Preliminary Results of the Analysis of REE Distribution and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr Ratios in Organic and Mineral Sources from Paleolithic Sites in the Orkhon Valley, Mongolia

We present a description of stratigraphic profiles and paleontological remains from three Paleolithic sites in the Orkhon River valley, central Mongolia. The Orkhon-1 and Orkhon-7 sites contain cultural sequences spanning the Final Middle through Upper Paleolithic periods (ca. 50–12 kya), where cultural horizons are divided by archaeologically sterile layers of significant thickness. The Moiltyn-am site is an exception where archaeological materials were found in every lithological layer, albeit impacted by post-depositional changes. The analysis of the distribution of rare, trace, and rare earth elements (REE) and Sr isotopic composition indicate that accumulation of sediments at the Moiltyn-am site occurred under semi-arid to semi-humid climatic conditions and that the climate did not change significantly during the period of the site’s occupation. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios for samples extracted from ungulate teeth found at the Orkhon-1 and Orkhon-7 sites indicate that these animals lived in another region during the first years of their lives. This constitutes evidence of equids and bovids migrating between regions.