Unique Ivory Artifact from The Upper Palaeolithic Site Strelka-1 (Krasnoyarsk)

Archaeological site Strelka–1 is situated in the historical part of Krasnoyarsk at the confluence of the Yenisey and Kacha rivers. The richest Upper Palaeolithic layer 3 is confined to the south–eastern part of the promontory. The layer contains numerous stone tools and waste products, animal bone fragments, bone and antler tools, remains of fires. Worthy of special attention is a small group of mammoth ivory artifacts, including a massive ivory flake with a wide biconical hole in its center. This item is unique for the North Eurasian Palaeolithic. It stands out for the excellent preservation of manufacturing and utilization traces, which makes it possible to reconstruct both the main stages of the object manufacture (first in frozen and then in softened condition) and its functional specificity. To analyze the traces of use, the concept of “noms” introduced by E. Y. Girya is applied. As a result, it is concluded that the tool served to scrape dirt and snow from the fur (leather) garments.