The surface-dwelling from layer I of Mira site: Main features and interpretations

Situated in Dnieper valley, in the central part of continental Ukraine, the site of Mira yields two well-preserved Palaeolithic occupation levels, possessing features of true living floors. The uppermost layer I, presenting remains of autumn-winter seasonal occupation, is dated to between 32,000 and 31,000 cal BP. Layer I contains EUP assemblage combining the technological and morphological features of local Middle and Upper Palaeolithic. Layer I includes many various objects, like pits, postholes, hearths, bone and ashes accumulations etc. Remains of sub-circular surface-dwelling construction with an area of about 14.5 m² were recognised in the uppermost layer due to numerous postholes and specific characteristics of the living floor. Micro-stratigraphic and spatial features recognise two distinct construction elements, namely the external irregular spherical contour and the inscribed slightly asymmetrical rectangular contour. An entrance, associated with four ashy lenses of likely smoke hearths, was recognised oriented east-wards toward a current river channel. This outer, close to the entrance, zone of construction contains numerous flints, in particular, flint tools, thousands tiny debris and waste-flakes of tool resharpening and reshaping, as well as bone ornaments and ornamented bone pieces, and also a fragment of a human molar. On the contrary, the practically free lithics though containing plenty of burned organic material, the back part of the construction, likely separated from the outer zone by a special partition, was seemingly served as a sleeping zone. It is possible to conclude about the recovery of remains of permanent carcass surface cylindrical dwelling that found analogies in ethnographical records. Keeping in mind the age and geographical position, we deal with the earliest instance of complicate surface-dwelling construction currently known in the steppe area of the East European plain.