4 Sungir 4 Sungir is a Paleolithic site of an ancient man on the territory of the Vladimir region at the confluence of the stream of the same name into the Klyazma River, near Bogolyubovo. Discovered in 1955 during the construction of the plant and studied by O. N. Bader. Estimated age 25 thousand years.

Burials. 4 Sungir became famous for its burials: a summer man (the so-called Sungir-1) and teenagers: a boy (Sungir-2) and a girl 9-10 years old (Sungir-3), lying with their heads to each other. The teenagers' clothes were trimmed with mammoth bone beads (up to 10 thousand pieces), which made it possible to reconstruct their clothes (which turned out to be similar to the costume of modern northern peoples); in addition, the graves contained bracelets and other jewelry made of mammoth bone. Darts and spears made of mammoth bone, including a spear 2.4 m long, were placed in the grave. The burials were sprinkled with ocher.

Economy The main occupation of the Sungir people was hunting mammoths, reindeer, bison, horses, wolves and wolverines. During the entire period of excavations and research of the site, the richest collection of archaeological finds has been collected, numbering about 68 thousand items. A significant part of the collection consists of flint flakes, chippers, anvils and cores necessary for the manufacture of tools, as well as various tools (knives, scrapers, side-scrapers, chisels, piercers, chisel-shaped tools). Flint dart tips (triangular with a slightly concave base and almond-shaped) are distinguished by special care in processing and perfection of forms, covered on both sides with the finest retouching. The Sungir site is distinguished by a large number of items made of bone, horn and mammoth tusk (hoes, points, straighteners of shafts, "wands", weapons, jewelry, animal figurines), as well as the high technology of their processing.

Here in the 19th century in the village of Kostenki near Voronezh, on an area of ​​about 10 sq. km, at different times more than 26 sites of primitive man of the Stone Age were discovered and explored, some of which are multi-layered. People of the modern type lived here, in the middle reaches of the Don on the territory of present-day Russia, at least years before they appeared in Central and Western Europe. This is supported by new artifacts discovered in recent years. for example, human burials "aged" from to years, cultural objects

The bones of the dwelling were round or oval in plan, often conical in shape and covered with skins. The base of the dwelling was fixed with mammoth skulls and heavy bones, the ends of which were buried in the ground. On the roof, the skins were pressed against the antlers of a deer and the tusks of a mammoth. At the end of the ice age, rods and logs began to be used instead of mammoth bones. Inside the dwelling there was one or several hearths located in the center or along the axis. Tools of labor and clothing, food were communal property - all relatives had equal rights. Dwellings of a Paleolithic man (reconstruction): 1, 2 - Kostenki, 3 European sites Samples of dwellings in the Upper Paleolithic from excavations of sites in our country

Bones. Voronezh region. The appearance of the Paleolithic man of the Russian Plain was dominated by Caucasoid features. However, it is worth noting that the remains from the burial at the Kostenki 14 site are characterized by certain features of the Negroid type, and signs of Mongoloidity were recorded in children from Sungir. This may indicate that the formation of races has not yet been completed. The signs that later became characteristic of different races were generally inherent in the emerging single type of modern man. Only with adaptation to the natural and climatic environment did people finally divide into races. The appearance of the Paleolithic man of the Russian Plain was dominated by Caucasoid features. However, it is worth noting that the remains from the burial at the Kostenki 14 site are characterized by certain features of the Negroid type, and signs of Mongoloidity were recorded in children from Sungir. This may indicate that the formation of races has not yet been completed. The signs that later became characteristic of different races were generally inherent in the emerging single type of modern man. Only with adaptation to the natural and climatic environment did people finally divide into races. In the photo - reconstruction of the aborigines

Veneras from Kostenki are more than 20 thousand years old Paleolithic landscape in the Kostenki region Almost all burials of the Upper Paleolithic era known in Russia were found in Kostenki. The finds made by archaeologists made it possible to restore the appearance of the first people, to learn about their way of life and way of life. This was the period of the last and most severe Valdai Ice Age in the history of the earth. Following the retreating glacier, deer, arctic foxes, musk oxen and, of course, mammoths, accustomed to the cold, left to the north. It was they who attracted the pioneers of the Stone Age here. By that time, people had already mastered the techniques of hunting large herd animals. In the photo - the ruins of a dwelling made of mammoth bones.

Kapova Cave Kapova Cave is located in Bashkiria in the Southern Urals and is a Paleolithic site of the same period as Sungir. The cave is difficult to access and well preserved. It has many halls and floors. At 300 m from the entrance, a lot of drawings of animals of the Paleolithic period were found - mammoths, woolly rhinos, horses, etc. People lived in the cave thousands of years ago. Tools of labor, 4 beads, a knife, pendants, part of a clay lamp-lamp were found - the rarest find for the Paleolithic. The cave is located on the Belaya River in the Shulgantash Reserve in Bashkiria.

Lyalovo archaeological culture of the Neolithic period Settlement 4-3 thousand BC. in the district of the village of Lyalovo near Zelenograd, the oldest among the Neolithic cultures of Europe. At present, a huge number of settlements belonging to the Lyalovo archaeological culture, covering the territory between the Oka and Volga rivers, are known in the Moscow region ... 4 The remains of buildings of a round and oval shape, with a floor sunk into the ground and the remains of fires or hearths inside, have been studied. There are dwellings with a size of 140 sq.m, and in the Ivanovo region. - a dwelling with a volume of 200 sq.m. The Lyalovo culture is part of the cultural and historical community of the forest Neolithic of Eastern Europe. Its main feature is the presence of earthenware round-bottomed and sharp-bottomed vessels, decorated over the entire surface with an ornament in the form of pits and impressions of comb or serrated stamps.

The Trypillia culture is an archaeological culture named after the place of discovery near the village of Trypillia near Kyiv. It was distributed in the Eneolithic era on the territory of Ukraine to the west of the Dnieper and in Moldova, as well as in eastern Romania, where it is called the culture of Cucuteni (Cucuteni). The time of existence is the second half of VI - 2650 BC. e. Occupations of the inhabitants: agriculture, cattle breeding, hunting, fishing. The dwellings were first dugouts and small earthen adobe “platforms”. Later, two-story houses. Tools were made of flint, stone, horn and bone; there are few copper products (awls, fish hooks, jewelry).

Fatyanovo village 4 Fatyanovo culture - 4 archaeological culture of the Bronze Age (2nd millennium BC) in the Upper Volga region and the Volga-Oka interfluve. It is named after the village of Fatyanovo, near Yaroslavl, where soil graves with stone and copper tools and weapons, ceramics, jewelry, etc. were excavated. The population was engaged in cattle breeding, and partly in agriculture.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL MONUMENTS OF THE MOSCOW REGION The Fatyanovo culture is an archaeological culture of the Bronze Age (2nd millennium BC). It is named after the burial ground discovered for the first time near the village of Fatyanovo, near Yaroslavl. On the territory of modern Moscow, cemeteries of the Fatyanovo culture were found near the former villages of Spas-Tushino and Davydkovo; individual stone tools and weapons were found in Krylatskoye, Zyuzin, Chertanov, etc. A number of cemeteries have been excavated and investigated. In the II millennium BC. in the Upper Volga region and the Volga-Oka interfluve, the so-called Fatyanovo archaeological culture, dating back to the Bronze Age and represented only by burial grounds and individual random finds, was widespread. The inhabitants of the Fatyanovo settlement were people of the "Mediterranean" type with a high steep forehead, a massive, beautiful skull, a thin, often with a small hooked nose, and a wide chin.

In the west, relatives of the Fatyanovo people, united by the mega culture of “battle axes” (according to the most common characteristic of all these cultures), are known in Sweden, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Poland, Denmark and the Baltic states. The dead were buried in a crouched position with weapons (stone and copper axes, spears, arrows), tools made of stone, bone, less often copper (wedge-shaped axes, knives, chisels, awls, pins, hoes, etc.), jewelry (necklaces made of teeth, bones, shells, amber), earthenware (spherical vessels with carved ornaments, solar, that is, depicting the sun, signs on the bottoms). There are bones of domestic and wild animals. The main occupations of the tribes of the Fatyanovo culture are cattle breeding, hunting; agriculture developed; bronze metallurgy was known. The social system is patriarchal-tribal. The beliefs are characterized by the cults of the sun, ancestors, and the bear. The Fatyanovo culture was part of a large cultural and historical community of the so-called culture of battle axes and corded ceramics, the creators of which were the ancient Indo-European tribes. Fatyanovtsy were cattle breeders - a burial of men with dogs and vessels for churning butter was found. Sheep and goats were placed in the grave. They knew how to melt metal and make iron axes. battle ax of the Fatyanovo culture made of diorite

4 The archaeological culture of the Iron Age, which existed in the 7th BC. e. VII centuries on the territory of Moscow, Tver, Vologda, Vladimir, Yaroslavl and Smolensk regions. The bearers of the Dyakovo culture are usually considered the ancestors of the Meri, Murom, and Vesi tribes. According to one version (there are others), the Dyakovites came from beyond the Urals and replaced the Fatyanovo culture. The Dyakovites were replaced by the Slavic tribes of the Krivichi and Vyatichi, who possibly assimilated the Dyakovites. 4 The Dyakovo culture is characterized by stucco ceramics, Scythian ornaments, clay weights of unclear purpose. At the beginning of development, tools were bronze, then they were replaced by iron ones, non-ferrous metals were used for decorations. But in general there was little metal, apparently it was highly valued, but tools made of bone were widely used. The Dyakovites lived in small fortified settlements, which were usually built on a cape; Apparently, there was such a settlement on the site of the Moscow Kremlin. 4 SPIRITUAL CULTURE Dyakovo people buried the dead in the so-called. "houses of death" (the prototype of the huts on chicken legs of Baba Yaga). One of them was found near Rybinsk (Yaroslavl region), the other near Zvenigorod (Moscow region).

1 - neck hryvnia; 2 - champlevé enamel buckle; 3 - arrowhead; 4 - copper pendant; 5 - copper bell; 6 - clay weight; 7 - figurine of a horse made of bone. The basis of the economy of the tribes of the Dyakovo culture is sedentary cattle breeding (horses, cattle, pigs); important role of hunting. Agriculture, which was at first an auxiliary occupation, from the first centuries AD. takes on greater importance. View of Dyakovo from an airplane in the Kolomenskoye district in Moscow

One of the probable points of the great movement and, at the same time, one of the most reliable places of residence of the first man on the territory of Russia was discovered in the Southern Urals.
This parking lot is called Mysovaya. It was found on the long cape of Lake Tashbulatovskoye, not far from Magnitogorsk. The place is remarkable for the deposits of jasper. This is not only a semi-precious stone, but one of the best materials, along with flint, for making stone tools. In terms of strength, jasper is second only to diamond and corundum.
Cape was discovered by archaeologists on the map. After all, the name Timerbulatovo is translated from the Bashkir - "Steel Stone". Excavations here lasted almost 10 years. The latest traces were left here by a man who lived 5-6 thousand years ago in the Copper Age. Below was a "layer cake" made of clay with the tools of ancient people. After the layers of the Neolithic (8 thousand years ago) and the Mesolithic (10 thousand years ago), tools began to come across that no one had yet found in the Urals and Siberia. These were the points and scrapers of the Neanderthals.
But even more ancient finds lay deeper. They were collected after they removed all layers of clay, soil, small stones and reached the base of the rock. The weapons were unusual. They were completely faded, whitish. This happens to a stone if it lies under the sun, wind and rains for many centuries and even millennia. In jasper, this state occurs very slowly, because it is very hard.
Among these whitish implements there were many hand axes of a primitive form, reminiscent of the first primitive bifaces, invented by a man who walked upright or even by a skilled man and found in Olduvai. There were other tools that looked like Olduvai, including choppers. But choppers cannot serve as a reliable source for dating. Another thing is bifas. A hand ax is a tool of Homo erectus. True, in the Neolithic, the biface technique revived again, such products were then used as ax heads. It is very difficult to distinguish between an ancient and a Neolithic axe.
However, on Mysovaya these tools lay in a layer that was undoubtedly much older than the Neolithic layers. Plus, they were too white. A jasper Neolithic tool could not have "aged" like that. Another argument in favor of belonging to Homo erectus was the discovery on some of them of traces of the later processing of stone with techniques characteristic of Neanderthals.
Archaeologists had no doubts that they found the site of one of the first people who came to the territory of our country. It was an upright man - a representative of the first type of man who left his ancestral home in East Africa.
Parking lots were also discovered, which could be intermediate points for the movement of a person to Mysovaya. For example, the Korolevo site on the banks of the Tisza River, which can be accurately determined by age. Its age is at least 800 thousand years. The same date is given to tools from the Kuldar site in Tajikistan, as well as to some finds in the already mentioned Azykh cave. Hacks, similar to Mfsova's tools, were also found on the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea. These and other less reliable habitats of Homo erectus are among the most ancient in Eurasia.

Ancient people and their sites on the territory of modern Russia

Questions in the text

1. How did primitive people manage to survive and populate the territory of modern Russia?

Some of the most ancient human settlements were found in central Dagestan and on the Taman Peninsula. Also, the oldest human settlements were discovered near the village of Kostenki near Voronezh, Sungir - near Vladimir, in the South Urals, in Altai, etc.

People united in small groups. Together it was easier to get food, to protect themselves from predatory animals, to maintain and protect the fire. All members of the collective were equal among themselves, and food, regardless of who and how it was obtained, was shared equally. The formation of tribal communities and tribes (several tribal communities living in the neighborhood), the division of labor, the improvement of tools, forms of collective hunting and methods of processing materials, as well as the use of fire (obtaining and preserving) determined the survival of people in the Ice and post-glacial periods.

After the end of the Ice Age, the Mesolithic period began. Climate change has led to the extinction of large animals (mammoths and woolly rhinos), and, consequently, to a change in the forms of collective hunting - from driven to ambush. Also, people were forced to pay attention to gathering and fishing. Vehicles were invented - boats, skis, sleds. People settled further north. They reached the shores of the Baltic Sea, and then to the Arctic Ocean.

2. When and on what territory, according to scientists, did the first people appear?

On the territory of modern Russia, some of the oldest traces of the presence of an ancient man were found in central Dagestan and on the Taman Peninsula.

3. Find out who the Neanderthals are.

Neanderthals are fossils of early Paleolithic humans. Skeletal remains of Neanderthals have been discovered in Europe, Asia and Africa. The period of existence according to various estimates is 300 thousand - 28 thousand years ago. As studies of the genetic material of Neanderthals have established, they, apparently, are not the direct ancestors of modern humans. The name is given by an early discovery of a fossil man in the Neandertal valley, near Düsseldorf (Germany). The bulk of the remains of Neanderthals and their predecessors were found in Europe, mainly in France, and belong to the period of 70-35 thousand years ago.

4. What is a clan, tribe, community?

A clan or tribal community is the first association of ancient people, including blood relatives. The property of the community was considered common property, all its members had equal rights, issues were resolved jointly. At the same time, the oldest, most experienced people enjoyed the greatest influence. Tribe - several tribal communities living in the neighborhood.

Questions for the paragraph

1. When and where did the first people appear on the territory of our country?

Traces of the stay of an ancient man were found in central Dagestan and on the Taman Peninsula.

2. Give a description of the appropriating economy.

The appropriating economy is an ancient way of organizing life. People do not grow or produce anything, but extract and appropriate what is created by nature. Main activities: hunting for animals, catching insects and amphibians, gathering (fruits, berries, edible plants).

3. How did people's lives change during the Ice Age?

Man with great difficulty managed to adapt to life in harsh conditions. Hunting was still his main occupation. They went hunting in small groups. The form of hunting is driven. Fleeing from the cold, people began to constantly use fire, and then learned how to get it. Meat food cooked on fire was better digested, contained substances important for the human body. Increased life expectancy. The technique of stone processing became more perfect, and the tools of labor became more diverse. The stones chipped along the entire length were in the form of knives, saws, adzes, and awls. People have learned to work well with the horns and bones of animals. Needles with ears appeared, and people began to sew clothes from skins using animal tendons or plant fibers. There was a division of labor between men and women. The need to coordinate their actions on the hunt, to transfer the accumulated experience contributed to the development of speech. Life in the team became more cohesive and organized.

4. Why did ancient people use stone to make their tools?

For the manufacture of tools, ancient people used not only stone, but also animal bones and wood - materials that were common and available. All source materials were amenable to very primitive processing. Stone, unlike bone and wood, has greater strength, and with successful primitive processing, it acquired the necessary weight and sharpness.

5. List the main features of the primitive communal system.

Ancient people lived in clans, had primitive tools in common ownership, worked together and distributed products equally. The tribal community included blood relatives. The property of the community was considered common property, all its members had equal rights, issues were resolved jointly. At the same time, the oldest, most experienced people enjoyed the greatest influence. Several tribal communities living in the neighborhood constituted a tribe.

Working with the map

Show the oldest human sites on the territory of modern Russia

Showing the oldest sites on the territory of Russia is convenient if you focus on modern Russian cities. For example, Sungir is located near the city of Vladimir, Kostenki is near Voronezh, and Burst and Malta are just north of Irkutsk.

Thinking, comparing, reflecting

1. Using the Internet and additional literature, indicate the names of the sites of primitive man on the territory of Russia and other countries, in addition to those mentioned in the paragraph.

Most of the most ancient archaeological finds were made in Africa, the Middle East and the Caucasus, East Asia (Pakistan, India, China), Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Australia), Russia, Europe and South America.

So, one of the largest sites of ancient people is the site in the Olduvai Gorge in Africa (Tanzania), Deering-Yuryakh (Russia, Yakutia), Karakhach (Armenia). Ancient people lived in them almost 2 million years ago. Also among the most famous are the sites of Ainikab (Dagestan) - 1.95 million years, Dmanisi (Georgia) - 1.8 million years, on the Taman Peninsula (Russia) - 1.7 million years.

In addition, on the territory of Russia, the most famous ancient sites are sites in Kostenki, Sungir, Malta and Buret (Irkutsk region), Mysovaya (South Ural, Lake Tashbulatovskoye), Makarovo-4 (Siberia, Lena River), Mamontova Kurya (Siberia, Usa River), Berelekh (Siberia, Indigirka River), Yana (Siberia, Yana River), Denisova Cave (Altai), Ust-Karakol (Altai), etc.

2. Prove that the most ancient people who came to the modern territory of our country went the same way in their development as the inhabitants of other territories of the Earth.

The most ancient people in different parts of the world went the same way from primitive society, tribes, clans, communities to the emergence of the first states. They had the same technological development. The course of human history was almost the same, regardless of the regions in which it took place. The ways of the birth and development of civilization turn out to be common. This is confirmed by archaeological excavations.

3. Find out what ancient sites were found on the territory of your city, district, region, territory, republic. Prepare a short report about one of these camps.

Moscow region

The oldest archaeological sites on the territory of the Moscow region belong to the Upper Paleolithic, the late period of the ancient Stone Age, the chronological framework of which is determined by the period from 40-35 to 12-10 thousand years ago. At this time, there was a slow and gradual development by man of the central regions of the Russian Plain, previously occupied by the glacier. The climate then was more severe than today, and the Moscow region was a cold steppe with small copses. Mammoths, woolly rhinos, primitive bulls, wild horses lived here.

The Zaraisk site is the oldest archaeological site of the Upper Paleolithic in the Moscow region. The parking lot is located in the very center of the ancient Russian city of Zaraysk, Moscow Region. It belongs to the Kostenkov-Avdeev culture. Archaeological excavations have been carried out at the site since 1980. A rich collection of flint products was found, numbering more than 15,000 items. Among the tools, two points with a side notch and a large group of knives attracted the most attention.

Homework

1. Write a mini-essay about the life of ancient people who lived on the territory of modern Russia

On the territory of modern Russia, ancient people appeared many millennia ago, back in the era of the early Paleolithic. Modern archeology has evidence of the existence of ancient people in Russia almost 2 million years ago. Sites of ancient people were discovered in the center of Dagestan and on the Taman Peninsula. This confirms the old archaeological theory that humanity originated in the territories of Northeast Africa, Asia and in the area of ​​the Mediterranean and Black Seas.

However, the discovery of the settlement of ancient people Deering-Yuryakh, on the territory of modern Yakutia, only 480 km from the Arctic Circle, calls into question the theory of the African origin of man. Indeed, according to recent studies, the age of the Deering-Yuryakh site is more than 2 million years. Scientists will have to argue for a long time on this issue.

Newer settlements of ancient people on the territory of modern Russia - Kostenki, Sungir, Denisova Cave - give an idea of ​​​​how people lived in the Paleolithic era, after the Ice Age, about 20-45 thousand years ago. Archaeological finds of these sites show the presence of a developed society and traditional technologies of the Neolithic. For example, flint tools, spearheads, bone and stone figurines of women and animals were found at the excavations of the primitive Kostenka site. Also, a lot of evidence was found that the local Homo sapiens lived not only by hunting, but also knew many crafts and even engaged in artistic creativity, in addition, they knew how to build residential buildings and made multifunctional tools from bones and stone.

2. Fill in the table "The appearance of people on the territory of modern Russia"

Chronological period	Territory of residence	Main occupations	Forms of cohabitation
500 thousand - 1 million years ago		hunting, gathering
80 thousand years ago	North Caucasus, Taman Peninsula	Hunting, gathering, driven hunting. Man learns to make fire.	primitive human herd
40 thousand years ago	Omsk, Voronezh, Vladimir, Tyumen regions.	Hunting, gathering, housing construction	tribal community, tribe
10-14 thousand years ago	From the North Caucasus to the Baltic Sea and the Arctic Ocean	Hunting, farming, fishing, cattle breeding, handicraft	Tribal unions, neighborhood communities

Need to know

Appropriating economy is an ancient way of organizing life. People do not grow or produce anything, but extract and appropriate what is created by nature. Main activities: hunting for animals, catching insects and amphibians, gathering (fruits, berries, edible plants).

Stone Age This is the earliest period of human existence. This age lasted for many millennia. The Stone Age is divided into three major periods: the Old Stone Age - Paleolithic, the Middle Stone Age - Mesolithic and the New Stone Age - Neolithic. During the Stone Age, man had not yet learned how to mine, but he already knew how to maintain fire. Tools of labor are primitive. People made their tools and weapons from wood, bone, but the main material was stone - primarily silicon. They made hand axes, scrapers, and pointed ones from it.

Kostenki- one of the oldest known settlements in Europe was found near the village of Kostenki near Voronezh. Their age is estimated at 35-45 thousand years. Not only tools of labor were found here, but also numerous decorations and works of ancient art. Among them are not only sculptural images of animals, but also the so-called "Paleolithic Venus" that have become world famous - small figurines of women made of stone or bone. Some of them show images of women's jewelry.

Sungir- Another site of an ancient man, located near Vladimir. Its age is about 25 thousand years. Here, archaeologists have discovered numerous fragments of products of ancient people. The inhabitants of Sungiri hunted mammoths, reindeer, bison, horses, wolves and wolverines. Scientists have restored the clothes of these people. It turned out to be very similar to the traditional clothing of the current indigenous northern peoples of Europe. The inhabitants of ancient Sungiri richly decorated the surface of their robes with the smallest beads made of mammoth bone. Bracelets were made from the same material. Spears with tips made of mammoth bone were also found in the burials. One of the copies reaches a length of 2.4 m.

glacial period- This is a period that was about 80 thousand years ago. The ice shell bound the northern territories of Europe, Asia, and North America. Endless tundra stretched along the edge of the glacier, and cold steppes to the south. Heat-loving animals and plants died out. They were replaced by mammoths, bison, woolly rhinos, reindeer, wild horses. The ice age ended 12-14 thousand years ago.

driven hunting This is a type of collective hunting. They went hunting in small groups. Having tracked down the prey, people began to shout loudly, brandish fire torches, throw stones to drive it into a ravine or a specially dug hole. The driven beast was finished off with clubs, stones and spears.

Division of labor between men and women appeared with the formation of collectives, communities. Hunting has become a male occupation. Women were engaged in gathering, ran the household. The children helped the adults.

Primitive communal system- this is the structure of society in which ancient people lived in clans, had primitive tools in common ownership, worked together and equally distributed products.

Mesolithic- This is the period that replaced the Ice Age. Climate change has led to the extinction of large animals such as mammoths and woolly rhinos. The number of other large animals also decreased. People were forced to pay more attention to gathering and fishing. The nature of hunting has changed - people began to arrange ambushes. Man learned to make composite tools: small, carefully crafted pieces of stone plates were inserted into wooden or bone bases. Spearheads and darts, harpoons, boomerangs, bows and arrows, chisels for processing wood and bone, scrapers, and fishing tackle appeared. At the same time, vehicles were invented - boats, skis, sledges. People settled further north. They reached the shores of the Baltic Sea, and then to the Arctic Ocean.

Paleolithic(Stone Age) is a historical period of cultural (technological) formation of a person, in “absolute” figures of evolutionary chronology lasting from 2.6 million years ago to 5-10 thousand years ago, and in relation to the relative geochronological scale approximately coinciding with the Pleistocene epoch. In terms of supporters of the biblical Creation, the Paleolithic is not a period of formation, but rather a period of restoration of mankind after a global catastrophe, the terms of which are much shorter than those accepted in the evolutionary version.

Conventionally, the Paleolithic is divided into three periods - lower (early), middle and upper (late). Proponents of evolutionary anthropogenesis sometimes divide the early Paleolithic into two periods, including the so-called Olduvai period as the initial stage. This is due to the fact that the technology for creating the first most primitive tools, according to the evolutionary hypothesis, does not belong to man, but to his hypothetical evolutionary predecessor, the role of which, until recently, was played by a representative of the monkey taxon Au.(H.) habilis. We do not consider this option due to the lack of evidence in its favor and the presence of direct evidence that all tools, including the earliest and most primitive Olduvai, were made by members of the human race. Homo(which means Homo ergaster/erectus , Homo heidelbergensis, Homo neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens). Moreover, today's paleoanthropology is much more cautious about its old thesis about the relationship between the level of instrumental technologies and the stages of evolutionary anthropogenesis.

In this list, any artificially processed stones are considered as evidence of human activity - even if the direct remains Homo are not available nearby. The following list was created based on materials from the site. OriginsNet.org(corrected and added taking into account new finds and dates), and generally uses materials from official scientific sources. In order to show the reader the complexity of the real historical picture, the so-called anomalous finds in the form of anthropological remains or artifacts have been added to the official "combed" row. In the list, for convenience of classification, officially accepted dates are used, regardless of whether they reflect the real picture.

– Middle East and Caucasus

– Africa

– East Asia (Pakistan, India, China)

– Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Australia)

- Russia Siberia)

– Europe

- South America

Early Paleolithic (Early Paleolithic)

The period officially marked by the appearance Homo ergaster and Homo erectus, as well as the invention of instrumental technology, called Acheulean. In reality, the picture is much more dramatic - in history, traces of a higher level of guns, and, apparently, traces of Homo sapiens

Kanapoi, Kenya, 4.5 million years – KP 271, Homo sapiens (?) Fragment of the humerus, anatomically indistinguishable from that of modern man, formally attributed Au. anamensis[link] .

laetoli, Kenya, 3.6–3.8 Ma - petrified footprints in volcanic ash, anatomically close to footprints Homo sapiens , are formally assigned Au. afarensis or an unknown creature with a humanoid foot anatomy [link] .

Kastenedolo, Italy, 3–4 Ma - fragments of the skeletons of several individuals Homo sapiens , were found in reliably Pliocene layers in the period 1860–1880. (G. Ragazzoni) with an undisturbed structure, which excludes the possibility of a later burial. After numerous years of attempts to discredit the finds by representatives of official science, these finds are not mentioned in the scientific press [link] .

Savona, Italy, 3–4 Ma - fragments of the skeleton Homo sapiens , discovered in the 1850s in Pliocene strata. The blue clay of the enclosing layer filled the bone cavities, and the overlying layer of quartzite sand was not disturbed, which excludes the possibility of a late burial. Official anthropology is also silent about this find [link] .

Yuanmou Basin, China, 3 million years“In the eastern sector of South Asia, the most numerous traces of the most ancient Paleolithic are known in China. [...] In Yuanmou... several stone tools were collected, the layers are dated 3 Ma (Olsen, 1997)” (Lauhin, 2005). Here, in layers 700 thousand years old (or 1.8 million years; see below), teeth were found Homo erectus (Drobyshevsky, 2004) and traces of the use of fire aged 1.2–1.3 million years (Gowlett, 1994).

Olmo, Italy, 2–4 Ma – a skullcap of almost modern morphology, discovered in 1863 near Tuscany in Italy, while digging a trench when laying a railway, at a depth of more than 15 meters, in a layer belonging to the late Pliocene - early Pleistocene. In this case, too, it is unlikely that we can talk about a late burial, since the find was made in deposits formed by an ancient lake, and the skull was filled with blue clay, which makes up the entire deposit. The find is sometimes mentioned in the official scientific literature as an Upper Pleistocene find, which is no more than 50–60 thousand years old. The radiocarbon analysis, which is unsuitable in this case, and the subjective assessment “by morphology”, are taken into account, and the geological evidence is ignored.

Makapansgat, Northern Transvaal, 2.6–3.3 Ma - the famous South African cave, in the deposits of which in 1936 numerous traces of the use of fire were discovered in the form of layers of soot and ash. Due to the fact that the researcher R. Dart tried to attribute the use of fire to Australopithecus (Dart, 1948), the very existence of such traces was sharply criticized and forgotten. To this day, official anthropology still hesitates to attribute such early use of fire to any of the "hominids". And although a pebble culture, by definition belonging to humans, was found in the same deposits, traces of fire are still interpreted as soil oxidation, either as traces of natural fires, or as bat droppings (Oakley, 1954; Drobyshevsky, 2004).

Yiron Israel, 2.5–2.8 Ma – here, in clays under basalt, whose age according to Ka/Ar is 2.51 Ma, lenses of pebbles occur. In one of the lenses, 30 m below the base of the basalt, artifacts were repeatedly collected - stone tools. For clays above artifacts, a date of 2800 ± 700 thousand years (RTL-717) was obtained, which confirms the exceptional antiquity of the site (Lauhin et al., 2005).

Kada Gona, Ethiopia, 2.4–2.6 Ma - pebble tools made from pre-selected raw materials, as well as tool marks on animal bones. It is clear that finds of this age in the evolutionary community cause serious difficulties in terms of identifying their manufacturer.

Marimar Argentina, South America, 2–3 Ma– Numerous stone tools, flint points, hunting bolo balls, traces of fires, burnt slag (Amegino, 1912, 1921 after Cremo and Thompson, 1999). The anomaly of the find lies in the fact that, according to modern ideas, the first people in America appeared no earlier than several tens of thousands of years ago. Numerous attempts to discredit the finds, additional studies and commissions from competent specialists of that time (Boule, Romero, Bohmann, etc.) could not refute the discovery of Amegino, but for today's official science, the Miramar finds are a default figure [link] .

foxhall, England, 2.5 or more million years - jaw, anatomically close to Homo sapiens , found in 1855 (R. Collyer) in the Upper Pliocene layer; as well as 2–2.5 Ma – stone tools, traces of fire (R. Collyer, 1867, J.R. Moir, 1927 after Cremo and Thompson, 1999). Leading scientists of that time (Lyell, Huxley, Owen, Busk, etc.), having studied the jaw, did not accept the find as a matter of principle. They did not go to the place where the find(s) were discovered. The jaw itself disappeared after a while [link].

Red Crag, England, 2.0–2.5 Ma - drilled shark teeth (E. Charlesworth, 1872; references here are from Cremo and Thompson, 1999), a carved shell depicting a stylized human face (H. Stopes, c. 1912), numerous bone tools (J.R. Moir, c. 1912) [link] .

Bouri, ethopia, 2.5 million years- traces of tools on the bones of animals.

Omo, Shungura, Ethiopia:

• segment D, 2.4–2.5 Ma – Homo sp. indet. (i.e. genus Homo, species not identified. The found remains theoretically may not belong to a true person (since such a formal classification of the remains according to the old tradition can also apply to " Homo» /Au. habilis), but stone tools in any case mark the presence of true Homo).

• section E, 2.3–2.4 Ma - stone tools and Homo sp. indet.

Lokalalei 1, 2C, West Turkana, Kenya, 2.34 million years- Stone tools.

Kada Hadar, Ethiopia, 2.2–2.33 Ma - stone tools and Homo sp. indet.

Senge 5, Zaire, 2.0–2.3 Ma - stone tools with double-sided processing.

Renzidong, China, 2.0–2.5 Ma - Numerous stone tools. The presence of stone tools outside Africa (Israel, China, Pakistan, Georgia, etc.) during the period of simultaneous and even earlier existence than Au. habilis, refutes the evolutionary thesis about habilis-toolmaker, as well as about the origin from him Homo erectus (ergaster). It also poses serious problems for the hypothesis of the African origin of mankind [link] .

Pabbi Hills, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, 1.9–2.5 Ma – stone tools, more than 350 items.

Riwat, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, 1.9 million years or more - stone tools.

Xiaochangliang, Nihewan Basin, north China, 1.9–2.0 Ma or more (old dating - 1.36-1.7 million years) - stone tools, including scrapers, awls, etc.

Longgupo, China, 1.78–1.96 Ma – stone tools, jaw fragment Homo ergaster (?) [link] .

Koobi Fora, East Turkana, Kenya. The total thickness of the Koobi Fora deposits is 650 m. The rich fauna indicates the existence here in antiquity of all possible types of landscape, including both forest and savannah.

• site KBS , 1.88–3.18 Ma – Homo ergaster (ER 1593, 2598, 3228, 3734) etc., as well as stone tools. Two femurs ER 1481 (with fragments a-d) and ER 1472 were also found here, which, in their anatomy, are closest to Homo sapiens . "Old dating of this group of finds: 2.7-3 million, new 1.6-3.18 million.", - writes S. Drobyshevsky. In this case, the KBS tuff is a marker for the human remains found under it, whose age is too old from the point of view. evolutionism is unacceptable. Drobyshevsky himself believes that the most probable age of the finds is 1.89–1.95 million years (Drobyshevsky, 2004), however, it seems that in this case the average figure was taken taking into account the Australopithecus/Habilis skull ER 1470 found here, older than Homo ergaster, according to evolutionism, simply should not be; [link 1 and

• site Okote , 1,6 –2,42 million years - Homo ergaster ER 1593(skull fragment), ER 2598 (occipital bone fragment), ER 1476 (tibia fragment of modern morphology), ER 1823 (femur fragment), ER 3733 (most complete Homo ergaster skull), ER 3883 (skull fragment), ER 1466 (skull fragment), ER 3892 (skull fragment), ER 820 and ER 992 (mandibles from different individuals in which the shape of the alveolar arch is almost identical to the modern one), ER 730 (mandible with some kind of chin protrusion!), ER 1507 (lower jaw), ER 819 (massive lower jaw), ER 731 (gracile lower jaw with signs of severe periodontal disease), ER 803 a-t (dated 1.53 million years, parts of the skeleton of one individual), ER 1808 (fragments adult female skeleton, all bones deformed due to severe hypervitaminosis), ER 1809 (femur fragment, 1.6–1.77 million years) and ER 737 (femur fragment, 1.5 million years);

• site Chari Karari , order 1.5 million years- a developed industry for the production of stone tools, controlled use of fire; tools bear traces of butchering the soft tissues of animals, plants, peeling tree bark, and sawing trees (Keeley and Toth 1981).

Olduvai, Tanzania. It is located in the southeastern part of the Serengeti plateau, near the Ngorongoro volcanic crater. The locality is a gorge several tens of kilometers long, cutting through a thickness of lacustrine and continental sediments about a hundred meters thick, crossed by many layers of volcanic tuffs and ash. The geological strata are composed of five main layers, of which the lower two contain the remains of Australopithecus and Homo. First layer, lying on basaltic lava, has a thickness of about 12 m at the site of hominid finds, the fauna of the layer is archaic, more than half of the mammalian species are extinct. Habitats were patchy, ranging from open steppes and swamps to riverine forest-steppes and copses, there was no dense tree cover at Olduvai, habitats were more open than at Koobi Fora, the climate was colder and drier than at present, temperature and humidity decreased towards the end the time of formation of the first layer. Bottom part second layer close to the upper part of the first layer in terms of fauna and archaeological context; the climate was relatively humid. The locality at the time of the formation of the second layer was a grassy forest-steppe (Drobyshevsky, 2002).

• Olduvai Horizon I, 1.75–2.0 Ma (the level where it was found Au. habilis OH 7, in the "first toolmaker" evolutionary scenario), found: Olduvai tools, bolo hunting throwing stones, a bone tool (presumably polished for leather processing), stone circular structures to strengthen the perimeter of the dwelling, and a stone with artificial ornamentation and engraving , known as the "head of a baboon" (M. Leakey, 1971). Despite the fact that Louis Leakey tried to connect the remains of habilis with tools found nearby, a number of tools, stone buildings and a work of art from the 1st horizon do not match the possibilities. Au. habilis.

• lower level of horizon II, 1.6–1.75 Ma - Olduvai tools of the most advanced technology ("advanced Olduvai").

Sterkfontein, South Africa, horizon 5: 1.7–2.0 Ma – Homo ergaster Stw 80, stone tools, traces of the use of fire, processed animal bones (Loy, 1998); tools made from animal horns for digging up termite mounds; Paranthropus skull with traces of damage from a stone tool; in horizon 6 ages more than 2 million years – Homo ergaster Stw 84, which, according to definable features, can even be attributed to Homo sapiens(Drobyshevsky, 2004).

Swartkrans, South Africa, 1.2–2.0 Ma – in layers 1–3: turned animal horns for digging up termite mounds; in layers 1 and 2: Homo ergaster SK 80 (upper jaw), SK 846 (fragment of the skull), SK 847 (fragment of the facial part of the skull), SK 74 (lower jaw), SK 15 (lower jaw), SK 45 (fragment of the lower jaw), etc. In the layer 3 dated 1.5 million years 270 animal bones were found, burned at a temperature of 400–800°C, which corresponds to the flame of the hearth (Bower, 1998; Brian, 2004).

Erqel Ahmar, Israel, 1.78-1.96 million years - pebble tools.

Karahatch, Armenia, > 1.8–1.94 Ma - Early Acheulean tools. The finds made by the Russian-Armenian expedition led by S.A. Aslanyan, are not inferior in age or even precede the appearance of the earliest Acheulean in Africa. For the evolutionary model, they raise new questions - both about the time and place of the origin of the actual acheulean, and about the fact of the existence of a technologically advanced Homo erectus outside of Africa.

Chilhac I France, 1.8 million years and plot Chilhac III – 1.5 million years– on both – stone tools of the Olduvai type.

Diring Yuriah (Deering Yuriah), Siberia, Russia, 2.9–1.8 Ma–260,000 years - a site 480 km from the Arctic Circle with numerous Olduvai-type tools made of quartzite pebbles, opened in 1982. The author of the discovery, Yuri Mochanov, provides convincing arguments in favor of the age of Deering-Yuryakh at least 1.8 million years, which is comparable to the earliest African sites, but most scientists do not accept this date because of its extraordinary nature. Based on thermoluminescent analysis of quartzite samples, American researchers (M. Waters et al, 1997) gave a date of 260–370,000 years, which in any case is anomalous from the point of view of existing views on human history. In the same year, the Americans Huntley and Richards (1997) in the journal Ancient TL criticized the dating of the Waters group, concluding that Deering's age is much older. And in 2002, in a specialized laboratory of Moscow State University, O. Kulikov's group conducted a new analysis using the more modern RTL method, obtaining the age of Deering artifacts of the order 2.9 million years, which poses a serious challenge to the so-called. African model of the origin of mankind.

Ulalinka (Ulalinka), Siberia, Russia, 2.3–1.8 Ma or 1.5 million years according to TL-analysis (old dating - 700 thousand years and more) - tools from quartzite pebbles. Choppers predominate, there are side-scrapers, points, cores with a spout (Okladnikov and Ragozin, 1982; Klyagin, 1996).

Xihoudu, Ruicheng county, China, 1.6–1.8 Ma - stones with traces of processing, cut bones and traces of the use of fire.

Dmanisi, Georgia, 1.77 million years – Homo ergaster D2700, D2280, D2282 etc., the industry of production of stone tools. Altruistic relationships within the group - on the example of caring for a helpless old man (D3444).

Ain Hanech and El Kherba, Algeria- OK. 1.8 million years- Olduvai type guns.

Peninj, West Natron, Tanzania, 1.4–1.7 million years - tools of the Olduvai and Acheulean types; traces of working with wood - sharpening the sharp ends of sticks, cutting bushes for the construction of dwellings; while the tools are used at a considerable distance from the home (Dominguez-Rodrigo et al., 2001). The site is one of the earliest examples of the pattern-making strategy of Acheulean bifaces (symmetrical double-sided axes).

Melka Konture, Eritrea:

Gombore I (Gombore I) 1.6-1.7 million years – Homo ergaster (Homo sapiens?) IB-7594, distal fragment of the humerus. Pebble tools of the Olduvai type have been found in sediments containing Pleistocene fauna. Interestingly, the artifacts were concentrated on an elevated earthen platform 2.4 m in diameter (Gowlett, 1993), which was probably the foundation of a dwelling; there are also indications of the use of fire in Melka Kontur (Drobyshevsky, 2004). [link]

• local location Garba IV (Garba IV), 1.4-1.5 million years – Homo ergaster IV, the right half of the lower jaw, which belonged to a child aged 3 to 5 years.

Mojokerto, Java, 1.81 million years(by Ar/Ar)/ – 1.1 million years (paleomagnetic analysis) - skull Homo erectus (1–MJ 1 ). The maximum date is 2.3 million years (Gulotta, 1995).

Sangiran, Java, 1.66 million years(by Ar/Ar)/ –1,1 (paleomagnetic analysis) - the remains of more than 40 individuals Homo erectus (the most famous – skull of Sangiran-17).

Nihewan, Nord China, 1.66 million years- Stone tools. A number of researchers note their similarity with 1.77 million years ago. summer guns Homo erectus found in Dmanisi (Georgia), although in reality they are closer to the Acheulean culture. This "misrecognition" is associated with the commonplace stamp of paleoanthropologists, which says: "there was no ashel in China."

Nariokotome III, West Turkana, Kenya, 1.6 million years - Homo ergaster WT 15000. Paleontological materials make it possible to reconstruct forested and edaphic steppes, as well as damp swampy lowlands covered with waterlogged vegetation (Reed 1997). An almost complete skeleton of a teenager was found here H. ergaster, dubbed Turkana Boy. [link]

Ubeidiya, Israel, lower horizons 1.6 million years – Homo ergaster , Olduvai tools of the most advanced technology, in the upper layers of age 1.4 million years- one of the earliest examples of the Acheulean culture, bifaces (tools with symmetrical bilateral processing). It is worth paying attention to this early Middle Eastern Acheulean, which is actually simultaneous with the African one.

Orce Ravine Spain, Andalusia. Locations are located along the shores of the ancient lake. Rich faunal remains include both large animals (southern elephant, fossil hippopotamus, Etruscan rhinoceros, bear) and small ones.

• Barranco Leon BL5. The locality of Barranco León is dated by fauna and paleomagnetic method to the same time as Fuentinueva 3, 1.07–1.78 Ma, or even 1.6–1.8 Ma (Oms et al., 2000). More than 60 artifacts of the Olduvai type and the developed Olduvai were found here, as well as a fragment of a molar BL5-0 Homo sp. indet.

• Venta Micena , 1.07–1.78 Ma. The location is open, lacustrine deposits form here 7 layers, in the 3rd of which the remains of hominids were found Homo sp. indet.(Gibert et Palmqvist, 1995). Found: VM-0 (fragment of the skull, 1.6-1.65 million years), VM 1960 and VM 3961 (fragments of the humerus, 1.2-1.4 million years) (Gibert et Palmqvist, 1995). Although all three finds can be questioned as belonging to humans, stone tools were also found along with them.

• Fuente Nueva fn3, 1.07–1.78 million years, most likely 1.4 million years (Drobyshevsky, 2004) - the third locality of hominids in Orsa, unlike the two previous ones, is located in a karst cave. Here were found: a fragment of the humerus CV-1 and a phalanx CV-2, identified as belonging to Homo sp. indet.(Palmqvist et al., 1996; Gibert et al., 1999). However, about 100 artifacts were found here, classified as products of the developed Aldovan (Navarro et al., 1997).

Konso-Gardula, south africa, 1.4-1.9 million years – Homo ergaster (KGA10-1, lower jaw), early Acheulean stone tools.

Gadeb, Ethiopia, 1.4 million years- controlled use of fire.

Azikh (Azykh), foothills of Karabakh, Azerbaijan, 1.5 million years– the cave has 10 layers belonging to different stages of the Lower and Middle Paleolithic. In the lowest layers (1.5–1.8(?) Ma) a pebble culture reminiscent of the Olduvai culture was found - more than 300 stone artifacts, incl. choppers, choppings, side-scrapers, gigantolites - rough tools weighing 3-5 kg, etc. Below the 6th layer, the remains of large fires, at least 700 thousand years old, were found. Fragment of a jaw found in the Middle Acheulean Homo heidelbergensis (the so-called "azykhanthropus", 350-400 thousand years), and in the Mousterian - a cache of Neanderthals with skulls of cave bears, which, as expected, had a cult significance.

Kozarnika, bulgaria, 1.2–1.4 Ma - symbols carved on a stone tool.

Lantien, China, 1.15 million years - Homo erectus (RA 1051-6).

Hazorea, Esdraelon, Israel, 1.3–1.5 million years– found 5 fragments of skulls from 5 individuals, formally assigned to Homo erectus(Hazorea 1-5). The upper cultural layer contains tools from the early Acheulean to the present; the layer in which the human remains were found is synchronous with the II layer of Olduvai. The problem is that the skull fragments of Hazorea 1 and 3 are morphologically archaic Homo sapiens (comparable to, but much older than, Swanscombe and Fonteshevad), so they are sometimes referred to as "progressive paleoanthropes" in the literature.

Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania:

• Upper and middle part of layer II 1.3–1.5 million years - Homo erectus OH 9 (cranial box, dating varies from 360 thousand years to 1.48 million years, with the most probable limit of 0.9-1 million years (Pilbeam, 1975) or 1.3-1.5 million years .—paleomagnetic and 40Ar/39Ar methods (Tamrat et al., 1995), the layer contains steppe fauna - giant herbivores and horses, in the same layer were found tools of the most developed Oldowan - cleavers and hand axes (early Acheulean?).

• Bed III, 0.8–1.2 Ma , Homo erectus OH 34(fragments of the femur and tibia), OH 51 (lower jaw), tools of the developed Oldowan (or early Acheulean) - cleavers and hand axes.

• Bed IV, 0.8–1.2 Ma , Homo erectus OH 28(pelvic and femur bones) , OH 22 (lower jaw), OH 12 (skull fragment), Middle Acheulean tools. It is believed that some levels of layer IV were deposited in the Lower Pleistocene, and their dating – from 370 to 780 thousand years (McBrearty et Brooks, 2000). Stone tools are diagnosed as Acheulean and "Middle Stone Age". Finds come from these layers Homo erectus OH 2, OH 11, OH 20 and OH 23. These are fragments of the upper and lower jaws, as well as a femur (Day, 1971; Leakey, 1971).

Olorgesailie, Kenya, sections 1-5, 950.000–1.0 Ma and plots 9-14, 500.000–750.000 years – ashel tools.

Le Vallonet France, 0.99–1.07 Ma - Stone tools.

Soleihac France, Jaramillo 900–970.000 years- Stone tools.

bose, China, 803.000±3000 years- tools for which there is an evolutionary formulation "similar to Acheulean bifaces", because it is believed that there was no Acheulean in East Asia.

Joub Jannine II Israel , 800–900.000 years, ashelian tools.

Evron Quarry Israel, 600,000 years–1 million years , ashelian tools.

Gesher Benot Ya "aqov Israel, 780.000 years - Homo erectus (2 fragments of two femurs), Acheulean implements.

Latamne, Syria, 500.000 to 700.000 years . ashel tools.

Sierra de Atapuerca Spain. Many artifacts and anthropological remains have been found here in huge caves. The most ancient of the caves is Gran Dolina. In it, out of 11 levels, 7 are rich in fossils, and from the last, layer TD 6 contains stone tools of the Olduvai appearance (about 200) and the remains of more than 80 people, some of which have almost modern anatomy (fragments of the skull ATD6-15 and ATD6-69) [link ] . The find received a new taxonomic name Homo antecessor. Some evolutionary scientists consider this form ancestral to two lineages - sapient and Neanderthal, others - only to Neanderthal. A problem for evolutionary anthropology is the fact that Atapuerca people are more sapiens than even later African forms.

• Gran Dolina (TD 6), 780.000–990.000 years - Homo antecessor , stone tools.

• Gran Dolina (TD 4), 750.000–1.6 million years - Stone tools.

Isernia la Pineta, Italy:

• 780.000–990.000 years - Stone tools.

• 500.000–800.000 years - Stone tools.

Dorn-Durkheim, Germany, DD31, more 800.000 years- Stone tools.

Ceprano, Italy, 800–900.000 years - Homo erectus (Ceprano-1). Along with the finds from Atapuerca, he is one of the first known Europeans.

Flores, Indonesia , 840.000 years - stone tools of the Acheulean type. The presence on the Indonesian island of traces of human presence in the early Pleistocene means that at that time a person (presumably Homo erectus) was an experienced navigator.

Yuanmou Basin, China, 700,000 years (1.8 million years?), two incisors Homo erectus [link] . “... The Danawu site ... is a small hill, the numerous layers of which are inverted so that the older fauna is in the upper layers, and the young one is in the lower ones (Liu et Ding, 1984). [...] The dating of the layer containing the remains of hominids has not been reliably determined. On the basis of paleomagnetic studies and analysis of the fauna, dates of 500-600 thousand years ago were assumed. (Liu et Ding, 1984), 700 thousand years old or 1.8 million liters. (Pan et al., 1991), 1.7 mln. (Qian, 1985) and others. It is currently shown that hominids lived here no later than 780 thousand and no earlier than 1.1 million years ago. (Hyodo et al., 2002)" (Drobyshevsky, 2004). However, it is worth recalling that stone tools were found in layers dating back to 3 million years (see above, Laukhin, 2005). Also, according to J. Gaulett (Gowlett, 1994), traces of the use of fire 1.2-1.3 million years ago were found here.

Karama (Karama), Anui river valley, Altai, Russia, 550–800.000 years – large pebbles with an unevenly chipped sharp edge were found in the red-colored sediments of the Lower Pleistocene, which served as primitive stone tools - side-scrapers, choppers and choppers, constituting the pebble-type industry characteristic of the Early Paleolithic.

Misovaya (Cape)(Urta-Tube), South Ural, Russia, 700.000. years - a multi-layered settlement of the Acheulean and Mousterian cultures. The Early Paleolithic includes traces of a dwelling in a rocky crevice. Pebble choppers and Acheulean bifaces were found at the bottom of the dwelling (G. Matyushin, 1959, 1961). Numerous microliths and composite (wood plus stone) tools belong to the latest period (10-12 thousand years).

Nanjing, Tangshan Cave, China, 580.000 or 620.000 years – Homo erectus .

Bodo, Ethiopia, 550–640.000 years– Late Acheulean tools; Homo heidelbergensis ; The dating of the Bodo layers was carried out repeatedly and gave figures from 70–125 thousand years ago. (Conroy et al., 1978) up to 500–740 thous. (McBrearty and Brooks, 2000). The accepted date today is 640 thousand years. (Clark et al., 1994). A variety of tools have been found at Bodo, classified as Acheulean or Oldowan and Levallois. Found: 2 fragments of skulls (Bodo 1 and Bodo 2) and a fragment of the humerus.

Ndutu, Tanzania, from 200 before 900.000 years (600.000?) – Homo heidelbergensis (Ndutu 1 ); ashel tools.

Mauer, Germany, 500–700.000 years , Homo heidelbergensis; tools from the Oldowan to the developed Acheulean.

Kent's Cavern, Devonshire, England, 500–660.000 years - Acheulean tools, Abbeville bifaces (“Abbeville culture” is an archaeological culture of the early (lower) Paleolithic in Europe, named after the city of Abbeville, France; the old name is Shellic culture).

Abbeville, Somme River, France, level III, 600.000 years- Acheulean, Abbeville bifaces.

Fordwich, Kent, England, Cromerian, 600.000 years- Acheul tools, Abbeville bifaces.

boxgrove, Cromerian, England, 474–528.000 years old, Homo heidelbergensis ; ashel tools.

Fontana Ranuccio, Italy, layer 10, K-Ar analysis 458.000±5700 years - Acheulean bifaces.

Zhoukoudian, China, plots 2-4: 400–500.000 years - Homo erectus (the so-called Sinanthropus), plots 5-10: 500–800.000 years - Homo erectus [link] .

Daraki Chattan Cave, India, 400–500.000 years– engraving; more than 500 cup-shaped depressions on the rock surface made of quartzite (Kumar, 2003).

Auditorium Cave, India, 400–500.000 years – petroglyphs (cup-shaped depression and winding line) on the surface of a quartzite boulder (Bednarik, 2002).

Sima de los Huesos, Atapuerca, Spain, 350–500.000 years - Homo heidelbergensis ; the first known intentional burial, the remains of more than 30 people (the most famous specimen is Atapuerca 5 ), a stone tool is embedded in the burial, which has not a practical, but an aesthetic value.

Chichibu, north of Tokyo, Japan, 500.000 years- the remains of two huts and 30 stone tools of the Acheulean culture.

Swanscombe, Kent, England, 500,000 years - Homo heidelbergensis ; Middle Gravels section, 360–400.000 - Acheulean tools; the Upper Loam site is a stone hand ax of a high artistic level.

Caune de l'Arago, Tautavel, France, 320–470.000 years old, Homo heidelbergensis , the remains of at least 60 people (the most famous of which – so-called Tautavel man, Arago XXI), as well as microliths and large pebble tools.

Terra Amata Nice, France, 400.000 years- hut, hearth, ashel tools, 73 pieces of hematite (mineral) paint.

Bilzingsleben, Germany, 320–412.000 years old, Homo erectus , the remains of three huts, a paved area 9 m 2 , traces of the use of fire, geometric patterns on bone plates, microliths, a wooden spear, large pebble tools.

Tan Tan, Morocco, 300–500.000 years– tools of the middle Acheulean, a female stone figurine made of quartzite, the so-called. "Venus from Morocco".

Ambrona Upper Level and Torralba, Spain, 300–400.000 years - Ashel tools.

Tabun Cave, Israel, lowest layer E, dater. ESR (electron spin resonance method) and U-series (uranium series) – 387.000 thousand years or TL (thermoluminescent) 340.000 thousand years - Acheulean-Dzhabrud tools ("Dzhabrud" layers - Mousterian layers, distinguished mainly by the abundance of the so-called angular side-scrapers). Human remains were found in the upper layer C (see below).

Hoxne, England, lower AAR level: 300–350.000 years- a sharpened stone hand axe.

Furze Platt, Stoke Newington, Cuxton, Baker's Farm sites, England, 300–350.000 years- large sharpened hand cleavers (cleavers) made of stone.

Wolvercote Channel, England, Hoxnian, 300–350.000 years - sharpened stone axes with a convex profile in plan.

Gaily Hill, England, not less than 330 thousand years- fragment of a skeleton Homo sapiens , found in 1888 in the suburbs of London, at a depth of 2.5 m, in undisturbed deposits of the Holstein Formation. The instance is included in the so-called group. anomalous European finds, including also specimens of Moulin Quignon, Clichy, La Denise and Ipswich (see below). It is curious that these finds, if they are classified as archaic sapiens, according to modern paleoanthropological criteria, may well be considered as corresponding to the official scheme, however, once withdrawn from scientific consideration, they continue to “traditionally” remain default figures [link]

Moulin Quignon, Abbeville, France – at least 330 thousand years , Homo sapiens - anatomically modern jaw, found in 1863 near the city of Abbeville in France, in sandstone of the same Holstein formation. [link]

Clichy, France, not less than 330 thousand years- fragment of a skeleton Homo sapiens , found in 1868 in the Clichy quarry in Paris, equal in age to the two previous mentioned finds. [link]

La Denise, France - skull fragments Homo sapiens , found in the 1840s between two volcanic deposits, Upper Pleistocene and Pliocene, i.e. the find has an age ranging from several thousand/tens of thousand years to 2 million years. [link]

Ipswich, East England, 330–600 thousand years - fragment of a skeleton Homo sapiens , found in 1911 in Ice Age deposits. [link]

Repolusthohle, Austria, 300.000 years- an ornament made of a wolf's tooth with a drilled hole.

Isimila, Tanzania, 260.000 years, Late Acheulean tools in Africa.

Berekhat Ram Israel, 230.000–470.000 years – late Acheulean tools, female figurine.

hungsi valley, India, 200–300.000 or >350.000 years - ashel, red ocher.

Yabrud I, Oumm Qatafa, Levant, 200.000 years- the end of the ashel = so-called. "Acheulean-Jabrud" style of tools.

Qesem Cave Israel, Users 200.000–382.000 years - "Acheulean-Jabrud" style of tools.

Holon Israel, 200.000 years- tools of the late Acheulean.

Hamburg–Wittenbergen, Germany, 190–250.000 years the art of the Paleolithic.

Kalambo Falls, Zambia, OK. 180.000 years(U-series) - late Acheulean.

Cys-la-Comune, Aisne, France, 70.000–126.000 years - late ashelian.

Middle Paleolithic (Middle Paleolithic)

The period of the Middle Paleolithic ("Middle Paleolithic" or MR ) in evolutionary anthropology is associated with the appearance Homo sapiens archaic (Homo heidelbergensis) and a new type of instrumental range of higher technology (in Europe, the tool culture of the Middle Paleolithic (Mousterian) is also associated with Homo neanderthalensis). The Middle Paleolithic of Africa stands out in a separate category and is called the "Middle Stone Age" ("Middle Stone Age" or MSA ), and representatives of the African archaic sapiens ( or Homo heidelbergensis) that are associated with that culture are sometimes called H. rhodesiensis or H. helmei

Ethiopia, Central Kenya, 400.000–120.000 years – MSA-tools.

Elandsfontein, Saldhania, South Africa, OK. 350,000 years - Homo heidelbergensis (Hopefield 1).

Eyasi, Tanzania, more 130.000 years – Homo heidelbergensis , tools of the Sangoen type (the so-called. "Sangoen bifaces" - extremely elongated, in the form of a dagger or a long tip, the peaks of the tool; the base is practically absent, the section is rhomboid, triangular, in the form of a parallelogram or biconvex; name by the name of Sango Bay, Uganda), blades, pikes.

Capthurin Formation, Kenya, OK. 280.000 years- tools of the African Middle Paleolithic (hereinafter MSA), blades; 75 pieces of red ocher.

Guomde, Kenya, Chari Form., 270–300.000 years - Homo heidelbergensis .

Malewa Gorge, Kenya, 240.000 years– MSA-tools.

Valsequillo Mexico, South America, 250.000 years- guns of the Aurignacian type. The find is considered anomalous, since the appearance of people in America dates back to a period no earlier than 50 thousand years ago [link]

La Cotte de St. Brelade France, 238.000 years- Tools of the Middle Paleolithic of non-African regions, hereinafter referred to as MR technology.

Maastricht–Belvedere, Netherlands, 238.000 years- MP guns.

Gademotta, Ethiopia, c . 235.000 ±5000 years- MSA, blades.

Bir Tarfawi and Bir Sahara East, Egypt, OK. 230.000 years– MSA-tools.

Weimar–Ehringsdorf, Germany , 200–230.000 years- "early" Homo neanderthalensis , MP guns.

Various MPs sites in Levant, 210 –24 0.000 years- MP guns.

Kabwe Broken Hill, Zambia. 200.000 years - Sangoen tools; 30.000–300.000 years (?) – skull and skeletal fragments of an archaic Homo sapiens (3 individuals), the stratigraphic position of which is unclear, as well as the connection of the found tools with them. Based on the "archaic" morphology, as well as on the basis of the interests of solving the problem of missing African forms in the Middle Pleistocene, the age of the BH-1 skull is today attributed to 150-300 thousand years.

twin rivers, Zambia, over 200.000 years- "Lupemban" MSA - tools, 300 variants of various mineral dyes (hematite (red iron ore), specularite, etc.).

Omo Kibish I, Ethiopia, around or 200.000 years – Homo sapiens (Omo I). After the original dating of 130 thousand years (1967) was refined by new methods (2005), Omo I is considered one of the first anatomically modern humans. It is interesting that another skull found nearby (and also dated in 2005 to 200 thousand years) has pronounced features Homo erectus (Omo II), which may indicate a joint temporary and territorial residence H. sapiens and H. erectus. On the other hand, the aging of human age poses new problems for evolutionary anthropogenesis. – why did anatomically modern man not show his intellectual abilities for so long? And this despite the fact that Homo erectus, according to a recognized point of view, was a navigator more than 800 thousand years ago.

Kalambo Falls, Zambia, U-series: 180.000 years- "Lupemban" MSA - guns, red ocher.

Border Cave, South Africa, > 195.000 years, upper limit on Ox7 238.000 years– MSA-tools.

Vertesszollos, Hungary, 185 –350.000 years- so-called. "Buda"-industry, - Homo heidelbergensis with features Homo erectus.

Bau de l'Aubesier France, 170.000–190.000 years - Homo heidelbergensis , an example of caring for the helpless individuals of his community.

Florisbad, South Africa, 160.000 years (?) – Homo sapiens (Florisbad), MSA - guns.

Herto, Ethiopia, Ar/Ar 154–160.000 years - Homo sapiens idaltu ; final Acheulean culture and MSA; the skulls bear traces of posthumous scalping (perhaps for ritual purposes).

Singa, Sudan, 130–190.000 years - Homo heidelbergensis ; MSA (?).

Dali, China, 150.000 – early Homo sapiens , MP guns.

La Chaise France, 151.000 years - " early » Homo neanderthalensis ; MP guns.

Krapina Croatia, 130.000 years– burial Homo neanderthalensis . It is believed that since that time people began to bury their dead, based on the formed ideas about the afterlife. Evolutionary anthropologists (A. Marshak, 1975 and others) believe that the population Neanderthal and Cro magnon since that time was between 1 and 10 million people, that is, in 100 thousand years, our predecessors had to bury about 4 billion bodies with related artifacts. A significant part of the burials of these 4 billion should have been preserved. However, only a few thousand have been found.

Ngaloba, Laetoli, Tanzania, 90 –150,000 years – Homo sapiens (LH 18, LH 29). MSA guns

Jebel Irhoud, Morocco, 90–125.000 or 105–190.000 years – Homo heidelbergensis ; guns MSA (type "Levallois-Mousterian").

Haua Fteah, Libya, > 90 or >130,000 years - Homo heidelbergensis ; MSA (Levallois-Mousterian).

Abdur, Eritrea, 125.000±7000 years– MSA tools, bifacial hand axes, flakes and blades of the so-called. "intermediate" industry, active development of the coastal zone.

La Chaise France, 126.000 years– classic Homo neanderthalensis ; MP guns.

Tabun, Israel, layer C – Homo neanderthalensis (Tabun 1 and 2), 50–122.000 years old.

Bukit Jawa, Langgong, Perak, Malaysia, over 100,000 years old - MP guns.

Dakleh Oasis, Egypt, 90–160.000 years old- MP ("Aterian") guns.

Mugharet el Aiya, Morocco, 65–90.000 years old - Homo heidelbergensis , MSA presumably aterian.

El Guetta, Libya, 65–90,000 years or 130–140,000 years – MSA (atarian).

Dederiyeh Cave, Syria, level 8, OK. 50–70.000 years - Homo neanderthalensis , MP tools similar to the “Tabun B” type, burial of an infant with a sandstone slab and triangular flint placed on the chest.

Kebara Cave Israel, TL 60.000±4000, ESR 62.000±8000 – Homo neanderthalensis graves, MP tools, animal bones with engraved symbols, lines and patterns.

Ngandong, Indonesia, Solo-River, 53.000–27.000 years - Homo erectus (at least 14 individuals, the finds are represented by skull caps and femurs). Mousterian and azil tools are represented by small rough flakes of chalcedony, plates, a stone ball, as well as bone tools: a knife with a polished edge, a harpoon and a pointed tool made of deer antler.

Shanidar, Iraq, 50.600 years - classical Homo neanderthalensis , Mousterian guns.

La Chapelle France, 56–47.000 years old - classical Homo neanderthalensis .

Le Moustier, 55.800 - Mousterian tools, 40.300 years - classical Homo neanderthalensis .

Skhul Israel, 9 0–120.000 years - Homo sapiens .

Qafzeh, Israel, levels XVII-XXIV, 90–120.000 , the accepted average age 97.000 years±3000 – Homo sapiens , MP tools, ritual burials, joint burial of an adult woman and a child; engraving of lines with a triangular ornament, use of red ocher.

Staroselye (Staroselye), Crimea, Ukraine, 40–80.000 years old- culture "Micoquian" MP, tools equipped with a handle, devices for throwing a stone projectile and a wooden spear. It is worth noting that the remains of a child 1.5-2 years old belong to an undoubted Homo sapiens . Paleontologist V.P. Alekseev writes: “The only convincing exception (from the rule that European sapiens are not older than 40 thousand years. – A.M.) is made in 1953 by A.A. Formozov found in Staroselye near Bakhchisaray (Crimea). In general, the modern appearance of a baby discovered in the Mousterian layer at the age of about one and a half years does not raise the slightest doubt, although Ya.Ya. Roginsky rightly noted several primitive signs on the skull: moderate development of the chin protrusion, developed frontal tubercles, and large teeth. The dating of this find in absolute terms is unclear, but the inventory found with it shows that it is much older than the Upper Paleolithic sites with bone remains of modern humans. This fact firmly establishes the synchronism of the most ancient forms of modern man and the later groups of paleoanthropes, their coexistence over a fairly significant period of time ”(V.P. Alekseev, "The Formation of Humanity")

Upper Paleolithic (Upper Paleolithic)

The era of the Upper Paleolithic is officially considered the time of the appearance in history of anatomically modern man, Homo sapiens (modern), which had its own culture, distinguished from others by the production of fine works of art and high instrumental technology. For Africa, this period is classified as the "Later Stone Age", or, further, LSA).

Hoedjies Punt, South Africa, 71–300.000 years - Homo sapiens ; M.S.A.

Tongtianyan Cave, Guangxi, south China, 111–139.000 or 153.000 years– Liujiang-hominid, anatomically modern , bone awls and other bone tools, organized fishing, bone engraving and coloring of engraved parts; the most famous find is beads made of drilled shells with traces of ocher.LM 1.3 50,000 years- human footprints.

Boker Tachtit Israel, from 33.105±4100 to 45.000 years – IUP.

Kostenki (Kostenki), Voronezh region, Russia, 45–52.000 years old – H. sapiens. The village of Kostenki is the richest place in Russia where Upper Paleolithic sites are concentrated (more than 60 sites are located on the territory of about 10 km 2). Here dwellings made of mammoth bones were discovered and explored, numerous works of art were found, including world-famous female figurines - the so-called "Paleolithic Venuses". In 1984, the oldest, IV cultural layer was discovered here, which is probably the most ancient monument of the Upper Paleolithic era in Europe today.

Ucagizh, Turkey, c. 41.000 years– IUP.

Border Cave, South Africa, 39.000±3000 years- early LSA guns.

Bohunician, Moravia, from 36.000 to 43.000 years – IUP.

El Castillo Cave, Spain, 40.000±2000 years- Aurignac tools.

Mladec, CZ, 40,000 years - H. sapiens and Aurignac tools.

Mamontova Kurya (Mamontova Kurya), R. Usa, Siberia, Russia, 40.000 years- stone tools, stone arrowheads, mammoth tusk, covered with a primitive pattern. The presence of an Upper Paleolithic site at 66 degrees north latitude, beyond the Arctic Circle, contradicts today's ideas, according to which 20-15 thousand years ago the north of Eurasia up to the Carpathians and the Dnieper region was completely covered with continental ice and no life here was basically impossible . The same applies to the other three sites listed below.

Makarovo-4 (Makarovo-4), R. Lena, Siberia, Russia, more 39.000 years – IUP.

Bereleh (Bereleh), R. Indigirka, Siberia, Russia, 30.000 years- discovered in 1970, is considered one of the most anomalous Siberian sites of the late Paleolithic (located just south of 71 ° N).

Yana (Yana), mouth of the Yana River, Siberia, OK. 30 thousand years- opened in 2004 by V.V. Pitulko, the northernmost Late Paleolithic site in the world. It is located 120 km from the mouth of the Yana River, north of 71° N, beyond the Arctic Circle. The archaeological material is homogeneous: it is a well-marked pebble industry; a variety of side-scrapers, flake cores, rough choppers and choppings processed on both sides, and a rich bone industry are presented. “It is not clear whether the Yan culture is the result of local development or whether its appearance was caused by the penetration of populations from Transbaikalia and southern Siberia into the northeast of Asia. All these objects are associated with the spread of a genetically unified wave of the Caucasoid (Caucasoid) population, which moved 40–50 thousand years ago in the latitudinal and then in the meridional directions” (Lauhin, 2007).

See also reconstruction), in the other - a boy 12–14 years old (Sungir-2, see reconstruction) and girls 9–10 years old (Sungir-3), lying with their heads to each other. On the boy's head, as well as the man's, beads and pendants with fox fangs were found, which, apparently, were used to decorate the cap. The girl's head may have been covered with a loose hood-type headdress adorned with beads. A ring made of mammoth tusk was found on the boy's crown, a pendant in the form of a horse was found on his chest, and a mammoth figurine was found under his left shoulder. In the burial of a girl and a boy, unusual objects were preserved - three discs (plates) made of mammoth tusk several centimeters in diameter, which have four or eight slots. Wands, darts and spears made of mammoth tusks, flint tips were also found. The largest spear from a single piece of tusk reaches 2.4 m. To make such a weapon, it was necessary to have the technique of straightening the tusks. Beads also required special production methods. Decorations on the upper and lower clothing, bracelets (under the knees and above the feet), as well as solid rings on the fingers are no less impressive than the sheer number of mammoth tusk beads - about 10 thousand. ( "In the world of science", 03.2006).

Rose Cottage Cave, South Africa, 26.000 years– microlytic MSA.

Pech Merle Cave France, 24.700 years- wall painting "Spotted horses".

Cougnac Cave France, 23.000 or 25.000 years - Wall painting "Deers".

Lascaux Cave, 17.000 years- wall cave painting, early Madeleine. 14C dating showed her age at 2,200 years. Since this was not consistent with the theory of the deep antiquity of the drawings, radiocarbon dates were rejected with the note that they only reflect the fact that the cave was relatively recently inhabited. However, the drawings after 15,000 years of fumigation with smoke from fires could hardly have looked so bright.

Altamira Cave, Spain, 13.000–15.000 years (by 14 C) - the most significant Paleolithic wall painting in terms of artistic wealth (Middle Madeleine). It was opened in 1869, but only in 1879 was a huge multicolored painting on the ceiling of the side hall noticed. This fresco depicts a herd of bison and other animals (the length of the figures is up to 2.25 m) of the Upper Paleolithic fauna. The subsequent drama was determined by the dogmatic ideas of evolutionism about the "meaninglessness" of glacial prehistory. At the World Archaeological Congress of 1880 in Lisbon, under the leadership of E. Cartagliaca with the support of G. De Mortiller, the painting of Altamira, without any discussion, was considered a remake and even a deliberate falsification, allegedly performed to discredit evolutionary science. “Rehabilitation” and, moreover, “the cult of Altamira” date back to the beginning of the 20th century.

Niaux Cave France, 13.000–13.800 years – wall cave painting, medium madeleine.

Le Portel Cave France, 12.000 years– wall cave painting, late Madeleine.

Flores, Indonesia, Liang Bua, 12.000–18.000 years – in the Ling Bua cave in 2004–2005. found the remains of 9 people of an unusually miniature shape, as well as perfect stone tools musterian type (M. Morwood et al, 2004). The best preserved individual Lb1, Homo floresiensis ("last" Homo erectus ); woman 30 years old, height 90 cm [link] .

Materials used

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Description of the presentation Primitive sites in Russia. Paleolithic sites: on slides

Sungir is a Paleolithic site of an ancient man on the territory of the Vladimir region at the confluence of the stream of the same name into the Klyazma River, near Bogolyubovo. Discovered in 1955 during the construction of the plant and studied by O. N. Bader. Estimated age 25 thousand years.

Burials. Sungir became famous for its burials: a 40-50-year-old man (the so-called Sungir-1) and teenagers: a boy 12-14 years old (Sungir-2) and a girl 9-10 years old (Sungir-3), lying with their heads to each other. The teenagers' clothes were trimmed with mammoth bone beads (up to 10 thousand pieces), which made it possible to reconstruct their clothes (which turned out to be similar to the costume of modern northern peoples); in addition, the graves contained bracelets and other jewelry made of mammoth bone. Darts and spears made of mammoth bone, including a spear 2.4 m long, were placed in the grave. The burials were sprinkled with ocher.

Economy The main occupation of the Sungir people was hunting mammoths, reindeer, bison, horses, wolves and wolverines. During the entire period of excavations and research of the site, the richest collection of archaeological finds has been collected, numbering about 68 thousand items. A significant part of the collection consists of flint flakes, chippers, anvils and cores necessary for the manufacture of tools, as well as various tools (knives, scrapers, side-scrapers, chisels, piercers, chisel-shaped tools). Flint dart tips (triangular with a slightly concave base and almond-shaped) are distinguished by special care in processing and perfection of forms, covered on both sides with the finest retouching. The Sungir site is distinguished by a large number of products made of bone, horn and mammoth tusk (hoes, points, straighteners of shafts, "rods", weapons, jewelry, animal figurines), as well as the high technology of their processing.

STATION OF THE BONE Here in the 19th century in the village. Kostenki near Voronezh on the territory of about 10 square meters. km, at different times more than 26 sites of the primitive man of the Stone Age were discovered and explored, some of which are multi-layered. Modern people lived here, in the middle reaches of the Don in what is now Russia, at least 20,000 years before they appeared in Central and Western Europe. This is supported by new artifacts discovered in recent years. for example, human burials "aged" from 35,000 to 40,000 years, cultural objects

The bones of the dwelling were round or oval in plan, often conical in shape and covered with skins. The base of the dwelling was fixed with mammoth skulls and heavy bones, the ends of which were buried in the ground. On the roof, the skins were pressed against the antlers of a deer and the tusks of a mammoth. At the end of the ice age, rods and logs began to be used instead of mammoth bones. Inside the dwelling there was one or several hearths located in the center or along the axis. Tools of labor and clothing, food were communal property - all relatives had equal rights. Dwellings of Paleolithic man (reconstruction): 1, 2 - Kostenki, 3 European sites. Samples of dwellings in the Upper Paleolithic from excavations of sites on the territory of our country

Bones. Voronezh region. The appearance of the Paleolithic man of the Russian Plain was dominated by Caucasoid features. However, it is worth noting that the remains from the burial at the Kostenki 14 site are characterized by certain features of the Negroid type, and signs of Mongoloidity were recorded in children from Sungir. This may indicate that the formation of races has not yet been completed. The signs that later became characteristic of different races were generally inherent in the emerging single type of modern man. Only with adaptation to the natural and climatic environment did people finally divide into races. In the photo - reconstruction of the aborigines

Veneras from Kostenki are more than 20 thousand years old Paleolithic landscape in the Kostenki region Almost all burials of the Upper Paleolithic era known in Russia were found in Kostenki. The finds made by archaeologists made it possible to restore the appearance of the first people, to learn about their way of life and way of life. This was the period of the last and most severe ice age in the history of the earth - the Valdai. Following the retreating glacier, deer, arctic foxes, musk oxen and, of course, mammoths, accustomed to the cold, left to the north. It was they who attracted the pioneers of the Stone Age here. By this time, people had already mastered the techniques of hunting large herd animals. In the photo - the ruins of a dwelling made of mammoth bones.

Kapova Cave is located in Bashkiria in the Southern Urals and is a Paleolithic site of the same period as Sungir. The cave is difficult to access and well preserved. It has many halls and floors. At 300 m from the entrance, a lot of drawings of animals of the Paleolithic period were found - mammoths, woolly rhinos, horses, etc. People lived in the cave 13-14 thousand years ago. Tools of labor, 4 beads, a knife, pendants, part of a clay lamp-lamp were found - the rarest find for the Paleolithic. The cave is located on the Belaya River in the Shulgantash Reserve in Bashkiria.

Lyalovo archaeological culture of the Neolithic period Settlement 4-3 thousand BC. e. in the district with Lyalovo near Zelenograd is the oldest among the Neolithic cultures of Europe. At present, a huge number of settlements belonging to the Lyalovsky archaeological culture, covering the territory between the Oka and Volga rivers, are known in the Moscow region. . . The remains of buildings of a round and oval shape, with a floor deepened into the ground and the remains of bonfires or hearths inside, were studied. There are dwellings with a size of 140 sq. m, and in the Ivanovo region. - 200 sq. m. The Lyalovo culture is part of the cultural and historical community of the forest Neolithic of Eastern Europe. Its main feature is the presence of clay round-bottomed and pointed-bottomed vessels, decorated over the entire surface with an ornament in the form of pits and impressions of comb or serrated stamps. .

The Trypillia Eneolithic Culture The Tripoli culture is an archaeological culture named after the place of discovery near the village of Trypillia near Kyiv. It was distributed in the Eneolithic era on the territory of Ukraine to the west of the Dnieper and in Moldova, as well as in eastern Romania, where it is called the culture of Cucuteni (Cucuteni). The time of existence is the second half of VI - 2650 BC. e. Occupations of the inhabitants: agriculture, cattle breeding, hunting, fishing. Dwellings - first dugouts and small ground adobe "platforms". Later two-storey houses. Tools were made of flint, stone, horn and bone; there are few copper products (awls, fish hooks, jewelry).

Reconstruction of Trypillian clothes on ceramics Ritual clothes of priestesses of the Great Mother Goddess. Female images of clothes on ceramics and their reconstruction

The village of Fatyanovo The Fatyanovo culture is an archaeological culture of the Bronze Age (2nd millennium BC) in the Upper Volga region and the Volga-Oka interfluve. It is named after the village of Fatyanovo, near Yaroslavl, where soil graves with stone and copper tools and weapons, ceramics, jewelry, etc. were excavated. The population was engaged in cattle breeding, and partly in agriculture.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL MONUMENTS OF THE MOSCOW REGION The Fatyanovo culture is an archaeological culture of the Bronze Age (2nd millennium BC). It is named after the burial ground discovered for the first time near the village of Fatyanovo, near Yaroslavl. On the territory of modern Moscow, cemeteries of the Fatyanovo culture were found near the former villages of Spas-Tushino and Davydkovo; individual stone tools and weapons were found in Krylatskoye, Zyuzin, Chertanov, etc. A number of cemeteries have been excavated and investigated. In the II millennium BC. e. in the Upper Volga region and the Volga-Oka interfluve, the so-called Fatyanovo archaeological culture, dating back to the Bronze Age and represented only by burial grounds and individual random finds, was widespread. The inhabitants of the Fatyanovo settlement were people of the "Mediterranean" type - with a high steep forehead, a massive, beautiful skull, a thin, often with a small hump nose, and a wide chin.

In the west, relatives of the Fatyanovo people, united by the megaculture of "battle axes" (according to the most common feature characteristic of all these cultures), are known in Sweden, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Poland, Denmark and the Baltic states. The dead were buried in a crouched position with weapons (stone and copper axes, spears, arrows), tools made of stone, bone, less often copper (wedge-shaped axes, knives, chisels, awls, pins, hoes, etc.), jewelry (necklaces made of teeth, bones, shells, amber), earthenware (spherical vessels with carved ornaments, solar, that is, depicting the sun, signs on the bottoms). There are bones of domestic and wild animals. The main occupations of the tribes of the Fatyanovo culture are cattle breeding, hunting; agriculture developed; bronze metallurgy was known. The social system is patriarchal-clan. The beliefs are characterized by the cults of the sun, ancestors, and the bear. The Fatyanovo culture was part of a large cultural and historical community - the so-called culture of battle axes and corded ceramics, the creators of which were the ancient Indo-European tribes. Fatyanovtsy were cattle breeders - a burial of men with dogs and vessels for churning butter was found. Sheep and goats were placed in the grave. They knew how to melt metal and make iron axes. battle ax of the Fatyanovo culture made of diorite

DYAKOVSKAYA CULTURE archaeological culture of the early Iron Age in the interfluve of the Volga and Oka. . . It is named after the settlement near the village of Dyakova near Moscow. On the Dyakovo settlements, which were ancestral settlements of pastoralists, iron knives, awls, axes, sickles, pottery with prints of coarse fabric, and bone products are found. This is the Culture of the Iron Age Ipol. I millennium BC e. - I gender. I millennium AD e. Archaeological culture of the Iron Age, which existed in the VII BC. e. - VII centuries on the territory of Moscow, Tver, Vologda, Vladimir, Yaroslavl and Smolensk regions. The bearers of the Dyakovo culture are usually considered the ancestors of the Meri, Murom, and Vesi tribes. According to one version (there are others), the Dyakovites came from beyond the Urals and replaced the Fatyanovo culture. The Dyakovites were replaced by the Slavic tribes of the Krivichi and Vyatichi, who possibly assimilated the Dyakovites. The Dyakovo culture is characterized by stucco ceramics, Scythian jewelry, clay weights of unclear purpose. At the beginning of development, tools were bronze, then they were replaced by iron ones, non-ferrous metals were used for decorations. But in general there was little metal, apparently it was highly valued, but tools made of bone were widely used. The Dyakovites lived in small fortified settlements, which were usually built on a cape; Apparently, there was such a settlement on the site of the Moscow Kremlin. SPIRITUAL CULTURE "houses of death" (the prototype of the huts on chicken legs of Baba Yaga). One of them was found near Rybinsk (Yaroslavl region), the other near Zvenigorod (Moscow region).

1 - neck hryvnia; 2 — buckle with champlevé enamel; 3 - arrowhead; 4 - copper pendant; 5 - copper bell; 6 - clay weight; 7 - figurine of a horse made of bone. The basis of the economy of the tribes of the Dyakovo culture is sedentary cattle breeding (horses, cattle, pigs); important role of hunting. Agriculture, which was at first an auxiliary occupation, from the first centuries AD. e. takes on greater importance. View of Dyakovo from an airplane in the Kolomenskoye district in Moscow