Novosibirsk State University scientists have proposed the hypothesis that the Alay Valley at an altitude of 2,300-3500 meters above sea level is one of the earliest human sites. This assumption makes it possible for scientists to identify tools found during an archaeological expedition in 2017. Confirmation of the exact age of the site will help with the selection of new artifacts.
Modern archaeological research suggests that people started to actively populate the high-mountain areas of Central Asia 8-14 thousand years ago. It is known that there were human sites in the Himalayas at an altitude of more than 4000 m above sea level 13 thousand years ago. Most likely, as he moved to the north, ancient man mastered the territories of the western part of Central Asia that are surrounded by the Himalayas and the Tibetan plateau. Located in the heart of this region at an altitude of 2300-3500 m above sea level, the Alay Valley is of special interest. In later periods, the western part of Central Asia undoubtedly generated technological and cultural exchange as part of the Great Silk Road.
It is surprising that despite its unique location, the Alay Valley has not been the subject of much research. In the Valley only one monument has been dated as Paleolithic, that is the period that ended 10-12 thousand years ago. Archaeologists discovered the monument in 1975 and started to research the artifacts. The technology for toolmaking by the Valley inhabitants turned out to be similar to technology at the Pamir sites located to the south at an altitude of 4000 m above sea level. It is assumed there was close interaction between them. In addition, it was possible there were traces of activity by the same group of people that had moved higher in the mountains and back depending on the season. In any case, these findings confirmed the role of the Alay Valley as one of the earliest sites for human development in Central Asia.
Expedition leader Svetlana Schneider talked about their research,
Our expedition visited the Alay Valley in 2017. We decided it was time to confirm our assumptions, and conducted three test excavations in different parts of the monument. However, what we found contradicted our previous hypothesis about the similarity of cultures here and in the Pamirs. Storage for tools and the tools themselves indicate a late Kulbulak culture or a Tukul type of culture. This industry is typical for the period following the Last Glacial Maximum. Further study and new dating can confirm that this monument is not just one of the earliest human sites, but, perhaps, the earliest.
NSU scientists will continue their research in 2018 together with colleagues from Moscow State University and the Technical University of Denmark. The goal of this new work will be sampling to determine the exact age of the human site. This data will make it possible to assess more authoritatively the proposed hypothesis.
