| Summary: | Palaeoenvironmental studies of Gornitsa foreland have been carried out in relation to archaeological excavations in Kovaltsy Late Palaeolithic site, Grodno district, W Belarus. Geological, geomorphological, lithological, pollen, and osteological research, infrared optically stimulated luminescence (IR-OSL) and 14C accelerator mass spectometry (AMS) dating alongside with archaeological evidence provide information about the human and environmental history during the Late Glacial time-period. Situated outside the margin of the Late Weichselian Glaciation investigated territory developed as typical periglacial zone before the degradation of the ice sheet started. Driven by the Late Glacial climatic fluctuations a system of terraces e.g. two periglacial and two uppermost terraces of Neman River valley, were formed. Discovered Kovaltsy Late Palaeolithic site with two principal cultural layers suggests Late Glacial population of the area. Based on combination of typological data and 14C AMS measurement the lower layer dates primarily to the onset of Late Glacial Interstadial or ~14 500 cal. yr. BP when people of the Late Palaeolithic settled the area. During the initial stages of the population, tundra-steppe landscape dominated the area, and development of the fauna followed this pattern, with a dominance of mammals e.g. mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius Blumenbach), wild horse (Equus caballus L.), and reindeer (Rangifer tarandus L.) which were exploited by people. Typological information suggests the upper cultural layer was formed at the Late Glacial - Holocene transition e.g. at about 11 500-11 000 cal. yr. BP.
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