Possibilities of Non-destructive Analysis of Stone Artifacts Using the Example of Materials from the Late Paleolithic Assemblages of the Southern Angara Region and Upper Lena

The results of non-destructive analysis of stone artifacts from siliceous rocks from the Late Upper Paleolithic (LUP) sites of the Belaya and Upper Lena Rivers are presented. X-ray fluorescence analysis carried out using a portable device (pXRF) and geometric-morphometric analysis of 3D models were selected as the main methods. The purpose of pXRF was to highlight criteria for differentiating rocks from different sites, issues of searching for sources of raw materials, including the problem of identifying local and non-local components in archaeological complexes, as well as the possibilities of this method in expanding the source base and geography of research. To do this, we selectively analyzed materials from two archaeological sites: 1) Maltinka 1 on the Belaya River (36 samples), and 2) Makarovo 2 on the Upper Lena (12 samples), as well as rock pieces collected near the archaeological site Sosnovyi Bor on the Belaya River. The method of studying 3D models of artifacts we used on a limited collection of the Maltinka 1 site (11 samples) to test how promising it is to use geometric-morphometric analysis in relation to specific LUP materials of Baikal-Yenisei Siberia. Based on the pXRF results, it was established that the siliceous rocks of the Belaya River and Upper Lena collection have significant differences and various origins. Most of the artifacts and rock pieces from Belaya River demonstrate certain similarities in chemical composition. It is concluded that these are local siliceous rocks originating from the deposits of the Lower Cambrian Angara Formation, the outcrops of which are found in many areas of the Belaya River valley. Samples from the Makarovo 2 site show greater variability in chemical composition. It has been suggested that the source for them could be the pebble horizons of the ancient Manzurka Alluvium. One sample from the Upper Lena corresponds in chemical composition to the Belaya collection, which allows us to put forward a version about its imported nature. However, this hypothesis requires testing by expanding collections of artifacts and raw material sources. As a result of the 3D analysis of cores and core preforms, it was established that the samples are quite similar in morphological characteristics, which indicates a high degree of standardization in the production of bifacial blanks. This method has been demonstrated to be effective but is most useful only when the sample and methodologies are expanded.