Paleolithic site Sukhotino-2: the collection of stone artifacts from excavations of 1969 and its place in the Paleolithic of Eastern Transbaikalia

In the 2d part of the 1960s on the southern slopes of the Chita city (Transbaikalian Territory) there were three archaeological sites under investigations: Sukhotino-1, -2, -3. Sites were discovered on the terrace-like steps at the foot of the Titovskaya Sopka Mountain southern slopes, on the Ingoda River left bank. Materials of these new sites served the base for the relative chronology or periodization of the Stone Age sites situated on the Titovskaya Sopka Mountain. Further on, data obtained from these sites was engaged into the schemes of the development on the Siberian and Transbaikalian Stone Age. Sukhotino-1 materials were characterized as containing a large percent of Levallois elements and became the most ancient in the suggested periodization. Based on results of excavations conducted in 1960, Sukhotino-2 was referred to the late stage of the Upper Palaeolithic and Sukhotino-3 was dated back to the transitional period from Palaeolithic to Neolithic. In 1972 the investigations of a large multilayered archaeological site – Sukhotino-4 has begun; the site along with Sukhotino-2 was dated to the late stage of the Upper Palaeolithic. Comparative study of this research shows the stone industries of these two sites have significant differences. For example, the base of the Sukhotino-2 stone industry consists of large end-cores of yubetsu type and bipolar subprizmatic cores, which are absent in the Sukhotino-4 site or have significant differences. In 1988 Sukhotino-2 lower layers were excavated; these layers preliminary were dated back to the early stage of the Upper Palaeolithic. Materials of new excavations of 1988 for the most part were also dissimilar with materials of 1969 excavations. These facts raise a question about the place of Shuhotino-2 (excavations of 1969) in the periodization of Titovskaya Sopka Mountain sites as well as sites of Eastern Transbaikalia. According to the conducted study materials of the Sukhotino-2 (excavations of 1969) are suggested to be of the beginning of the middle stage of the Transnaikalian Upper Palaeolithic.

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