Papers by Svetlana Shnaider
Izvestiya of Altai State University, 2016
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
SSRN Electronic Journal
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Vestnik NSU. Series: History and Philology
Purpose. Percussive-abrasive tools are essential for the Stone Age toolkits to process mineral an... more Purpose. Percussive-abrasive tools are essential for the Stone Age toolkits to process mineral and organic raw materials. This study aimed to reconstruct the functions of stone percussive-abrasive tools (n = 13) of the second cultural horizon of the Obishir-5 site (Fergana Valley), which were identified as a result of the archaeological collection analysis. Results. As a result of this study, we identified a variable set of stone instruments used by the site inhabitants for various purposes. The discovery of retouchers and hummer-stones, together with numerous debitage and cores, makes it possible to judge the presence at the Obishir-5 site of mass processing of stone raw materials to obtain blanks and their further processing into the tools. An essential result of the analysis was the identification of plates and pestle, which were most likely used for grinding organic materials. Conclusion. A new series of percussive-abrasive tools, identified as a result of the collection analysi...
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Translations of the paper "Ethics of DNA research on human remains: five globally applicable... more Translations of the paper "Ethics of DNA research on human remains: five globally applicable guidelines," published and openly accessible at Nature:https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-04008-xDOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-04008-xTranslations provided in the following languages: AfrikaansArabicCatalanChineseCroatianFrenchGermanHawaiianHebrewHindiHungarianJapanesePortuguesePunjabiRussianSinhalaSpanishSwahiliSwedishTamilTurkishUrduXhosa
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Problems of Archaeology, Ethnography, Anthropology of Siberia and Neighboring Territories, 2021
Geometric microliths are one of the key-element of Central Asian Epipaleolithic complexes. This a... more Geometric microliths are one of the key-element of Central Asian Epipaleolithic complexes. This article presents a detail study on rectangles and lunates from layer 3 of Tutkaul site (Tajikistan) that were studied through the use-wear and negative scar pattern analysis. The results of the scar pattern analysis show two chains of operations in production of rectangles. In frame of the first sequence, the bladelets were truncated, then, the right lateral was retouched with backing retouch. In frame of the second sequence, at first one lateral of the blank was prepared with backing retouch and after that the two short sides of the blank were truncated. The lunates were made by backing retouch on the bladelet right side. Use-wear analysis shows that lunates were used as heads of the projectile weapons, and the rectangles as composite items for working on soft material. This is indicated by the following: traces of polishing resulted from contact with soft organic material on the working...
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Teoriya i praktika arkheologicheskikh issledovaniy, 2021
<jats:p>Abstract: Ust'-Biyke-I may become one of the most important archaeological comp... more <jats:p>Abstract: Ust'-Biyke-I may become one of the most important archaeological complexes in the northern Altai region. Previous research established that the site was first occupied in the developed Mesolithic. Traces of subsequent occupations up to the Bronze Age were later discovered, in addition to burial structures. A loss of archaeological deposits at the mouth of the Biyke River occurred due to natural and anthropogenic activity. In order to identify the most promising areas for future excavations, geophysical surveys of the site were conducted. An area of 31.5 x 24 m was examined with electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and ground-penetrating radar (GPR). Results revealed an object with a diameter of about 4 m that was not visible on the ground surface. In its center at a depth of 1.5 m, a local anomaly was observed. Another isometric anomaly was observed in the southwestern part at a depth of 0.75 m. Other anomalies were also noted in the surveyed area, some of which are visible in the modern terrain as small depressions. Future excavations will clarify the geophysical survey. Keywords: Altai, archaeological site, geophysical research, electrical resistivity tomography, groundpenetrating radar, settlement Acknowledgements: Geophysical study at the site was conducted with the financial support of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (Project № 17–29–04122), archaeological work was carried out at the expense of the project NGS-67706R-20.</jats:p>
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Stratum plus. Archaeology and Cultural Anthropology, 2021
The article presents the first results of a comprehensive study of the new archaeological site Su... more The article presents the first results of a comprehensive study of the new archaeological site Surungur in the Fergana Valley. Interdisciplinary research was conducted in 2018—2019 by an international Russian-Kyrgyz expedition. The direct archeological work at the site was preceded by geophysical surveys, which helped to identify the most promising areas for future research. The archaeological excavations made it possible to identify a series of fire places, to obtain a representative archaeological collection of paleofaunal material, lithic industry and bone tools. The stone industry is represented by blade knapping, among bone awls, point and elongated bead. Archaeological research indicates that Ovis, unidentified ovicaprin and cervid bones predominate in the Early Holocene sediments. Pollen analysis and analysis of small mammals allowed reconstruction of the paleo-environment at different stages of Early Holocene. The data obtained indicate that the Surungur site has been contin...
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Archaeology, Ethnology and Anthropology of Eurasia (Russian-language), 2021
Пеплосодержащие прослои являются важным источником информации о быте древнего человека, их изучен... more Пеплосодержащие прослои являются важным источником информации о быте древнего человека, их изучение позволяет реконструировать размеры, интенсивность использования, функциональность древних кострищ, а также определить типы топлива, использовавшегося для поддержания огня. В статье приводятся результаты междисциплинарного изучения пеплосодержащих прослоев и вмещающих отложений многослойного голоценового памятника Сурунгур, расположенного в Ферганской долине на юге Кыргызстана. Методами петромагнитных исследований, газовой хромато-масс-спектрометрии и рентгенофлуоресцентного анализа изучены 16 образцов из пепловых и межпепловых отложений. Данные петромагнитного анализа всех образцов из пепловых прослоев указывают на антропогенное происхождение последних. Реконструированы типы топлива, использовавшегося во время функционирования стоянки. Установлено, что период ее первоначального заселения приходится на ранний голоцен, вмещающие отложения связаны, скорее всего, с недолговременными посещ...
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Archaeological sites of Southern Siberia and Central Asia: from the appearance of the first herders to the epoch of the establishment of state formations, 2021
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Geoarchaeology, 2021
Cliff‐related talus accumulations are often highly affected by post‐depositional processes, and t... more Cliff‐related talus accumulations are often highly affected by post‐depositional processes, and the sedimentological characteristics are poorly documented, especially in arid settings. In the southern margin of the Fergana Valley, Kyrgyzstan, the Obishir‐I is an archaeological site of the Epipaleolithic Obishirian industry, located within a talus cone. Archaeological excavations have allowed us to study the internal structure, chronology, and depositional history of the cone as well as the relationship between the slope processes and the archaeological assemblage. We applied a multiproxy approach, including sedimentological studies supported by the basic geochemistry of sediments, luminescence dating, paleoecology of fossil mollusks, and archaeological analyses. The Obishir‐I rockfall talus accumulated from the Last Glacial Maximum to the early part of the Middle Holocene. The talus onlaps the bedrock at the foot of a limestone cliff, and its chronology is coherent, spanning from ca. 19–8 ka B.P. The material is an unconsolidated, poorly sorted mixture of angular rock fragments accumulated by rockfall and fine‐grained materials accumulated by aeolian processes, illuviation, and in situ weathering. The sequence bears an archaeological collection attributed to two settlement phases: unidentified Upper Paleolithic and the Obishirian. Both assemblages are affected by post‐depositional relocation within the slope.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Nature, 2021
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Science, 2021
Ancient DNA traces the history of hepatitis B Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections represent a worl... more Ancient DNA traces the history of hepatitis B Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections represent a worldwide human health concern. To study the history of this pathogen, Kocher et al . identified 137 human remains with detectable levels of virus dating between 400 and 10,000 years ago. Sequencing and analyses of these ancient viruses suggested a common ancestor between 12,000 and 20,000 years ago. There is no evidence indicating that HBV was present in the earliest humans as they spread out of Africa; however, HBV was likely present in human populations before farming. Furthermore, the virus was present in the Americas by about 9000 years ago, representing a lineage sister to the viral strains found in Eurasia that diverged about 20,000 years ago. —LMZ
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Scientific Reports, 2021
The transition from hunting to herding transformed the cold, arid steppes of Mongolia and Eastern... more The transition from hunting to herding transformed the cold, arid steppes of Mongolia and Eastern Eurasia into a key social and economic center of the ancient world, but a fragmentary archaeological record limits our understanding of the subsistence base for early pastoral societies in this key region. Organic material preserved in high mountain ice provides rare snapshots into the use of alpine and high altitude zones, which played a central role in the emergence of East Asian pastoralism. Here, we present the results of the first archaeological survey of melting ice margins in the Altai Mountains of western Mongolia, revealing a near-continuous record of more than 3500 years of human activity. Osteology, radiocarbon dating, and collagen fingerprinting analysis of wooden projectiles, animal bone, and other artifacts indicate that big-game hunting and exploitation of alpine ice played a significant role during the emergence of mobile pastoralism in the Altai, and remained a core ele...
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Quaternary International, 2020
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Problems of Archaeology, Ethnography, Anthropology of Siberia and Neighboring Territories, 2019
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Antiquity, 2018
The Alay site represents the earliest, high-altitude human-occupation site currently known in wes... more The Alay site represents the earliest, high-altitude human-occupation site currently known in western Central Asia. Recent recovery and analysis of a lithic assemblage from Alay underlines the importance of this site and its role in the cultural and technological development in later Eurasian prehistory.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2018
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Antiquity, 2018
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Quaternary International, 2018
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
Uploads
Papers by Svetlana Shnaider
archaeological cultures. Investigations of last decades showed that form of
geometric microliths had varied over time in the same sequence on vast territories of
West and Central Asia: Triangular -> Rectangular -> Lunate. This phenomenon can
be explained by a cultural interaction between the population in remote areas, or by
using similar adaptation strategies and synchronous changes in hunting arms. At
the present stage of investigation archaeologists faced the task of carrying a series of
correlations based on the same type of geometric microliths between different
regions of the West and Central Asia. At the same time, standard ways of
documenting microliths don't give a researcher such a possibility because of the
insufficient accuracy of saved information about the object.
The progress of information technology in the field of three-dimensional highprecision
scanning and visualization of material objects can allow greatly facilitate
the task of precise and full documenting of research objects, that in turn will make it
possible to conduct a detailed study of geometric microliths. The advantage of highprecision
three-dimensional modeling in compare with traditional types of
documenting (photograph and a graphic image) is that, unlike the drawings and
photographs, the three-dimensional model reflects the maximum all-around
amount of information about the object. On the contrary by photographing and
sketching specialist reflects only those properties of an object, which he considered
as important. By this approach may be lost some of archaeologic significant features
such as secondary treatment and traces of macro-deterioration.
The interpretation of the regional Upper Paleolithic has been changed due to the study of such sites as Kyzyl-Alma-2, Kulbulak, Dodekatym-2 (Uzbekistan), Shugnou (Tajikistan) during last decade. Kulbulakian was defined with bladelet knapping (carinated cores inter alia). The tool kit is presented by microlithics – thumbanail scrapers, backed bladelets, scalene triangles [Kolobova, 2014].
Current interpretation of regional Upper Paleolithic and revision of Early Mesolithic complexes (Tutkaul, layer 3; Obi–Kiik) allow us to propose the new hypothesis of Mesolithic origin in the western part of Central Asia.