Amankutan cave

Amankutan Cave (also written Aman-Kutan or Omonqo’ton) is a key Middle Palaeolithic site located in the Zeravshan Range, near Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The cave, which has a narrow entrance leading into a sequence of chambers, was first excavated between 1947 and 1957 by a team led by David Natanovi Lev, revealing a rich archaeological sequence with lithic assemblages attributed to the Middle Palaeolithic, as well as faunal remains that highlighted its archaeological significance. There were subsequent investigations by Uzbek–Polish teams in 1995 and Uzbek–American teams in 2001. Today, the collections from these campaigns are curated at Samarkand State University.

The site was chosen for further investigations under the LAST NEANDERTHALS (LN) project because of its potential to yield well-preserved stratified deposits that can be studied with modern analytical techniques. Amankutan offers the opportunity to refine the chronology of the Middle Palaeolithic in Central Asia, reconstruct past environments, and better understand the life histories and behaviours of Neanderthals and other hominins. Its deposits are especially valuable for bridging gaps in the archaeological record and for linking artefacts and faunal remains with high-resolution environmental and chronological data.

In June 2025, LN researchers returned to Amankutan to carry out new fieldwork. The cave was documented using 3D mapping techniques (LiDAR and photogrammetry), and a precise excavation grid was established with total station survey. Test pits were opened both inside and outside the cave, revealing deposits containing stone tools and animal bones. Sediment samples were also collected for pollen, cryptotephra, and sedimentary DNA (sedaDNA) analyses, which will help reconstruct local environments and clarify the site’s archaeological sequence.

Amankutan thus remains a key site for understanding Palaeolithic occupation in Central Asia and continues to provide new insights under the LN framework.

Further readings:

D.N. Lev. Ancient Paleolithic in Aman-Kutane. (Predvaritelnoe soobshchenie). Samarkand. 1949.