Bone Knapping: on the Materials of the Multi-Layered Site Byki-7 in Kursk, the Area of the Seim River

Abstract

This paper presents the preliminary results of the study of the technique of aforethought knapping of animal bones, identified on the materials of the multi-layered Upper Paleolithic site Byki-7 in the Seim river basin on the Russian Plain (radiocarbon uncalibrated dates are in between 19 – 14 thousand years ago).

At the present moment 5 cultural layers are found at this complex. The lowest cultural layer II was fully studied by 2008. Its materials relate to the flint flake industry with quadrilaterals. The other four layers I, Ib, Ia and Ic (the numbering is presented in chronological order) belong to a single Byki archaeological culture, known for the presence of triangular microliths in the stone industry. Bone fragments were present in all layers. From the excavation sites of 2017 and 2018 in the assemblages of the upper layers there was a very large percentage of bone produced items and blanks obtained from the applications of different variations of the knapping technique. The largest percentage of them was present in the new cultural layer Ib. This was the reason for our appeal to a more detailed study and description of the technique of transverse, longitudinal knapping and retouching. In this paper, the most interesting, as well as serial, items from the assemblages of the recent years of the excavation of the Byki-7 site, selectively will be presented.

The recognition of bone produced items manufactured by knapping and retouching techniques created an additional basis for studying and comparing the bone industries of the Byki sites.