The latest data from archaeologists, anthropologists, and paleogeneticists indicate that the ancestral homeland of humanity is Africa. The oldest human sites with Olduvai-type stone industries, dated from 2.0 to 2.6 million years AGO, are located mainly in the area of the East African Rift. Around 2 million years AGO, the ancient hominids moved out of Africa and began to settle in Eurasia. The first migration flow of the oldest populations probably moved in two directions: through the Middle East to the south of Europe-to the Caucasus and to the Mediterranean regions, as well as through the western regions of Asia to the east. It is assumed that the migrants went to the east in two main ways. One of them probably ran south of the Himalayas and Tibet through Hindustan to East and South-East Asia, the other-most likely, through the Near Asian highlands to the central and northern regions of Asia and the Far East. Studies of Paleolithic cultural processes in the border areas of large geographical areas are of particular interest for reconstructing the routes of ancient man from Africa to Asia. On the proposed northern migration route, one of these "nodal" areas is the territory of Altai, located at the junction of Central and Northern Asia. For many years, the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences has been conducting systematic archaeological surveys here. The scientific theme of the expedition includes all major archaeological epochs-from the Lower Paleolithic to the Middle Ages. One of the main areas of research is the problem of initial human settlement of the territory of Altai and adjacent regions of Asia. The successful development of its various aspects was made possible by the discovery and study over the past two decades of a series of multi-layered Paleolithic sites associated with caves and various terraced levels in the valleys. The most interesting results were obtained in the study of Paleolithic ... Read more