Cores from the site of Ainikab 1 (layer 21) in the general context of the Oldowan in the Caucasus

Abstract

An examination of the material from this site permits the conclusion that in the Caucasus, we can see the same kind of primary raw material working and technological development as is observed in the typical Oldowan complexes of Eastern Africa. Nonetheless, by comparison there is also a significant chronological delay in the timing of the transition from the Oldowan to the Acheulean. In the approximate time bracket of 1.5–1.1 million years ago, the Oldowan tradition of producing blanks for tools reigned supreme in the Northern Caucasus.