Pages: 223-241

The study of archaeological collections from the Ushki-I site, Layer VI (Kamchatka) made it possible to detect more than 200 items related to the production and use of pieces with burin facets. The following groups can be identified: burins on retouched truncation (lateral, diagonal and transverse), angle burins, double burins, and multiple ones. In most cases, the spall platforms were prepared by retouch. The basic knapping method was pressure technique. The number of burin spalls detached from the same flaking surface varies from two to nine. The use of pressure technique allowed a high level of regularity and standardization of the production process, with burin spalls having predetermined morphological characteristics. As a result of experimental and use-wear studies 30 pieces with burin spalls have been identified as inserts for planing and drawing knives used to work solid organic materials. The character of wear traces together with the size of tools and the presence of numerous spalls of previous burin blows testify that these tools were used repeatedly over a long period of time.

Keywords: Kamchatka, Ushki site, Late Palaeolithic, burins, wedge-shaped microcores, traceology, technological analysis.

Information about author:

Alexander Fedorchenko (Magadan, Russian Federation). North-East Interdisciplinary Scientific Research Institute, Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Portovaya St., 16, Magadan, 685000, Russian Federation
E-mail: [email protected]