Changements des paramètres métriques des éclats et interprétation du développement du débitage laminaire au Paléolithique supérieur du Caucase du Nord-Ouest (selon les matériaux de la grotte Mézmaiskaya)

Abstract

Even the earliest Upper Palaeolithic industries of Caucasus are characterized by a developed laminar technology of bladelet and microbladelet production. The article presents an analysis of metric parameters of laminar flakes from the Upper Palaeolithic and Epipaleolithic layers of Mezmaiskaya cave (North-Western Caucasus). The results reveal similarity of the size characteristics of laminar flakes from layers 1A1/1A2 and 1A2 (28.6–33.0ka BP), layer 1A1 and the lower horizons 8–9 (15.3–25.2ka BP) of layer 1–3, and the upper horizons 1–2 of layer 1–3 (12.0–12.5ka BP); it is shown that the change in flake size and proportion obeys a certain regularity: flake average width increased, while relative thickness decreased from the earlier to later layers. Variability of flake sizes also reduces from the lower layers 1A1/1A2, 1A2 towards the upper horizons of layer 1–3. A correlation between metric parameters of a flake and the type of striking platform was identified: flakes with a punctiform platform have smaller average sizes than flakes with a flat platform. The analysis allows drawing a preliminary conclusion that metric characteristics of bladelets from horizons 1, 2 of layer 1–3 are most similar to experimental bladelets struck with a hand pressure technique. The number of bladelets having metric parameters corresponding to the hand pressure technique increases from the earlier to later industries. To confirm the hypothesis about a possible change of flaking technique at the turn of the late Upper Palaeolithic and Epipaleolithic additional research is needed.