Поволжская археология

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

Lithic Points in the Epipaleolithic of the North-Western Caucasus: forms and functions (preliminary results based on materials from Mezmaiskaya Cave)

Revina E.I. (Rostov-on-Don, Russian Federation), Poplevko G.N., Golovanova L.V., Doronichev V.B. (St. Petersburg, Russian Federation)

UDC 903’1; 902.01

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24852/pa2022.3.41.54.67

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The Epipaleolithic industries of the Caucasus, which have similar technical and typological characteristics, contain also a specific set of lithic points, which includes mainly symmetrically retouched points, the Gravette and microgravette points, and Vachons points, as well as more rare shouldered points and some other diverse forms. The majority of previous functional analyses of the Late Upper Paleolithic and Epipaleolithic lithic points did not involve the study of correlation between the point morphological type and its function. The authors focus on the correlation between the point types and their functions, taking into account a fractional typological division of the tools. The preliminary results of the functional (use-wear) analysis of lithic points from Layer 1–3 (17/16–12/11 ka) in the Mezmaiskaya Cave indicate that all the analyzed symmetrically retouched points can be identified as piercing weapons tips. Other point forms have more diverse functions, although more than half of the Gravette, microgravette and Vachons points were also used as piercing weapons tips.

Keywords

archaeologyNorth-Western CaucasusEpipaleolithicfunctional analysistypologylithic points

About the author(s)

Revina Elena I. The Rostov regional museum of local lore, Bolshaya Sadovaya st., 79, Rostov-onDone, 344000, Russian Federation; elena.revina@bk.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

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