Kuzmin-Keates [2004] suggest that people might have migrated westward from eastern Siberia prior to 14Ka.When Dolukhanov's [2002] revised [2004] radio carbon dates are plotted on his eastern Siberia and Lake Baikal region maps,
the age estimates for the Geograph Society cave and some of the Aldan Valley sites are older than those he tabulated for Lake Baikal.If the ages are reasonably valid,the Kuzmin-Keates premise could be a possibility.
Bob et al.,
I've only very recent possession of the four papers which Jacques posted to initiate this subject. They are an interesting set of 4, and, being at least on a known-name basis with most of the sites in northern Eurasia (meaning I've read of them but for exceptions like Kara Bom and a few others, for many sites only a synthesis description amounting to a few paragraphs each), I will be commenting more on these papers after I gather my thoughts and write down some notes. I will say the subject of all 4 touches on "Colonization of Northern Eurasia by Modern Humans", and that as a premise for Dolukhanov et al., all Early Upper Paleolithic sites in Siberia are Modern Humans, i.e., at greater than 43,000 BP. Yet at Kara Bom there is a continuity in the lithic industry from the earlier Middle Paleolithic industry in layers Mousterian 1 & 2. So I'm going to have a difficult exercise working out how Geographical Society cave fits into an east-to-west migration as far as Eastern Europe. But later for that.
I'll have to spend a little more time with the papers before I can say anything about any premises made. To begin with, I did as suggested, reading the papers in sequence, beginning with the first, which only argued for and presented what to me appears to be a method for improving the chronological resolution of an archaeological occurrence, using only verifiable associations of humans with the 14C sample to establish the database..
Using this method to establish the database, the second paper extends itself into Siberia and makes its premise on the basis of that database, and about this I'll want to comment later, along with some thoughts I already have of the issues of difference of opinion expressed in the criticism and reply (the conflict of premises).
But I'd rather start at the beginning....in a few days after I digest some.
S Vasil'ev et al [Radio carbon,Vol44,Nr-2,2002,pages 503-530]
published a paper,which generally supplies greater detail about age determination problems in eastern Siberia.Although the radiocarbon measurements are deemed to be reasonably accurate,the association between the wood and bone samples and the occupation levels can be tenuous.
Pollen analyses seem to infer that a number of the radio carbon dates for the cultural levels are too old.The Aldan Valley sites may [?] not predate those at Lake Baikal.Could someone,who has researched the temporal relationships,please offer an academic assessment.
Vasil'ev et al. (2002) has a pretty good description of the controversy behind the Aldan Valley sites. Derev'anko (1998) more or less covered some of the same territory in "The Paleolithic of Siberia". Mochanov has consistently argued the earliest proto-Diuktai sites on the Aldan are about 33 ka or so, but Derev'anko and Vasil'ev seem to reckon that Ikhine 2 site at about 26 ka might be closer. Some American archaeologists would probably argue for even later. I'll pass on a specific date, for now, but in the past I tend to side with the Russian scientists that the pollen record tends to show that Mochanov's dates are too early for the Aldan River sites.
The locations of the Aldan Valley excavations are appreciably different on the Vasil'ev and Dolukanov small scale maps.Which presentation is accurate?
The Aldan sites shown are not uniform on both maps. When I checked, there did seem to be one small conflict between the maps on two relatively close sites, a reversal of the site numbers is perhaps the resolution, but the sites at the extreme western upstream Aldan and extreme NE downstream Aldan are not shown on Vasil'ev' s map. I thought (with that one small possible reversal in two nearby sites) both maps are reasonably accurate.
Expect more later,
Dar
