Early Middle Paleolithic Industries in Southeastern Dagestan
Early Middle Paleolithic Industries in Southeastern Dagestan
DOI: 10.17746/1563-0110.2020.48.4.003-013
A.G. Rybalko, V.N. Zenin, and A.V. Kandyba
Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pr. Akademika Lavrentieva 17, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia
This study addresses lithic assemblages from the Middle Paleolithic sites Darvagchay-Zaliv-1 and Darvagchay-Zaliv-4, which are highly relevant to the understanding of this stage in Dagestan. We examine paleoclimatic conditions prevailing during the sedimentation at these sites. A detailed description of lithics is provided. Artifacts were discovered in a minimally disturbed paleosol. They represent the Middle Paleolithic, specifically Levallois technique of primary reduction. Judging by the presence of unlined fire-pits and the fact that finds are scattered over a large area, we infer that these sites evidence multiple short-term occupation. The dates of the sites fall within the Riss-Wurm (Eemian, Mikulino) interstadial (MIS 5e)—ca 125-110 ka BP. Parallels with coeval sites in Dagestan and elsewhere in the Caucasus are discussed. Whereas no direct parallels with any Caucasian Middle Paleolithic industries can be found, those of Darvagchay-Zaliv-1 and Darvagchay-Zaliv-4 are consistent with the general evolutionary trajectory of the Caucasian Paleolithic.
