Okladnikov Cave

Okladnikov Cave
Пещера Окладникова
Entrance to the cave
Okladnikov Cave is located in Continental Asia
Okladnikov Cave
Location in Russia
Okladnikov Cave is located in Altai Krai
Okladnikov Cave
Okladnikov Cave (Altai Krai)
Okladnikov Cave is located in Russia
Okladnikov Cave
Okladnikov Cave (Russia)
Alternative nameSibiryachikha
LocationSoloneshensky District, Altai Krai, Russia
RegionAnuy Basin, Altai-Sayan region
Coordinates51°40′N 84°20′E / 51.667°N 84.333°E / 51.667; 84.333
Altitude350 or 650 m (1,148 or 2,133 ft)[1][2]
Typelimestone cave
Length35 metres (115 ft)
History
Foundedca. 45,000 BP
Abandonedca. 38,000 BP
PeriodsPaleolithic
CulturesMousterian
Associated withNeanderthals
Site notes
Excavation dates1984-1987

Okladnikov Cave (Russian: пещера Окладникова) is a paleoanthropological site located in the foothills of the Altai Mountains in Soloneshensky District, Altai Krai in southern Siberia, Russia. The cave faces south and is located on a Devonian karst escarpment, lying about 14 metres (46 ft) above the left bank of the Sibiryachikha River valley below; the river itself is a tributary of the Anuy River.[2][3]

Okladnikov Cave is one of the most extensively studied Paleolithic sites in the Altai-Sayan region. A rich Mousterian stone industry, dating to between 33,000 and 44,000 years ago, was discovered, as well as several highly fragmented hominin fossils. Along with a few other Neanderthal sites in the Altai-Sayan region, Okladnikov Cave contains fossil evidence for the most easterly confirmed site with Neanderthal presence.

  1. ^ Anatoly P. Derevianko; Alexander V. Postnov; Eugeny P. Rybin; Yaroslav V. Kuzmin; Susan G. Keates (2007). "The Pleistocene peopling of Siberia: A review of environmental and behavioural aspects". Bulletin of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association. 25: 57–68. Archived from the original on 25 December 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  2. ^ a b Turner 2013.
  3. ^ Peregrine 2001.