Research of the Darvagchai-karier-2 Paleolithic occurrence in 2016

We present here the research results of Middle Paleolithic surface complexes from the new Darvagchai-karier-2 site. These materials are related to the Final Middle Paleolithic and supplement the factual material of this cultural and chronological range at the territory of North Eastern Caucasus. The Levallois knapping technique and typical Middle Paleolithic tool assemblage characterize the lithic material. Medium size artifacts predominate; they were made of homogenous raw material, have the similar rate of surface preservation and were knapped in a single technical tradition. These techno-typological characteristics permit to compare this material to known stratified complexes of the Final Middle Paleolithic Darvagchay-Bay-1 site. According to the available data, we can not find the direct analogies between Middle Paleolithic material from the Darvagchai geoarchaeological area and well-known Middle Paleolithic sites in the Caucasus, in spite of their significant number and technical and typological diversity within their groups. It can be explained by a partial representation of the Dagestan industries and with the cultural diversity at that time, which does not exclude the existence of the specific Middle Paleolithic culture in this territory.