EARLY PEOPLING OF SIBERIA AND ITS RELATION TO PEOPLING OF NORTH AMERICA VIA BERINGIA

The Southern Mountain Belt of Siberia (SMBS) was the earliest area of Siberia to be colonized by Paleolithic hominids. This occupation began about 800-900 Ka in the east (Zasukhino site, western Transbaikal [Rezanov and Lbova 2002]), and about 500-600 Ka in the west (Mokhovo I, the Kuznetsk Depression [Foronova 2000]). About 280 Ka in the Altai, the earliest Mousterian emerged, as suggested by basal dates at Denisova Cave. Mousterian peoples inhabited SMBS from 280 to 30 Ka. The mosaic of environments in the mountains provided many ecological opportunities for hominids, so that settlement occurred only in circumscribed, widely separated areas, but hindered further settling of Siberia. This situation remained until about 300-250 Ka, during a major period of glaciation. In rich areas suitable for hominids demographic saturation occurred, and during the following interglacial, 250-260 Ka, a mass settling of SMBS' limits began. By the "principle of spring" Paleolithic populations settled penetrated northward. Dates of sites along the Angara and Lena (Kirensk, Olekma, Diring-Yuriakh) rivers, and Kusveem and Kymynanonvaam rivers (Chukchi Peninsula) (Dikov 1993; Waters et al. 1997; Burakov et al. 2001) provide evidence of this earliest colonization of Beringia. Dikov (1993)linked the most ancient sites of the Chukchi Peninsula to Diring and Calico. Other sites near San Diego and Las Vegas also have artifacts typologically similar to those from Calico. Thus, the direction of migration was from the upper Angara River to the Chukchi Peninsula and along the west coast of North America to the southwest US.

About 43-52 Ka, the Late Paleolithic culture originated on the foundation of the local Mousterian culture. The earliest Late Paleolithic sites are Kara-Bom in the Altai (Derevianko et al. 1998) and Khotyk in the western Transbaikal (Lbova 2000). During this period of warming, about 43-42 Ka, SMBS was settled fully and quite compactly. Sharp Konoshchel'e cooling (about 33-30 Ka) led to the extinction of Mousterian hominids in SMBS, so that hunting areas increased for Late Paleolithic hominids. Demographic over-saturation occurred, and Late Paleolithic populations quickly settled east and northeast Asia. By 30 Ka they reached the Chukchi Peninsula (Kymyneikei site [Laukhin and Drozdov 1991; Dikov 1993]). After that, migrations from Siberia to Alaska took place repeatedly.