Abstract

The article analyzes the development of handaxes in the Acheulian industries of Southeastern Dagestan. The collection of stone artifacts includes the objects obtained from excavations in recent years, including field studies of the Darvagchai-Zaliv-4 site in 2019. The group of sites from which the evidence originated, is located on the border between plain and foothills in the Darvagchai geoarchaeological area (the middle course of the Darvagchai River). The main feature of the Darvagchai Paleolithic complexes is the presence of large bifacially processed tools (handaxes). Detailed morphological features of these objects are described and preliminary analysis is provided in the article. On the basis of technical and typological features of these tools as well as their absolute and relative chronology, two cultural and chronological complexes have been identified. They correspond to specific units of the local stratigraphic model. Although these Late Acheulian complexes were separated by a large period, they show more similarities between themselves than with any archaeological materials from other regions. It has been concluded that the Darvagchai geoarchaeological area can be included into the distribution territory of the Early Paleolithic industries with the bifacially processed tools. At the same time, bifaces of the classic types with continuously processed surface are very few, and the industry is dominated by partially treated bifaces and unifaces. Differences in raw materials as well as variety of their forms and sizes determined great variability and low standardization of the above tools. The Early Paleolithic complexes of that region manifest a number of morphological and typological features which distinguish them from the Acheulean industries of other regions of the Caucasus.

Keywords

stone tools, Early Paleolithic, handaxes, spalls, retouching, bifacial treatment

Rybalko A.G.

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2214-821X

Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography SB RAS

References

Rybalko A.G. Geohronologicheskie issledovanija stojanki Darvagchaj-zaliv-1 v Respublike Dagestan. In Problems of Archaeology, Ethnography, Anthropology of Siberia and Neighboring Territories. Novosibirsk: IAET SB RAS Publ., 2014, vol. XX, pp. 73-76 (in Russ.).

Rybalko A.G. Bifacial Tools According to Geo-Archeological Area Darvagchay (South-Eastern Dagestan). In Problems of Archaeology, Ethnography, Anthropology of Siberia and Neighboring Territories. Novosibirsk: IAET SB RAS Publ., 2016, vol. XXII, pp. 152-155 (in Russ.).

Список литературы

Рыбалко А.Г. Геохронологические исследования стоянки Дарвагчай-залив-1 в Республике Дагестан // Проблемы археологии, этнографии, антропологии Сибири и сопредельных территорий. - Новосибирск: Изд-во ИАЭТ СО РАН, 2014. - Т. XX. - С. 73-76.

Рыбалко А.Г. Бифасиально обработанные орудия Дарвагчайского геоархеологического района (Юго-Восточный Дагестан) // Проблемы археологии, этнографии, антропологии Сибири и сопредельных территорий. -Новосибирск: Изд-во ИАЭТ СО РАН, 2016. - Т. XXII. - С. 152-155.