The Discovery of the First Middle Paleolithic Locations in the Western Ciscaucasia

The paper provides data on two new stratified Middle Paleolithic locations, namely, Protoka 1 and Protoka 2, that recently have been discovered on the Taman Peninsula on the coast of the Sea of Azov near the Za Rodinu village, and offers their preliminary interpretation. The artifact-bearing layers of these locations are linked to the alluvialdeltaic deposits of a 20 m high terrace. Given a high hypsometric level of the locations, they are associated with the maximum stage of the Karangatian transgression of the Black Sea correlated with MIS 5e and the Mikulino Interglacial on the Russian plain (~ 130,000– 115,000 years ago). The fauna of the location is represented by Mammuthus intermedius, Equus latipes, Equus hydruntinus and Bison priscus referred to the Khasar faunal complex of the second half of the Middle Pleistocene – the early period of the Late Pleistocene confirming, therefore, the presumable Mikulino period of the locations. The lithic artifacts from the locations that are, so far, few in number appear to represent two different technical and technological complexes. The lithic artifacts from Protoka 1 reveal a low development level of Levallois technology as well as a practice of making bifacially backed knives (possibly, attributed to the Micoquian). On the contrary, the lithic artifacts from Protoka 2 is an evidence of well-developed Levallois technology. At the same time, no bifacially backed tools (Levallois-Mousterian tradition) have been found among the Protoka 2 artifacts. The lithic industries of the Mikulino Interglacial layers at Ilyinskaya 1 (the lower occupation layer) and Ilyinskaya 2 (occupation layers 5–7), which are Middle Paleolithic sites in the Trans-Kuban foothills of the northwestern Caucasus, are culturally close to the assemblages from Protoka 1 and Protoka 2.