Les premières traces de l'activité humaine du Paléolithique inférieur au Kazakhstan central

From the 1960s to the present day, Central Kazakhstan has yielded abundant Lower Palaeolithic material. Nevertheless, with a few exceptions, this material is represented by lithic collections from surface sites. This fact has led to a series of speculative theories about the geological period of the Lower Palaeolithic complexes, identified on surface material according to wind erosion criteria. These are also theories about the earliest human occupation of the region. Even now, the Batpak 19–20 sites (watershed of the Nura and Ishim rivers) represent the only exception. Palaeomagnetic studies of the geological sections of the sites allowed to establish the following stratigraphic groups: the Batpak group (probable age between 650 and 400 Ka), the Lower Aktasty group (Apcheron period, Lower Pleistocene) and the Upper Aktasty group (Akchagyl period, around Matuyama). The archaeological material first comes from the deposits of the Lower Aktasty stratigraphic series, from the basal horizon, associated with the remains of Hipparion hippidiodus (Aktasty I industry). Secondly, it is issue from the upper soil of the Aktasty pedological complex that crowns the stratigraphic series (Aktasty II industry). Both industries show specific characteristics, partly linked to the use of bad quality raw materials (metamorphosed quartzite and quartz). They are characterised by massive, pointed tools, some of which are close to the Lower Acheulean proto-handaxes and cutting tools and by burins or burin-type tools, typical of the Oldowayan. Pointed tools of specific shape are described separately. Apparently, these were the hunting tools of prehistoric Man. The age of the industries is theoretically estimated at 2.6–2.3 Ma for the Aktasty I unit and 1.8 Ma for the Aktasty II unit. This paper presents two chronological series of Lower Palaeolithic pebble industries from the Zhuantyube 1 surface site (Betpak-Dala desert) that are traditionally attributed to the Upper Pliocene – Lower Pleistocene period.