Kostenki 12 bladelet core
Flint bladelet core (?), c.38,000 (?) years old
Kostënki 12 is a large site consisting of several different excavation areas. The most important excavations were those of A.N. Rogachev in the 1950s and early 1960s, which identified four archaeological layers. The lowermost (and therefore oldest) of these is among the oldest archaeological layers at Kostënki. Further important excavations at Kostënki 12 were undertaken by M.V. Anikovich during the 2000s.
The uppermost archaeological horizons at Kostënki 12 (Layer I and Layer Ia) have been described as, respectively, Gorodtsovian and Streletskian. However, some material, including some retouched small bladelets, may instead belong to the Aurignacian, which is also found at Kostënki 1 and Kostënki 14. This small piece may be a core from the production of these small bladelets.
(Artefact housed at the Institute for the History of Material Culture [Palaeolithic Division], Saint Petersburg.)