Morphological Variability in Micoquian Convergent Tools: A Case Study in Mezmaiskaya Cave, Northwestern Caucasus

ABSTRACT

The northwestern Caucasus is part of the Eastern Micoquian cultural area. The Micoquian assemblages in this region include tool types that are defined as small broad handaxes, Mousterian points, convergent and angled scrapers, and rare limaces. All these types represent the group of convergent tools that are defined by two basic elements: two convergent retouched edges. The focus of this study is to investigate the significance of morphological variability among convergent tools characteristic to the Eastern Micoquian. We undertook a morphometric analysis of 188 convergent tools from Mezmaiskaya Cave. The results indicated five tool groups.

KEYWORDS:

• Middle Paleolithic
• Micoquian
• convergent tools
• morphological variability
• Mezmaiskaya cave
• North Caucasus

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the National Geographic Society, L.S.B. Leakey Foundation and Wenner-Gren Foundation (all in USA), INTAS program and Presidential Innovation Fund of the Max Planck Society (EU), and Russian Humanitarian Science Foundation and Russian Science Foundation (Russia) for many years of support for research at Mezmaiskaya Cave.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Declaration of Interest Statement

The authors declare that their manuscript is original and innovative, has not been published before, and that there are no other persons who satisfied the criteria for authorship but are not listed. The authors report there are no competing interests to declare.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Russian Science Foundation: [Grant Number 20-18-00060].

Notes on contributors

Liubov V. Golovanova

Liubov V. Golovanova is the Deputy Director and Lead Researcher at ANO Laboratory of Prehistory in St.Petersburg (Russia), and Director of the North Caucasian Palaeolithic Expedition. She is one of the leading experts in the prehistoric archaeology of Caucasus and one of top 30 researchers in Humanities according to Russian Science Index. Golovanova directed excavations in well-known Palaeolithic sites in the Northern Caucasus, such as Mezmaiskaya and Matuzka caves, Sosruko and Alebastrovy zavod rockshelters, and Baranakha 4 open-air site. She authored or co-authored over 300 articles, many of which were published in high-ranked peer-reviewed international journals, and seven books, including one in English, relevant to the Palaeolithic archaeology of Caucasus.

Vladimir B. Doronichev

Vladimir B. Doronichev is the Director and Lead Researcher at ANO Laboratory of Prehistory in St.Petersburg (Russia), and Co-Director of the North Caucasian Palaeolithic Expedition. He is one of the leading experts in the prehistoric archaeology of Caucasus and one of top 30 researchers in Humanities according to Russian Science Index. Doronichev directed excavations in Treugolnaya cave, Sosruko rockshelter, and Sredniy Khadjokh and Baranakha 4 open-air sites, and took part in research in Mezmaiskaya and Matuzka caves, and Alebastrovy zavod rockshelter. He authored or co-authored over 200 journal articles, many of which were published in high-ranked peer-reviewed international journals, and six books, including one in English, relevant to the Palaeolithic archaeology of Caucasus.

Ivan G. Shirobokov

Ivan G. Shirobokov is the Senior Researcher at the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera) in St. Petersburg (Russia). Shirobokov is a physical anthropologist who took part in research in Mezmaiskaya cave, Saradj-Chuko grotto, and Psytuaje rockshelter. He authored or co-authored over 100 journal articles, many of which were published in high-ranked peer-reviewed international journals, and two books relevant to the Palaeolithic archaeology of Caucasus.

Ekaterina V. Doronicheva

Ekaterina V. Doronicheva is the Senior Researcher at ANO Laboratory of Prehistory in St.Petersburg (Russia). Doronicheva discovered and directed excavations and multidisciplinary research in, and Hadjoh-2 open-air site, Epipaleolithic site and some others, and took part in research in Mezmaiskaya and Matuzka caves, Baranakha-4 site, and Sosruko and Alebastrovy zavod rockshelters. She authored or co-authored over 60 journal articles, many of which were published in high-ranked peer-reviewed international journals, and three books relevant to the Palaeolithic archaeology of Caucasus.