Kostyonki–Borshchyovo

Kostyonki-Borshchyovo is a cluster of Upper Paleolithic archaeological sites on the Don River floodplain in Voronezh Oblast, Russia. The complex is noted for extensive Stone Age settlements, tool assemblages and human remains dating to the Upper Paleolithic period.

Archaeological work has uncovered hearths, flint tools, bone and ivory objects, and concentrations of large-animal bones, including mammoth, interpreted as camp sites and activity areas. The sites provide important evidence about human occupation, technology and subsistence in Eurasia during the late Pleistocene.

Excavations began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and continued through major fieldwork in the Soviet period and afterwards, producing large collections that have informed research on early modern humans, migration and Palaeolithic culture.

The sites lie on the right bank of the Don River near the modern villages of Kostyonki and Borshchyovo in Voronezh Oblast.

• Multiple sites: The site complex contains multiple numbered loci (commonly referenced as Kostyonki I, II etc.) representing repeated occupation and activity over tens of thousands of years.
• Age and significance: Fossils and artefacts recovered here date to the Upper Paleolithic, including human remains and tools older than 30,000 years, making the area important for studies of early modern humans in Europe.

What to See#

• Habitation sites: A series of Paleolithic occupation sites and excavated trenches where hearths, stone tools and faunal remains have been found and studied.
• Burial areas: Burial pits and bone concentrations that have produced human remains and evidence for ritual and funerary practice in the Upper Paleolithic.
• Faunal concentrations: Open-air and sheltered loci across the complex that include concentrations of mammoth and other large-animal remains associated with human activity.

Kostyonki-Borshchyovo is accessed from the city of Voronezh by regional roads; the sites lie along the Don River corridor. Visitors usually coordinate with regional museums or academic institutions in Voronezh for site visits and permissions.

• If interested in its Paleolithic finds, contact local Russian academic institutions for access information; many artifacts are curated in regional museums.
• Wear sturdy boots; excavation areas can be muddy and uneven.
• Combine visits with a trip to nearby archaeological sites in the Don River basin for broader context.