The History of Investigations at Siuren I and Different Interpretations of the Site’s Archaeological Context

Until the 1980s and 1990s, the Siuren I rock-shelter was the only known in situ stratified Upper Paleolithic site in the Crimea. Moreover, the Siuren I rock-shelter is still the only Crimean Aurignacian site. Taking into consideration the uniqueness of Siuren I in the Crimea, before discussion of new investigations of the site during the 1990s and their results, it is useful to describe previous investigations and interpretations of the archaeological record at the site. This background will help to explain both the methodology employed during our new investigations and our attempt to understand the entire archaeological context of the site in the framework of modern Paleolithic research.