In search of a Paleolithic Silk Road in Kazakhstan

Abstract

Paleoanthropological data suggest that the Late Pleistocene was a time of population contact and possibly dispersal in Central Asia. Geographic and paleoclimatic data suggest that a natural corridor through Kazakhstan linked areas to the north and east (Siberia, China) to those further to the west and south (Uzbekistan), much akin to a Paleolithic Silk Road. We review the known Pleistocene archaeology and paleoclimatic setting of this region and provide a geoarchaeological framework for contextualizing preliminary survey results of the PALAEOSILKROAD project's first three seasons of fieldwork. We discuss some systematic biases in three geomorphic and sedimentary archives: karst, loess, and spring deposits, specifying ways in which these biases might determine the kinds of data that are extractable by systematic survey. In particular, we caution about the possibility of future systematic biases in chronology that could come about as a result of the type of geomorphic context in which the sites are recovered. We conclude with recommendations for future work in the area.

Preliminary results of the first lithic raw material survey in the piedmont zones of Kazakhstan

“…Additional scatter of lithics was discovered at the locality of Tikenekti located in the northeastern foothills of the Toraygir ridge previously described in Iovita et al (2020). Here, we found a cluster of lithics in the slopes of the foothills, which were scattered in a radius of more than 1 km.…”

“…Previously, the foothills of the Tarbagatai range were surveyed by Taimagambetov (2016), who found several scatters of lithics around the spring heads. Overall, our Tarbagatai survey also yielded a few localities with surface lithic scatters beside the spring heads of Kokbastau and Chilibastau (see Iovita et al, 2020), as well as secondary sources of raw materials mainly represented by pebbles in river and stream beds. The area is rich in water sources, such as river and perennial springs, and the abundance of knappable pebbles that were found in the river beds likely attracted human groups to the area.…”

“…There has been new interest in the Palaeolithic of Central Asia providing original studies on the archaeology of Pleistocene, human occupation, and dispersals through the region (Glantz, 2011;Beeton et al, 2014;Fitzsimmons et al, 2017;Zwyns et al, 2019;Iovita et al, 2020). However, a lot of the basic data are missing.…”

“…In order to acquire these samples, we undertook a series of field surveys with the aim of locating and characterising raw material sources, and distinguishing regional variations. The exploratory raw material survey, and collection of geological samples were both conducted as a part of the PSR project's fieldwork during the 2018 and 2019 seasons (Iovita et al, 2020). For the recognition, and locating of potential raw material sources, georeferenced and digitized Soviet geological maps (1:200k and 1:500k), as well as lithological data from the ArcGIS platform developed by the Centre for Russian and Central EurAsian Mineral studies (CERCAMS 'Mineral Deposits Database and Thematic Maps of Central Asia' (Seltmann et al, 2014) were employed.…”

“…To date, raw material sourcing has not been attempted for the Palaeolithic of Kazakhstan. Since the 1950s, local and international teams of archaeologists conducted systematic reconnaissance surveys primarily in southern and eastern Kazakhstan, targeting the discovery of new Palaeolithic sites (Alpysbaev, 1961a;1961b;1972a;1979;Taimagambetov, 1997;2006;Iovita et al, 2020). These surveys revealed a number of surface lithic scatters, reported as open-air sites which are abundant throughout the country, specifically in the foothills of the Qaratau range (Alpysbaev and Kostenko, 1974), Mangyshlaq (Derevianko et al, 1999), and Semisbugu (Medoev, 1982).…”