Research in the Tselinograd region

The Tselinograd detachment of the North Kazakhstan expedition completed excavations of the Stone Age sites in the Telman micro district on the river Ingam near the city of Atbasar. 348 sq. m and several post and household pits recorded at the Telman X settlement. A clear stratigraphy traced in the lower part of the terrace: under the humus, there is a black swampy horizon of a granular structure (40–50 cm); below - a medium loamy whitish-gray horizon of silty-powder structure with finds (20-25 cm); at a depth of 80–90 cm there is a layer of yellowish-brown carbonate cemented silty loam (10–15 cm), separated by a sterile layer of gray, slightly gleyed clay with rusty spots, blocky structure. The stratigraphy reflects the formation of two-phase alluvium: phase I is ancient (two lower horizons), formed on clayey alluvium; - phase II - young, based on sandy alluvium. Beli phase I indicates a more or less stable regime, then phase II. The settlement's existence dates back to the final stage of the formation of clayey alluvium with a stable water regime. The site abandoned after the rise in the reservoir's water level during the deposition of sandy alluvium, which coincides with the climatic optimum of the Holocene. Cultural remains (more than 3000 specimens) do not differ from the finds of previous years and belong to the early Neolithic.

The upper layer of the Telman XII site was partially destroyed by plowing. In the preserved part, the stratigraphy is as follows; under the humus (10 cm) there was a dark humus layer (10–20 cm); below it is a yellow medium loam saturated with carbonates (5-7 cm). About 1500 objects of jasper-like gray or light brown rock with quartzite inclusions were found in the excavation (460 sq. m). The majority of finds are flakes and fragments. The leading forms of the complex are flake items: scrapers, side-scrapers, knives, double-sided processed spearheads, darts, and arrows. Several fragments represent pottery without ornament. Telman XIII site (228 sq.m.) has been completely excavated. The stratigraphy follows: humus sandy loam (40-50 cm) lies under the sod, gradually turning into continental loam saturated with carbonates. Cultural remains (more than 1000 items) are confined to sandy loam. The leading forms of stone tools are double-sided processed points, knives, scrapers, side-scrapers. Products on the plates are single and inexpressive. Light-fired ceramics with an admixture of sand and grit in the dough, as a rule, are ornamented with a “walking comb”. Judging by the absence of traces of structures on the site and the nature of the flint inventory, this is a short-term site left by hunters and fishermen in the second half of the Holocene.