Lithic industries of the late middle Paleolithic in Southeast Dagestan

The article discusses the results of studies at the Darvagchay-Zaliv-1 site and the Darvagchay-Karyer-2, 3, and 4 localities. In the cultural and chronological aspect, these lithic industries represent the final stage of the Middle Paleolithic, their existence time falls within the range of ~60-50 ka. The article provides a detailed comprehensive analysis of collections of stone artifacts, as well as their comparison with the industries of similar-age industries in Dagestan and the Caucasus. The raw material base and the economic type of the sites are determined. The stone inventory is characterized by the Levallois knapping technique and the Middle Paleolithic toolkit. Currently, a series of similar sites with stone industries belonging to the final stage of the Middle Paleolithic has been discovered in the Darvagchay geoarchaeological region. Features of the technical and typological appearance of lithic industries with Levallois features and the absence of the Upper Paleolithic forms allow to speak about the specific appearance of the Middle Paleolithic of seacoast Dagestan. An analysis of these data allows us to conclude that, despite the significant number of known Middle Paleolithic sites in the Caucasus, there are no direct parallels with the archaeological materials of the studied sites. This can be explained by the narrow specificity of the type of localities, paleoclimatic conditions and features of the raw material base, as well as the cultural diversity that existed at that time, which does not preclude the original Middle Paleolithic industry from existing in the area. A certain similarity can be traced with the materials of some sites of the Northwestern Caucasus, as well as with the Ciscaucasian region.