Okladnikov Cave
Пещера Окладникова | |
Entrance to the cave | |
| Alternative name | Sibiryachikha |
|---|---|
| Location | Soloneshensky District, Altai Krai, Russia |
| Region | Anuy Basin, Altai-Sayan region |
| Coordinates | 51°40′N 84°20′E / 51.667°N 84.333°E |
| Altitude | 350 or 650 m (1,148 or 2,133 ft) |
| Type | limestone cave |
| Length | 35 metres (115 ft) |
| History | |
| Founded | ca. 45,000 BP |
| Abandoned | ca. 38,000 BP |
| Periods | Paleolithic |
| Cultures | Mousterian |
| Associated with | Neanderthals |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1984-1987 |
.png){kind=link}
Okladnikov Cave (Russian: пещера Окладникова) is a paleoanthropological site located in the foothills of the Altai Mountains in Soloneshensky District, Altai Krai in southern Siberia, Russia. The cave faces south and is located on a Devonian karst escarpment, lying about 14 metres (46 ft) above the left bank of the Sibiryachikha River valley below; the river itself is a tributary of the Anuy River.
Okladnikov Cave is one of the most extensively studied Paleolithic sites in the Altai-Sayan region. A rich Mousterian stone industry, dating to between 33,000 and 44,000 years ago, was discovered, as well as several highly fragmented hominin fossils. Along with a few other Neanderthal sites in the Altai-Sayan region, Okladnikov Cave contains fossil evidence for the most easterly confirmed site with Neanderthal presence.