ИСТИНА

One of the principal obstacles to further study of the Middle Palaeolithic of Northern Eurasia is the lack of an adequate understanding of the chronological position of the cultural layers of key open-air sites on the East European Plain. Until recently, radiocarbon dating was exclusively used to obtain chronometric data on Middle Palaeolithic sites. Accordingly, chronology of Middle Palaeolithic sites was largely based on radiocarbon dating. Renewed study of Khotylevo I and Betovo (Desna River valley, basin of Dnieper), has been pursued with radiocarbon dating as well as other serial chronometric methods (Otcherednoy et al. 2019; 2022; Hein et al. 2020). Conventional and AMS dating, including ultrafiltration and other methods of sample purification (XAD-2) were extensively used. The dates obtained were older than 40 000 or between 25 and 30 ka BP. The results can be divided into two groups: a series of dates with numerous inversions that are not consistent with the stratigraphy, as well as widely varying dates on the same cultural layer (Khotylevo I) or a series of dates that significantly antedate previously assumed age of the site (Betovo). Two series of OSL dates obtained for these sites fell in the MIS 5c-MIS 4 age range for the Khotylevo I cultural-bearing deposits, confirming the earlier stratigraphic and geomorphological conclusions, but showed the good agreement with 14C calibrated dates at Betovo. Thus, we conclude that the area was inhabited throughout the Pleniglacial, and the combined dating results on the stratigraphic “canvas” significantly increase the reliability of chronology.