Research in Central Kazakhstan

The expedition of the Tselinograd Regional Museum continued to explore Paleolithic sites near the village of Vishnevka in the upper reaches of the Ingam River.

Elevated material was collected at the Vishnevka 4 site and the new Vishnevka 6 site. The sites are located on outcrops of bedrock hornfelses on the slopes of the hills and provide similar inventory. In Vishnevka 4 and 6, 212 and 506 items were collected, respectively. Among the finds are polar, tortoise-shaped and disc-shaped cores, reaching in some cases huge sizes, flakes and blades, massive side-scrapers, pointed and knives, separate scrapers, cutters and cutters. Bifaces represent an expressive series: tools similar to the Lower Paleolentic bifaces, pointed chopping tools, flat leaf-shaped spearheads. There are also several axes and two large wedge-shaped cores. In Vishnevka 6, individual flakes and blades were removed with the help of an intermediary. Judging by the nature of the finds, we have workshop sites in front of us.

At the Vishnevka 1 site, where the finds lay on the plume's surface, five pits (2х1 m) were laid and the ravine was cleaned. The pits, brought to a depth of 5-6 m, uncovered a layer of interbedded loams and sands, turning downwards into layered sands and rubble. In pit 1, at a depth of 2.20 m at the base, a slab with processing traces lay on crushed stone 0.2 m above the rock plinth. The thickness of loams and sands is preliminarily attributed to the Upper Anthropogenic.

In the Kypshak and Kerey rivers, in the Okushkar area, a Paleolithic locality with archaic inventory was discovered. Here, at the outcrops of quartzite sandstone, 84 artifacts have been recovered, primarily coarse flakes and cores. Among the finds, there is a sharp-pointed chopping tool and unique in its size (49 cm in diameter) core of a regular disk-shaped shape with large negative flakes directed radially on both sides.

Exploration revealed 16 Neolithic sites, including three in the middle and lower reaches of the Kulan-Utpes river (Aktobe, Atintai 1 and 2). At the Atintai 2 site, a treasure of flint objects was found in a storage pit 25–30 cm in diameter and 10–15 cm deep. 1-3). At the Karaguen 3 and Zhanbobek 4 sites, pits unearthed a cultural layer 30–50 cm thick, with flints, animal bones, and ceramics. In the upper reaches of the Atasu River (Kyzyltau Mountains), two Neolithic monuments were found - Kara-Tube 1-2. At the Kara-Tube 2 site, a cultural layer with a thickness of 0.5 and. Here, flints, animal bones and ceramics without ornament were found in the pit. Among the flints of the trapezium, there is a small triangular arrowhead with a notch at the base, scrapers, sections of knife-like plates.