Beyond European boundaries: Neanderthals in the Armenian Highlands and the Caucasus

Gasparyan, Boris; Glauberman, Phil

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-821428-2.00018-4

Cited by 4 publications

(10 citation statements)

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“…The obsidian sourcing analysis indicated that the obsidian artefacts originate from the Zayukovo (Baksan) obsidian source in the north-central Caucasus, located approximately 250 km south-east from Mezmaiskaya (Data 13 in S1 Text ). It should be noted that in the entire Caucasus obsidian artefact transport over 200 linear km have only been observed in UP sites [ 6 , 9 ]. The findings of obsidian artefacts in MP/Eastern Micoquian layers at Mezmaiskaya suggest a high mobility pattern of the Eastern Micoquian Neanderthals, which was probably the highest among the MP/Neanderthal entities defined in the Caucasus.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the Caucasus, including the North Caucasus, the state of studies on the Middle Palaeolithic period differs significantly between the western and eastern half of this region [ 7 – 9 ]. Research of the last five years confirmed the previous assumption [ 10 ] that two culturally distinct populations of MP Neanderthals, which had different origins and traditions of stone-knapping and tool-making, inhabited the North Caucasus from at least late MIS 5 to mid MIS 3.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…40 ka [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Several culture different MP entities, represented by over 270 open-air and cave sites, are identified in the Caucasus [7][8][9]. Most researchers working in the Caucasus tend to see basic technological and typological distinctions associating the MP sites in the north-western Caucasus with the Eastern Micoquian in central and eastern Europe, and the MP sites in the South and Lesser Caucasus, and the Armenian Highlands with the Levantine Mousterian and Zagros Mousterian in south-western Asia.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the North Caucasus, previous studies demonstrated that almost all stratified MP sites in the north-western Caucasus (Kuban River basin) represent a regional variant of the Eastern Micoquian industry that was produced by Neanderthals (Fig 1). In the region, there are known 12 stratified sites with about 30 MP layers in total, which are dated from Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5d or even MIS 5e to middle MIS 3 [7,[9][10][11][12] (Data 1 in S1 Text). The presence of specific types of partly bifacial tools, including small handaxes, leaf-shaped projectile points, various convergent tools and side-scrapers, and asymmetric backed scraper-knives, and non-Levallois and non-laminar recurrent flaking technology, with low indexes of prepared (IF) and faceted (IFs) platforms on flakes are characteristic to the Eastern Micoquian assemblages.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Archaeological evidence for two culture diverse Neanderthal populations in the North Caucasus and contacts between them

Doronicheva¹,

Golovanova²,

Doronichev³

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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Neanderthals were widespread during the Middle Palaeolithic (MP) across Europe and Asia, including the Caucasus Mountains. Occupying the border between eastern Europe and West Asia, the Caucasus is important region regarding the Neanderthal occupation of Eurasia. On current radiometric estimates, the MP is represented in the Caucasus between about 260–210 ka and about 40 ka. Archaeological record indicates that several culture diverse MP hominin populations inhabited the Caucasus, but the region complex population history during this period remains poorly understood. In this paper, we identify for the first time the archaeological evidence indicating contacts between two culture diverse MP Neanderthal populations in the North Caucasus and discuss the nature of these contacts. Basing on the lithic assemblages that we excavated at Mezmaiskaya cave in the north-western Caucasus (Kuban River basin) and Saradj-Chuko grotto in the north-central Caucasus (Terek River basin), dating from MIS 5 to MIS 3, and comparative data from other MP sites in the Caucasus, we identify two large cultural regions that existed during the late MP in the North Caucasus. The distinctive toolkits and stone knapping technologies indicate that the MP assemblages from Mezmaiskaya cave and other sites in the west of North Caucasus represent a Caucasian variant of the Eastern Micoquian industry that was wide spread in central and eastern Europe, while the assemblages from Saradj-Chuko Grotto and other sites in the east of North Caucasus closely resemble the Zagros Mousterian industry that was wide spread in the Armenian Highlands, Lesser Caucasus and Zagros Mountains. The archaeological evidence implies that two culture diverse populations of Neanderthals settled the North Caucasus during the Late Pleistocene from two various source regions: from the Armenian Highlands and Lesser Caucasus along the Caspian Sea coast, and from Russian plain along the Sea of Azov coast.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Archaeological evidence for two culture diverse Neanderthal populations in the North Caucasus and contacts between them

Doronicheva¹,

Golovanova²,

Doronichev³

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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“…Os dados indicam que os Neandertais foram uma espécie altamente exível, onde, por cerca de 400.000 anos, se adaptaram a diversos climas e ambientes, e desenvolveram diferentes tecnologias e estratégias de sobrevivência. Pode-se mencionar que os Neandertais eram artesãos habilidosos, capazes de trabalhar diferentes tipos de rochas, com so sticada tecnologia de redução como o levallois e o discoide, que são conceitos de lascamento da pedra que permitem a produção de lascas, assim como pontas e lâminas (no caso do levallois unidirecional) com características técnicas pré-de nidas (e.g., BOËDA 1994 ;MARCIANI et al 2018;GASPARYAN;GLAUBERMAN;ROMAGNOLI et al 2022).…”

Section: Transição Paleolítico Médio Superior Na Europaunclassified

O primeiro povoamento do Homo sapiens na Itália

2022

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O Uluzziano é um tecno-complexo que data entre aproximadamente 45.000 a 40.000 anos AP, e está associado ao período em que os Neandertais desaparecem e tem-se o início do sinal arqueológico do Homo sapiens na Europa. Este tecno-complexo foi inicialmente descrito tipologicamente, com base nos materiais encontrados em Grotta del Cavallo (Salento, Puglia, sudeste da Itália). Sua caracterização inicial indicou que apresentava características que geralmente são consideradas típicas do chamado "comportamento moderno", incluindo a presença de substâncias corantes, ferramentas ósseas e ornamentos. Além disso, o Uluzziano representa uma ruptura material brusca em comparação ao tecno-complexo Musteriense, anterior e parcialmente contemporâneo, tanto do ponto de vista tecnológico como de estratégia de caça e subsistência. O objetivo deste trabalho é apresentar a história da definição deste tecno-complexo, suas características em relação à indústria lítica, indústria óssea, ornamentos, e métodos de subsistência. Serão apresentadas as hipóteses sobre sua origem e seu fim, e sua relevância para o debate sobre a transição do Paleolítico Superior Médio na Europa.

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Palaeoenvironmental and Chronological Context of Hominin Occupations of the Armenian Highlands During Mis 3: Evidence from Ararat-1 Cave

Sherriff,

Petrosyan,

Rogall

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Beyond European boundaries: Neanderthals in the Armenian Highlands and the Caucasus

Cited by 4 publications

References 85 publications

Archaeological evidence for two culture diverse Neanderthal populations in the North Caucasus and contacts between them

Archaeological evidence for two culture diverse Neanderthal populations in the North Caucasus and contacts between them

O primeiro povoamento do Homo sapiens na Itália

Palaeoenvironmental and Chronological Context of Hominin Occupations of the Armenian Highlands During Mis 3: Evidence from Ararat-1 Cave

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