Geoarchaeological research on site formation process, paleoenvironment, and human behaviors in the early Holocene of the Gobi Desert, Mongolia

This paper presents a rare example of the multi-proxy investigation results on the prehistoric settlement from vast areas of the Mongolian Gobi Desert, where, during favorable climatic conditions, postglacial hunter-gatherer groups occupied a seasonal lake district. The geoarchaeological research conducted at site FV92, located at the Luulityn Toirom Paleolake, provides insight into the problem of human relations with the changing environment of the Early Holocene, as well as the problem of the site formation process in the Gobi area. Sedimentological studies and luminescence dating of the Luulityn Toirom Lake sediments indicate the presence of the lake and favorable environmental conditions for human settlement in the Early Holocene in the period before 8130 ± 83 BP. Spatial analyses of the artifact distribution, as well as refitting studies of the discovered lithic assemblage, enabled the determination of the site's formation process. Initially, the site was influenced by fluvial processes, but as the climate dried, it was subsequently affected by aeolian processes. The techno-typological analysis, refitting studies, and microscopic analyses carried out provide the first such detailed insight into the technological behavior and identification of the chaîne opératoire used by the Early Holocene hunter-gatherer communities of the Gobi area. The results confirmed that the lithic technology was mainly based on microblade technology. Microscopic analyses of traces created during tool use indicate butchery activity and the use of plant resources. The studies indicate a high degree of mobility of hunter-gatherer communities living by the lakes, as evidenced by the medium-range transport of raw material brought to the campsite from the surrounding mountainous Altai area.