Earth:Tsagaan Agui

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Tsagaan Agui (White Cave) or Tsagaan cave located in southwest-central Mongolia is a Paleolithic cave with a crystal-covered internal chamber which is rich with calcium carbonate crystals. The cave where 35,000-years-old materials were found, housed the Stone Age people 700,000 years ago. Sometimes it was used by Buddhists as a pilgrimage. The cave has been under the protection of the Mongolian government since 1988.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]

Geographical location

Tsagaan Agui is situated in Bayankhongor province (aimaq) on the southern foothill of the Gobi Altay massif at 44º,42´ 43.3” N, and 101 º, 10´13.4” E, about 40 km north-east of the Bayan Lig Suum (district), south-west of the Zuun Bogd Uul (Baga Bogd Uul) mountain range.[8][9][10][11]

History

The cave was first discovered by Joint Soviet-Mongolian Historical-Cultural Expedition team in 1987. In 1988–1989 excavations were continued by the Soviet-Mongolian-Stone Age research team led by Derevianko and Petrin. Since 1995, the excavations have been undertaken by the Russian-Mongolian-American Archaeological Expedition.[2]

Stratigraphy

Tsagaan Agui consists of five sections: 1) the entrance terrace, 2) the entrance grotto, 3) the main chamber, 4) the inner chamber, 5) the lower grotto.[2]

Based on the analysis of the cave deposits, sedimentation was divided into 4 cycles:

  1. Strata 10–11 of cave’s entryway, Stratum 6 of lower grotto, Strata 13–14 of entry grotto, Strata 12–13 of main chamber. The wetter and warmer environment was witnessed. In this part of sedimentation, around 70–90 % of the pollen is associated with trees and shrubs. The remains of spruce, pine pollens were detected.
  2. Strata 6–11 of Main Chamber, Stratum 5 of Lower Grotto. The cooler and drier environment than previously was witnessed. The investigations show that arboreal species such as pine, birch and spruce predominated in this part of sedimentation. The pollen of elm, maple, oak, lime, fir, honeysuckle, hornbeam was also discovered here.[2]
  3. Lower part of Stratum 4 along with Stratum 5 of entryway zone, Strata 3–5 of Main Chamber. The cooler climate in comparison with the previous period was observed here. Steppe ecosystem was most noticeable despite the presence of forest complex. Among the spore and pollen findings, herbaceous and shrubby species predominated. However, the pollen of Picea, Pinus and Betula in smaller amounts were also detected.[2]
  4. Stratum 2 of entryway, Entrance Grotto and Main Chamber. The drier environment was noticed than previously. The debris revealed in this part includes a mixture of gravel, limestone and calcite crystals.[2]

Archaeological findings

The earliest remains revealed from the cave belong to the first period of sedimentation (Stratum 13 of entrance grotto and Stratum 12–13 of the Main chamber). Bifacially worked tools, combination tools, flakes and retouched remnants were recovered here.[2]

Different forms of cores and core preforms, core-like pieces, blade spalls, flakes and chips, only a few retouched platforms, just one faceted platform were revealed from the second part of sedimentation.[2]

Levallois-like flake cores, core platforms, core-like pieces, a part of a Levallois blade and flakes were observed in the third cycle of sedimentation.[2]

Remains of tools found from the fourth cycle are quite different from the artefacts of the previous cycles. Tools were prepared on high-quality raw material, and the core reduction strategy was mainly used in producing bladelets. Scrapers, end-scrapers, trimming tools, as well as retouched blades, burin-like tools, combination tools were also revealed in this horizon.[2]

Based on the analysis of relics from the undermost horizons of Tsagaan Agui Cave, it is suggested that Levallois-Acheulean like industry existed in Mongolia as early as 500-400 thousand years ago. According to Derevianko and Okladnikov, similar technologies appeared in Central Asia because of the migration of population using bifacial technology to this region. It is also assumed that the bearers of Levallois-Acheulean traditional tools emigrated from central Kazakhstan (Balkhash lake region) to the South of Mongolia. The tools prepared with Levallois-like cores belonged to the Late Middle Paleolithic (early Zyrian glacial) period. In the cave were found blades belonging to the Early Upper Paleolithic period. These blades showed that the first Initial Upper Paleolithic blade technologies were presented in the Gobi around 27–33 ka (in the last half of the Karagan interstadial).[2][12]

Flora and fauna remains

Pollen of the broad-leaved species such as elm, hornbeam, maple, lime and grains of grasses including Moraceae, Lonicera, Juglans were detected. The Myrica and Ostryaseeds showed that they belonged to no later than Pleistocene.[2]

The relatively humid environment was observed in the bottom parts of sedimentation arrangements, therefore remains of animals were only revealed from the upper scopes, especially from Strata 1–5 of the Main Chamber. Plain and mountain mammals such as kulan, arğalı, Siberian goat and dzeren (all are currently observed in Mongolia) predominated. Besides, bones of rhinoceros, cave hyenas and Tibetan antelope were discovered from the Pleistocene horizons.[2]

See also

References


  1. ↑ "Gobi Desert | Map, Plants, Animals, & Facts" (in en). https://www.britannica.com/place/Gobi. 
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 Derevianko, A.P; W. Olsen, John; Krivoshapkin, A.I; Tseveendorj, D (2000). "The stratified cave site of Tsagaan Agui in the Gobi Altai (Mongolia)". Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology of Eurasia 1 (1): 23–36. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285881113. 
  3. ↑ Blunden, Jane (2008). Mongolia. Bradt Travel Guides. pp. 312/420. ISBN 9781841621784. 
  4. ↑ "WHITE CAVE". http://bayankhongor.khural.mn/en-us/n/oa3yn. 
  5. ↑ "Ikh Bogd Mountain | Gobi Desert| Magnificent Mongolia" (in en). https://www.magnificent-mongolia.com/ikhbogdmountain. 
  6. ↑ Baumer, Christoph (2012). The History of Central Asia: The Age of the Steppe Warriors. I.B.Tauris. pp. 23/372. ISBN 9781780760605. 
  7. ↑ Deserts and Steppes. The Rosen Publishing Group. 2011. pp. 70/256. ISBN 9781615303175. 
  8. ↑ Brantingham, P. Jeffrey; Kuhn, Steven L; Kerry, Kristopher W (2004). The Early Upper Paleolithic Beyond Western Europe. University of California Press. pp. 207–221. ISBN 9780520238510. 
  9. ↑ Habu, Junko; V. Lape, Peter; W. Olsen, JohnOlsen (2017). Handbook of East and Southeast Asian Archaeology. Springer. pp. 68–69; 299–300. ISBN 9781493965212. 
  10. ↑ "Tsagaan Cave | Mongolian Cave Research Association". http://www.mongoliancave.com/CaveEng/5. 
  11. ↑ O'Malley, Thomas; Skolnick, Adam Skolnick; Kohn, Michael; Karlin, Adam; Holden, Trent (2018). Lonely Planet Mongolia. Lonely Planet. ISBN 9781787019034. 
  12. ↑ Shunkov, Michael (2005). "THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ALTAI (RUSSIA) MIDDLE PALEOLITHIC IN REGIONAL CONTEXT". Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association Bulletin 25 (3): 69–77. 




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