However, the geological context of the material and the characteristics of the specimens themselves indicate that they are artifacts of human origin. The artifacts occur on a single surface littered with gravels. This surface is a lag created by eolian deflation. The gravel lag is not a continuous stone pavement but a loose pavement with gravels separated by expanses of sand. Deflation is a low-energy geological process, incapable of breaking quartzite cobbles. Further, the deflation surface is covered by sand deposited by low-energy eolian processes that would be unable to break stones. The characteristics of the artifacts from the lag also attest to their human origin. First, the unifacial choppers show multiple flakes that were removed at the same time (flake scars show no differential wear) that form a distinct pattern that is replicated by other specimens. Second, flakes with distinct striking platforms, impact points, and bulbs of percussion are present. Third, in several instances flakes could be refitted onto cores lying in close proximity, which showed a systematic pattern of flake removal. Fourth, the artifacts and flakes form a distinct pattern on the lag surface; typically, artifacts and flakes are clustered around large anvils that show much abrasion along their edges where they were battered. Cryogenic processes that affected the site area after abandonment could not have produced the artifact characteristics listed nor the patterning of the archaeological material.
12. M. N. Alekseev et al., Problems of Geology of the Paleolithic Site Diring Yuriakh (unpublished manuscript, 1990).
13. V. A. Ranov and S. M. Tseitlin, Bull. Comm. Study Quat. 60, 79 (1991).
14. Y. V. Kuzmin and S. K. Krivonogov, Geoarchaeology 9, 287 (1994).
15. A. G. Pavlov, in Archaeological Research in Yakutia, Y. A. Mochanov, Ed. (Nauka, Novosibirsk, Russia, 1992), pp. 20-33.
16. D. H. Krinsley and J. C. Doornkamp, Atlas of Quartz Sand Surface Textures (Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, 1973); K. Pye and H. Tsoar, Aeolian Sand and Sand Dunes (Unwin Hyman, London, 1990).
17. D. H. Krinsley and J. C. Doornkamp, Atlas of Quartz Sand Surface Textures (Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, 1973); K. Pye and H. Tsoar, Aeolian Sand and Sand Dunes (Unwin Hyman, London, 1990).
18. T. L. Péwé, U.S. Geol. Surv. Prof. Pap. 1262 (1983).
19. S. L. Forman, Quat. Res. 36, 19 (1991).
20. M. Frechen, Quat. Sci. Rev. 11, 93 (1992); Y.-C. Lu et al., Quat. Res. 28, 356 (1987); S. C. Packman and R. Grün, Quat. Sci. Rev. 11, 103 (1992); A. G. Wintle, ibid. 9, 385 (1990).
21. M. Frechen, Quat. Sci. Rev. 11, 93 (1992); Y.-C. Lu et al., Quat. Res. 28, 356 (1987); S. C. Packman and R. Grün, Quat. Sci. Rev. 11, 103 (1992); A. G. Wintle, ibid. 9, 385 (1990).
22. M. Frechen, Quat. Sci. Rev. 11, 93 (1992); Y.-C. Lu et al., Quat. Res. 28, 356 (1987); S. C. Packman and R. Grün, Quat. Sci. Rev. 11, 103 (1992); A. G. Wintle, ibid. 9, 385 (1990).
23. M. Frechen, Quat. Sci. Rev. 11, 93 (1992); Y.-C. Lu et al., Quat. Res. 28, 356 (1987); S. C. Packman and R. Grün, Quat. Sci. Rev. 11, 103 (1992); A. G. Wintle, ibid. 9, 385 (1990).
24. Sunlight conditions used were those in Columbus, OH. The TL emission remaining after 8 hours of exposure to a UV-dominated 275-W General Electric sun lamp was used in calculating ages and is a maximum estimate. Ages not reported here but calculated with the use of the residual level determined after 16 hours of sunlight exposure are within two sigma errors of the UV-derived ages (11).
25. The paleodose was determined on the polymineral fine-grained (4 to 11 μm) fraction by the total-bleach method [A. K. Singhvi, Y. P. Sharma, D. P. Agrawal, Nature 295, 313 (1982)] for all samples and for the fine-grained quartz extract from sample OTL487Q. TL measurements were made with Corning 5-58 and Chance-Pilkington HA-3 filters in front of the photomultiplier tube. Samples were preheated at 124°C for 72 hours and subsequently stored at room temperature for 24 hours before analysis. Analyses were completed with a Daybreak 1100 Automated TL systems reader using a Thorn-EMI 9635QB photomultiplier tube. Individual paleodose determinations, at a particular temperature or light exposure time, were determined by means of a nonlinear least-squares routine, based on the Levenberg-Marquardt method, in which inverse-variance weighted data are modeled by a saturating-exponential function [D. J. Huntley, G. W. Berger, S. G. E. Bowman, Nucl. Tracks Radiat. Meas. 105, 279 (1987)]. The highest radiation dose added to the natural TL was at least five times the calculated paleodose, resulting in a <20% extrapolation in determining the paleodose. Error estimates were derived for each paleodose from the inverted curvature matrix. The resultant uncertainties in paleodose calculations reflect dispersion in the data and related random errors from modeling the data by a saturating exponential function. A mean paleodose with errors was evaluated for a range of individual paleodose determinations over a broad temperature range, usually between 250° and 400°C, which included at least 80% of the measured TL signal and was also the temperature region that exhibited a pronounced plateau in paleodose.
26. The paleodose was determined on the polymineral fine-grained (4 to 11 μm) fraction by the total-bleach method [A. K. Singhvi, Y. P. Sharma, D. P. Agrawal, Nature 295, 313 (1982)] for all samples and for the fine-grained quartz extract from sample OTL487Q. TL measurements were made with Corning 5-58 and Chance-Pilkington HA-3 filters in front of the photomultiplier tube. Samples were preheated at 124°C for 72 hours and subsequently stored at room temperature for 24 hours before analysis. Analyses were completed with a Daybreak 1100 Automated TL systems reader using a Thorn-EMI 9635QB photomultiplier tube. Individual paleodose determinations, at a particular temperature or light exposure time, were determined by means of a nonlinear least-squares routine, based on the Levenberg-Marquardt method, in which inverse-variance weighted data are modeled by a saturating-exponential function [D. J. Huntley, G. W. Berger, S. G. E. Bowman, Nucl. Tracks Radiat. Meas. 105, 279 (1987)]. The highest radiation dose added to the natural TL was at least five times the calculated paleodose, resulting in a <20% extrapolation in determining the paleodose. Error estimates were derived for each paleodose from the inverted curvature matrix. The resultant uncertainties in paleodose calculations reflect dispersion in the data and related random errors from modeling the data by a saturating exponential function. A mean paleodose with errors was evaluated for a range of individual paleodose determinations over a broad temperature range, usually between 250° and 400°C, which included at least 80% of the measured TL signal and was also the temperature region that exhibited a pronounced plateau in paleodose.
27. We tested all samples for anomalous fading by storing irradiated (1000 to 1100 Gy) natural aliquots for at least 32 days and then comparing the TL signal to that of an unstored aliquot. In addition, two samples (OTL472 and OTL487) were tested for anomalous fading over 6 months. Uniformly, the anomalous fading ratio is between 1.00 and 0.94, which indicates little or no fading within analytical resolution.
28. 2O by inductively coupled plasma-emission spectrometry at Activation Laboratories, Ancaster, Ontario, Canada. A cosmic ray dose component was added [from J. R. Prescott and J. T. Hutton, Rad. Meas. 23, 497 (1994)]. A moisture content of 25 ± 5% was assumed. Alpha efficiency (the A value) was determined as defined by M. J. Aitken and S. G. E. Bowman [Archaeometry 17, 132 (1975)].
29. 2O by inductively coupled plasma-emission spectrometry at Activation Laboratories, Ancaster, Ontario, Canada. A cosmic ray dose component was added [from J. R. Prescott and J. T. Hutton, Rad. Meas. 23, 497 (1994)]. A moisture content of 25 ± 5% was assumed. Alpha efficiency (the A value) was determined as defined by M. J. Aitken and S. G. E. Bowman [Archaeometry 17, 132 (1975)].
30. 2O by inductively coupled plasma-emission spectrometry at Activation Laboratories, Ancaster, Ontario, Canada. A cosmic ray dose component was added [from J. R. Prescott and J. T. Hutton, Rad. Meas. 23, 497 (1994)]. A moisture content of 25 ± 5% was assumed. Alpha efficiency (the A value) was determined as defined by M. J. Aitken and S. G. E. Bowman [Archaeometry 17, 132 (1975)].
31. 90Y source. Nine additive doses to the natural TL between 0.1 and 5.6 kGy yielded increasing TL emissions, modeled by a saturating exponential function. The precision of analyses is high, with quadruplicate measurements of TL emissions made for applied beta doses, with a dispersion of <5% for sample OTL471 and <7.5% for sample OTL472.
32. The majority of artifacts were found on the re-exposed deflation surface overlain by unit IV. However, Mochanov (3) reports that artifacts were recovered under unit III. Current excavations have recovered additional artifacts beneath unit III.
33. D. G. Martinson et al., Quat. Res. 27, 1 (1987).
34. Support for the fieldwork and analysis of samples was provided by the National Geographic Society (research grant 5036-93), the Advanced Research Program sponsored by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (research grant 010366-010), and NSF (grants ATM 9121944 and DPP-9222972). We thank G. Ingleright, R. Ackerman, R. Bonnichsen, and M. Bonnichsen for assistance and T. Goebel for comments. Finally, we thank Y. Mochanov and S. Fedoseeva for logistical support and hospitality. Both were invited to be co-authors on this paper; however, they declined.