Objective
This research proposal represents a collaborative research project of the two Early Palaeolithic assemblages of Koshkurgan and Shoktas located in the northern foot-hills of the Tien Shan (the Republic of Kazakhstan). During previous excavations, cultural and faunal remains incorporated in travertine were discovered. These occurrences in travertine favour perfect preservation for both lithics and organic remains. Thus, the investigation of these assemblages provides the natural and historical sciences with vast high-quality information, furthers the reconstruction of paleogeographical environment and contributes to solving the problem of regularities in the system of interaction between nature and man.
The archaeological record of these assemblages is of particular interest, since it demonstrates the Acheulian industry more than 500 kya. old, which by its parameters resembles the Vertesszolos industry in Europe on the one side and the industrial complexes of eastern Asia (Zhoukoudian in China, Zazaragi and Babodan in Japan) on the other side. New investigations at the sites in southern Kazakhstan will test the hypothesis concerning spatial lacuna in the area of Early Palaeolithic cultures of Eurasia, which may be filled with the Koshkurgan and Shoktas sites. The approach for testing the archaeological hypotheses will lead to the obtaining of absolute chronologies, and reconstructing paleoenvironments and sedimentary processes in travertine. The chronology will be based on extensive EPR, paleomagnetic and TL dating of samples obtained during the field work.
The materials obtained during the realisation of this two-year project will be presented in a series of papers and several volumes on archaeology, palaeontology, palynology and absolute dating of the assemblages under study.
Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
Data not availableCoordinator
4000 Liège
Belgium