The Mid Upper Palaeolithic of Russia in its European context
Date: 17.01.2014
Time: 17:00 - 18:00
Speaker: Natasha Reynolds
Location: John Wymer Lab. 65A (Avenue Campus)
The Mid Upper Palaeolithic (MUP) record of Russia has long fascinated archaeologists worldwide, especially for its mobiliary art, huge lithic assemblages, and evidence for possible dwelling structures. However, historical and linguistic reasons have made it very difficult to study the Russian MUP in its broader European context. Furthermore, within Russia, earlier MUP assemblages have been somewhat neglected in comparison with the iconic Kostenki-Avdeevo Culture. Here I present an overview of current understanding of the Russian MUP and introduce some pressing research questions. This presentation includes some preliminary results from studies of backed bladelet assemblages from five Russian MUP sites undertaken over the past eighteen months.