Поволжская археология

Archive » The Volga River Region Archaeology Vol.3 (41) 2022

Economic Specialization of Epipaleolithic Site in Layer 2 at Psytuaje Rockshelter in the Elbrus Region

Doronicheva E.V., Golovanova L.V., Doronichev V.B. (St. Petersburg, Russian Federation), Nedomolkin A.G. (Maykop, Russian Federation), Poplevko G.N. (St. Petersburg, Russian Federation), Spasovskiy Yu.N. (Maykop, Russian Federation), Tregub T.F., Volkov M.A. (Voronezh, Russian Federation)

UDC 903’1; 902.01

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24852/pa2022.3.41.8.20

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A comprehensive study of Paleolithic sites using methods from different disciplines makes it possible to reconstruct the time, climate and paleogeography of the area where sites are located, to make assumptions about the strategies of life support and mobility of human groups. The study of stone industries, involving not only the standard technical and typological analysis, but also traceology, provides new data on the function of tools and the occupations of Paleolithic people at the sites. The authors of the current paper used this integrated approach to reconstruct the economic activities of Homo sapiens at the Epipaleolithic site opened recently at Psytuaje Rockshelter in the Elbrus region (NorthCentral Caucasus, Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria). Lithic industry of Layer 2 corresponds to the Epipaleolithic age of this site. The studies carried out show that people here were not only engaged in the knapping of flint and obsidian and the manufacture of tools, but also actively used these tools for butchering hunting prey, possibly processing wood and skins. The study of raw materials and faunal strategies shows that human knew well the resources of the region and actively exploited them.

Keywords

archaeologypaleogeographyCentral CaucasusEpipaleolithicPsytuaje Rockshelterlithic industrytraceological analysiscomprehensive analysis of stone toolshunting strategies

About the author(s)

Doronicheva Ekaterina V. Candidate of Historical Sciences, ANO "Laboratory of Prehistory", Liflandskaya str., 6M, St.-Petersburg, 190020, Russian Federation; edoronicheva87@yandex.ru

Golovanova Lyubov V. Candidate of Historical Sciences, ANO "Laboratory of Prehistory", Liflandskaya str., 6M, St.-Petersburg, 190020, Russian Federation; mezmay57@mail.ru

Doronichev Vladimir B. Candidate of Historical Sciences, ANO "Laboratory of Prehistory", Liflandskaya str., 6M, St.-Petersburg, 190020, Russian Federation; labprehistory@yandex.ru

Nedomolkin Andrey G. Candidate of Historical Sciences, National Museum of the Adygh Republic, Sovetskaya str., 229, Maikop, 285000, Russian Federation; and.nedomolkin2015@yandex.ru

Poplevko Galina N. Candidate of Historical Sciences. Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Dvortsovaya Emb., 18, Saint-Petersburg, 191186, Russian Federation; poplevko@yandex.ru

Spasovsky Yuri N. Caucasian State Nature Biosphere reserve named after H. G. Shaposhnikov. Sovetskaya str. 187, Maykop, 385000, Russian Federation; b.bonasus@mail.ru

Tregub Tamara F. Candidate of Geography Sciences, Voronezh State University, 1 Universitetskaya square, Voronezh, 394018, Russian Federation; ttregub108@yandex.ru

Volkov Maksim A. Voronezh State University, 1 Universitetskaya square, Voronezh, 394018, Russian Federation; 1994vomaan@mail.ru