A woman buried in Russia in the Late Upper Paleolithic era
The Afontova Gora 3 site is a significant archaeological location located near Krasnoyarsk in the central Siberian region of Russia. This site is part of a cluster of archaeological sites known collectively as Afontova Gora, which are situated on the banks of the Yenisei River. These sites date back to the Upper Paleolithic period, roughly from 18,000 to 15,000 years ago, providing a crucial glimpse into the lives of prehistoric hunter-gatherers who inhabited Siberia during the late stages of the last Ice Age.
Geographic and Environmental Context
The Afontova Gora sites, including Afontova Gora 3, are located on elevated terraces above the Yenisei River. During the Paleolithic era, this region was characterized by a harsh cold climate with vast stretches of permafrost and tundra. The nearby river would have been a vital resource, offering water, food, and a means of transportation.
The landscape during this era was dominated by steppe and taiga ecosystems. The open steppe, rich with grasses, likely supported herds of megafauna such as mammoths, woolly rhinoceroses, bison, and horses. These animals were crucial to the subsistence strategies of Paleolithic peoples, providing food, clothing, and materials for toolmaking.
Archaeological Discoveries
Afontova Gora 3 has yielded a plethora of artifacts that have contributed significantly to our understanding of the Upper Paleolithic cultures in Siberia. Archaeologists have uncovered stone tools, which include blades, scrapers, and burins crafted from local chert and other stone materials. These tools suggest a sophisticated understanding of stone knapping techniques, which were essential for hunting and processing animal hides and plant materials.
In addition to stone tools, the site has also produced evidence of bone and antler tools, which were likely used for specific tasks such as sewing clothing or creating hooks and other implements. The craftsmanship of these tools indicates a high level of skill and specialization.
Cultural and Social Aspects
The evidence from Afontova Gora 3 paints a picture of a mobile, hunter-gatherer society that was highly adapted to the challenging environmental conditions of Siberia. The presence of diverse tools and the remains of large game animals point to a society skilled in big-game hunting, a critical survival strategy in the ice age landscape.
Social organization in such communities might have been based on small, kinship-based groups that moved across large territories in search of resources. Cooperation and shared knowledge would have been vital for survival, particularly during the harsh winter months.
The discovery of decorative items, such as personal ornaments made from bone and teeth, indicates that cultural and symbolic expression was also an essential part of life for these Paleolithic inhabitants. These artifacts suggest the presence of complex social structures and possibly even early forms of spiritual or ritualistic behavior.
Importance and Impact
The findings at Afontova Gora 3 are crucial for understanding the migration and adaptation patterns of humans in northern Eurasia. The tools and artifacts provide insights into the technological advancements of the time and the ways in which these prehistoric societies interacted with and exploited their environment.
Furthermore, Afontova Gora 3 contributes to the broader narrative of human evolution and migration out of Africa and across the Eurasian continent. The site provides evidence of how humans adapted technologies and strategies to live in some of the most extreme conditions on Earth during the Paleolithic era.
In summary, the Afontova Gora 3 site is a window into the lives of Upper Paleolithic hunter-gatherers in Siberia. It offers invaluable information about their technological skills, social structures, and adaptation strategies, enriching our understanding of human history in a prehistorical context.
Ancient genetic admixture analysis compares the DNA profile of this individual (AfontovaGora3) with present-day reference populations. These results show what percentage of the individual's genetic makeup resembles ancient populations from different geographic regions.
Modern genetic admixture analysis compares the DNA profile of this individual (AfontovaGora3) with present-day reference populations. These results show what percentage of the individual's genetic makeup resembles modern populations from different geographic regions.
These results complement the ancient ancestry components shown in the previous section, offering a different perspective on the individual's genetic profile by comparing it with modern reference populations rather than prehistoric ancestral groups.
The G25 coordinates for the sample AfontovaGora3 are as follows. You can analyze its admixture using G25 Studio.
AfontovaGora3,0.0955713,-0.0720971,0.06545352,0.07521298,-0.0382337,0.00704078,-0.04836004,-0.05572166,-0.00518142,-0.02725818,0.01398784,-0.00891808,0.01626328,-0.00787588,-0.01889674,-0.01845672,-0.00952716,-0.00395574,-0.0160695,-0.01476474,0.00033274,0.00765478,-0.02105076,0.0014583,-0.00787637
The genetic history of Ice Age Europe
Modern humans arrived in Europe ~45,000 years ago, but little is known about their genetic composition before the start of farming ~8,500 years ago. Here we analyse genome-wide data from 51 Eurasians from ~45,000-7,000 years ago. Over this time, the proportion of Neanderthal DNA decreased from 3-6% to around 2%, consistent with natural selection against Neanderthal variants in modern humans. Whereas there is no evidence of the earliest modern humans in Europe contributing to the genetic composition of present-day Europeans, all individuals between ~37,000 and ~14,000 years ago descended from a single founder population which forms part of the ancestry of present-day Europeans. An ~35,000-year-old individual from northwest Europe represents an early branch of this founder population which was then displaced across a broad region, before reappearing in southwest Europe at the height of the last Ice Age ~19,000 years ago. During the major warming period after ~14,000 years ago, a genetic component related to present-day Near Easterners became widespread in Europe. These results document how population turnover and migration have been recurring themes of European prehistory.