Kostënki 9: The chronology and lithic assemblage of a Gravettian site in Russia

Abstract Kostenki 9 is a small Gravettian site in the Kostenki-Borshchevo area of Russia, known for a highly homogeneous assemblage of ventrally truncated backed bladelets, as well as the presence of ground stone artefacts. The site was mainly excavated during the twentieth century but in recent years small-scale work has begun again at the site. Until now no radiocarbon dates have been available for the site, although it has been assumed to be broadly contemporary with Borshchevo 5/I and Kostenki 4 due to similarities in their assemblages. Here we present the first radiocarbon dates for the site, which confirm that the site is roughly the same age as Borshchevo 5/I and Kostenki 4, and older than the Kostenki-Avdeevo Culture sites in the region. We also present an overview of the lithic assemblage (both knapped and ground stone) based on recent studies. The truncated backed bladelets found at the site are highly comparable to similar artefacts of approximately the same age found at a series of sites in Central Europe, including Jaksice II, Trencianske Bohuslavice, Petřkovice I and Milovice I. This is a key point of material culture similarity that requires further work but which hints at long-distance social and cultural links across Eastern and Central Europe slightly pre-dating the well-known connections that have been established based on the shared presence of shouldered points. Similarities in material culture across this region are further attested by analogies among personal ornaments – waisted double-headed beads – found at the Kostenki sites and at Grub/Kranawetberg in Austria.