Nouvelles données sur l’utilisation des matières premières lithiques et la mobilité pendant le Paléolithique moyen du Caucase du Nord

Abstract

The article reports new data about use of stone raw materials in the Middle Paleolithic in Northern Caucasus. The main part of the results was obtained by the authors during their research in the north-western and north-central Caucasus. In 2007–2017, the authors studied 57 flint sources, as they knew from published records and discovered for the first time. At present, they completed petrographic and geochemical analyses of over 400 flint samples and created the most complete reference collection of flint raw material sources known in the north-western and north-central Caucasus. This research is ongoing. In the result of this multiyear research, it becomes possible to obtain data on stone raw material transport, including from other regions. In this article, the authors summarize the main results of their research. In conclusion, the authors compare their data from the Northern Caucasus in the broader context of Middle Paleolithic in Europe and make assumptions about social and cultural relations, and mobility of human groups in the Middle Paleolithic.