Photo of the excavation at Byzovaya showing the surface of the fi nd bearing strata with some large mammoth bones that were draped and covered by aeolian sand. 

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... to our OSL-dating this greyish silt accumulated at around 69 Æ 4 ka BP (Table S2). Above the soil complex follows 4 e 5 m of yellowish-brown silt with a nearly massive structure and a vertical cleavage, interpreted as primary loess. Mainly due to colour variations it was possible to distinguish three discrete sub-units along the section. The lower- most sub-unit is yellowish brown, the middle is greyish brown and the uppermost is light brown. The OSL- and TL-results indicate that the two lower loess units accumulated between 70 and 50 ka BP (MIS 4/early MIS 3, Table S2). The two upper loess units are sepa- rated by a thin soil horizon that corresponds with the investigated fi nd bearing layer in both excavations (I and II, Fig. 8). In general, the fi nd bearing deposit is less than 20 cm thick and it occurs in the same stratigraphic position as the thin soil mentioned above. The enclosing sediment consists of fi ne-grained aeolian silt. In addition to a high concentration of stone artefacts some poorly preserved horse and reindeer bones were found in this zone. A single radiocarbon date, conducted on charcoal from a charcoal concentration (hearth?) in excavation II, provided an age of 28.8 Æ 0.8 14 C ka BP (31.5 e 33.0 cal ka, Table S1). An OSL sample from the fi nd layer in excavation I yielded an age of 37 Æ 2 ka BP whereas a TL date from approximate the same level in the cliff some 10 m further to the south gave a nearly similar age of 38 Æ 5 ka BP (Fig. 8, Table S2). The archaeological materials from the two excavations are nearly identical and probably of similar age. The primary fl aking technique is characterized by fl at, parallel cores. Flakes form the dominant type of blank; there are virtually no tools or blades. The assemblage contains a high frequency of scrapers; in particular many with a characteristic sub-triangular shape and a ventral retouch (Fig. S4). However, circular ones with retouch along the perimeter of the blank are also common. Among the tools there are also quite a few characteristic bifacial triangle projectiles with concave or straight bases (Fig. S4). The fi nd distribution within the excavated areas has been interpreted as re fl ecting the former presence of dwelling structures that included fi re places (Fig. 9). According to our classi fi cation the stone artefacts represent a typical Kostenki/Streletskaya, or Sungirian complex from the well-known site in the Moscow region (Pavlov, 2008). It should be noted that Pavlov et al. (2004) reported a small number of previous fi nds of stone artefacts with a Middle Palaeolithic character collected at the base of the cliff, but believed to originate from the lower soil complex that according to our OSL dating was developed during MIS 5. Such an early occupation of this area by Middle Palaeolithic hominines would imply a signi fi cant range expansion to the north, compared to current views. Hence, we extensively searched for artefacts in these MIS 5 strata (soil) during the 2005 fi eldwork, but without any positive results. Therefore, this site should henceforth not be used in discussions on the geographic range of Middle Palaeolithic humans. The site Byzovaya (65 01 N; 57 25 E) is situated at the right bank of the Pechora River, about 2 km to the east of the village Byzovaya and 11 km upstream of Pechora City (Fig. 1). The fi nd bearing formation, which is exposed in a bluff along the river, is covered by up to 10 meters of Quaternary sediments. Palaeolithic artefacts were fi rst discovered here in 1962, and since then the locality has been investigated several times (Kanivets, 1976). We carried out fi eld investigations in 1996, 1997 (Mangerud et al., 1999; Heggen, 2000) and lastly in the year 2000. In all more than 300 artefacts and as many as about 4000 animal remains have been uncovered during the various excavations (Tables 1 and 2). However, about 1300 pieces of animal remains from one of the fi rst excavations were lost in a boat accident on the river in 1965. We partly studied the “ classical ” fi nd spot investigated by previous investigators. However, in 1997 and 2000 we cleared the vegetated (partly with trees) and higher cliff some 50 m down-river with a bulldozer and by hand-digging (Heggen et al., 2010; Svendsen et al., 2008). Here we found a more complete stratigraphy, thicker sediment cover above the bones and artefacts, and the animal remains were better preserved than those from the earlier excavations (Figs. 10 e 12). The formation with bones and artefacts is up to 2.5 m thick and rests directly on Triassic sandstone on the fl oor of a palaeo- gully that leads to the Pechora River (Fig. 12). The sediments, which consist of vaguely strati fi ed sandy gravel, are interpreted to be the result of a series of debris fl ows. Both artefacts and animal remains were found throughout the debris fl ow sequence, but there were also many well-preserved bones and mammoth tusks resting on the very surface of this formation (Fig. 10). Mammoth constitutes more than 97% of the identi fi ed animal remains, but there are also remains of woolly rhino ( Coleodonta antiquitatis ), musk ox ( Ovibos moschatus ), bear ( Ursus sp.), horse ( E. ferus ), reindeer ( R. tarandus ) and several small animals (Table 2). As many as 33 radiocarbon dates of the animal remains are available this formation, some of them with human made cut marks. Most of the dates have provided ages in the range 27 e 30 14 C ka BP (Slimak et al., submitted for publication). The debris- fl ow deposits are covered by an up to 3 m thick sediment unit that consist of planar laminated, well sorted fi ne sand, interpreted as an aeolian deposit (Fig. 12). The sand, which partly inter- fi ngers with the debris fl ow formation, drapes the bones and tusks that lie on the surface of the latter unit. Four OSL- dates from this sand unit gave ages in the range 33 e 30 ka BP whereas 8 dates the overlying strata gave younger ages in the interval 24 e 15 ka BP (Heggen et al., 2010). The stone artefacts include fl akes, scrapers and some plano- convex bifacial tools (Pavlov et al., 2004). A more comprehensive technological analysis of the material is recently completed (Slimak et al, submitted for publication). Medvezhia Peshera (62 05 N; 58 05 E) is located in a rock shelter near the sources of the Pechora River on the western slope of the northern Urals (Fig. 1). The site was discovered by B.I. Guslitser and V.I. Kanivets in 1960 and it was excavated by them in 1960 e 1962 and later by Pavlov in 1982 e 1984 (Guslitser and Kanivets, 1965; Guslitser and Pavlov, 1992). The excavated area is located on the gentle slope just outside the entrance of the overhanging cliff. The total thickness of the strata above bedrock varies from 2.5 to more than 6 m (Fig. 13). A total area of about 184 m 2 were uncovered and numerous bones and about 1500 artefacts were unearthed (Table 1). We have not visited the site during the fi eld work reported on here. The basal layer is brown clay covered by a thin layer of precip- itated sinter. The bulk part of the sediment column above is interpreted as slope deposits. The fi nd-layer occurs within a one meter thick layer of brownish-grey, sandy loam that also contains a concentration of limestone rubble (Bed B in Fig. 13). The artefacts are concentrated in a 3 e 5 cm thick layer within the sandy loam. The faunal remains from the cultural layer are dominated by reindeer, but mammoth, cave bear ( Ursus spelaeus ), woolly rhinoceros, horse, arctic fox and collard lemming ( Discrostonyx torquatus ) were also identi fi ed (Table 2) (Kuzmina, 1971). Three radiocarbon dates on animal remains from the layer that contain artefacts yielded ages of 18.7 Æ 0.2, 18.0 Æ 0.2 and 16.1 Æ 0.2 14 C ka BP respectively (23.2 e 18.9 cal ka, Table S1). Four radiocarbon dates of bones that were recovered from the sediments just above the cultural layer yielded somewhat younger ages in the range 13.2 e 11.8 14 C ka BP (Table S1). The artefact assemblage is characterized by a blade technology based on knapping of prismatic cores (Fig. S7). The main blank type is a short blade, but there are also micro blades. Truncated blades predominate among the tools. The other categories represented are some small end-scrapers on blades, side scrapers and partly bifacial knives on tabular blanks. The bone inventory is rather poor, but some fragments of inserted points made from mammoth ivory were found. This is the northernmost Palaeolithic site that has been investigated by us. It is situated (67 10 0 N; 60 51 0 E) about 140 km to the west of the coal mining city Vorkuta, on the tundra along the stream Pymva Shor, a small tributary to the river Adzva that empties into the Usa River (Fig. 1). Pymva Shor is known for the presence of a unique hot spring that prevents the stream from freezing during the winter season and that may have attracted animals and humans to the area. The stream runs through a 30 m deep narrow valley that is entrenched into a limestone plateau. The sediments from this site were sieved. Artefacts were found only in excavations on a bedrock ledge about 20 m above the present river, just in front of a steep cliff with a small cave (Pymva Shor I, Fig. 14). Here numerous animal remains and a few stone artefacts were found during the archaeological excavations in 1994, 1995 (Mangerud et al., 1999; Svendsen et al., 2008). Some additional geological fi eld work was carried out in 1998. A small excavation (Pymva Shor II, not shown in the fi gure) was also done in the same valley some 300 m further upstream, but only bones were found at this place. The rodent fauna from these excavations was described by Smirnov and Golavachov (1999) and the remaining fauna will be described in a separate paper headed by A.K. Hufthammer. The bone assemblage includes horse, musk ox, reindeer, bison, hare, arctic fox and various rodents, as well as a large number of bird species and some fi shes ...