Shevchenko T. Denticulate Mousterian of Ukraine (based on materials of the site Andriyivka 4)

History of research of Denticulate Mousterian was compiled on a global scale with a closer look to Western and Eastern Europe, and the Caucasus. This effort resulted in establishing of periodization schemes for main regions. Historiographically Denticulate Mousterian embraces techno-economically heterogenic Late Middle Palaeolithic assemblages with abundant denticulates and notches. This type of assemblages cannot be dealt as time and spatial cultural entity, hence they are being chronologically and territorial separated, also differing techno-typologically. They are often suspected in taphonomic redeposition that would have affected artifacts by pseudo retouch. However, it may be proved only in a few cases and seems not being able to explain the existence of denticulated phenomena as a whole. Here, analysis of Andriyivka 4 upper layer assemblage supports an intentionally anthropogenic origin of denticulated and notched artifacts. In the context of Middle Palaeolithic industrial variability denticulated variant has been interpreted by different regional models which reason an effect of technological adaptation to peculiar ecological situations or an ecologically free cultural choice as well. Diachronic techno-typological variations between Andriyika 4 industries (intrasite variability) are presumed of being related to different strategies of land-use during OIS 3.