Age and palaeogeography of Garaja palaeolithic site (Azerbaijan)

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Abstract

The Caucasus is the region where the earliest episodes of hominin settlement in Eurasia are recorded. The discovery of a series of stratified Early Palaeolithic sites on the western coast of the Caspian Sea allows us to expand understanding the human exploration history of the Old World. Garaja site, located in the middle reaches of the Kura River in Western Azerbaijan is characterized by impressive archaeological collection, complexity and dynamism of the host sediments. For reconstructing the palaeogeographic history of the site a detailed study of Quaternary deposits, absolute dating using luminescence and analysis of palaeontological and archaeological collections were carried out. At Garaja coastal-marine, lacustrine and alluvial layers are distinguished, described in six lithological units, reflecting major stages of topography evolution and sedimentation conditions. The layers at the base of the section were formed during the Early Bakunian transgression, the middle and upper parts – during the unstable level of the Late Bakunian – Urunjikian transgression and active dynamics of Kura River valley. Analysis of the stone artifacts collection allowed identifying two technological complexes that reflect different stages of human occupation of this area. Absolute ages obtained for the first time for Bakunian deposits show that the pioneer settlement of the territory of the site took place ~445–460 ka and is associated with the Middle Acheulean tradition. This event occurred in the second half of MIS 12 and the Late Bakunian transgression of the Caspian Sea, when a forested multi-branch delta of the Kura River existed here, and forest-steppe landscapes dominated in the interfluve areas. The second stage occurs during 380–370 ka and is associated with the Late Acheulean tradition. The attractiveness of the Garaja area for ancient humans was determined by favorable climatic conditions, the presence of fresh water, accessible stone raw materials, abundant vegetation and numerous hunting objects. For the first time in the Eastern Caucasus, the exact chronology of the Early Palaeolithic site was established and palaeogeographical conditions were reconstructed, which allowed determining position of the archaeological materials of Garaja in the Early Paleolithic cultural mosaic of the region.

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About the authors

I. A. Idrisov

Institute of Geology DFRC RAS; Institute of Archeology and Ethnography SB RAS

Author for correspondence.
Email: idris_gun@mail.ru
Russian Federation, Makhachkala; Novosibirsk

T. A. Yanina

Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Geography

Email: idris_gun@mail.ru
Russian Federation, Moscow

V. V. Titov

Southern Scientific Center RAS; Academy of Biology and Biotechnology SFU

Email: idris_gun@mail.ru
Russian Federation, Rostov-on-Don; Rostov-on-Don

A. A. Zeynalov

Institute of Archeology and Anthropology, ANAS

Email: idris_gun@mail.ru
Russian Federation, Baku

S. A. Kulakov

Institute of Archeology and Ethnography SB RAS; Institute of History of Material Culture RAS

Email: idris_gun@mail.ru
Russian Federation, Novosibirsk; St. Petersburg

M. S. Lukyanycheva

Institute of Geography RAS

Email: idris_gun@mail.ru
Russian Federation, Moscow

T. M. Eybatov

Natural History Museum MNOAR

Email: idris_gun@mail.ru
Azerbaijan, Baku

A. K. Otcherednoy

Institute of Archeology and Ethnography SB RAS; Institute of History of Material Culture RAS

Email: idris_gun@mail.ru
Russian Federation, Novosibirsk; St. Petersburg

A. A. Anoikin

Institute of Archeology and Ethnography SB RAS

Email: idris_gun@mail.ru
Russian Federation, Novosibirsk

R. N. Kurbanov

Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Geography; Institute of Geography RAS

Email: idris_gun@mail.ru
Russian Federation, Moscow; Moscow

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2. Fig. 1. Location of the Garadzha site (а), General view of the eastern shore of the Mingachevir Reservoir in the area of Garadzha Bay (б) and Alternation of alluvial and lacustrine deposits in the Garadzha area (в).

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3. Fig. 2. Structure of deposits at the Garadzha site. 1 – marine and coastal-marine sediments; 2 – lacustrine sediments; 3 – alluvial sediments; 4 – volcanic ash; 5 – sands (а – horizontally and cross-bedded, б – structureless); 6 – clays (а – layered, б – massive); 7 – alternation of clays and silts; 8 – silts; 9 – unit boundaries (а – gradual, б – erosional); 10 – layer boundaries (а – gradual, б – erosional); 11 – unit numbers; 12 – layer numbers; 13 – erosional cut numbers; 14 – luminescence dating results; 15 – Caspian mollusk shells; 16 – mammal fauna; 17 – stone artifacts; 18 – pebbles; 19 – tree trunks; 20 – gypsum.

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4. Fig. 3. Block diagram of the sedimentary layers of the Garadzha site containing remains of flora, fauna and stone tools.

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5. Fig. 4. Malacofauna from the deposits of the Garadzha section: 1 – Didacna parvula, 2 – Turricaspia spica; 3 – Didacna sp. (ex gr. crassa); 4 – Didacna cf. eulachia, Dreissena polymorpha.

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6. Fig. 5. Remains of terrestrial vertebrate fauna. (а) – the working moment of studying the Palaeoloxodon antiquus tusk at the site; (б) – the process of cleaning the skull of a male Bos trochoceros; (в) – the skull of Mammuthus trogontherii in the layer; (г) – incomplete left horn of Praemegaceros cf. dawkinsi; (д) – incomplete skull of Stephanorhinus cf. hundsheimensis in the sediment, ventral view.

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7. Fig. 6. Archaeological materials from Garaja site: 1 – percussive-crushing tool; 2 – flake; 3 – Bokschtein type keilmesser; 4 – percussive-crushing/core (?); 5 – trihedral pick; 6–8 – handaxes.

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8. Fig. 7. Position of the Garadzha site section in the chronostratigraphic scheme of the Caspian region, correlation with marine isotope stages. The Caspian Sea level given according to (Krijgsman et al., 2019).

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