Hadjoh-2: A Middle Paleolithic Workshop-Camp in Northwestern Caucasus (ENG.)

Abstract

This article outlines the results of a multidisciplinary study of stratified Middle Paleolithic site Hadjoh-2, northwestern Caucasus, situated at the outcrop of high-quality Shahan fl int. During fi ve fi eld seasons, more than 6-meter deep deposits were excavated over an area of ca 33 sq. m. Ten lithological strata and four habitation-horizons were identifi ed. Excavations focused on bottom layers 6 and 7. During their accumulation, the site occupied a fl oodplain terrace on the right bank of the Sredniy Hadjoh River, a right tributary of the Belaya. Because the terrace dates to the Middle/Late Pleistocene boundary, the site is no earlier than the beginning of Late Pleistocene, 130-120 ka BP. Results of pollen-analysis suggest that the climate was cold and dry, and subalpine and alpine meadows prevailed around the site at that time. The study of lithic assemblages shows that the bottom layers accumulated when the site was a workshop near the fl int outcrops. In both layers, knapping debris such as cores, chips, and small fragments predominate. Most tools are unfi nished bifacial forms. These assemblages are paralleled by the Eastern Micoquian industries of Mezmaiskaya, Barakaevskaya, Monasheskaya, and Ilskaya.

Full text

DOI: 10.17746/1563-0110.2018.46.1.016-026
E.V. Doronicheva1, A.G. Nedomolkin2, A.A. Muriy3,
M.A. Kulkova4, T.V. Sapelko5, and E.S. Nosevich6
1ANO “Laboratory of Prehistory”,
14-ya liniya 3, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia
E-mail: edoronicheva@hotmail.ru
2National Museum of the Republic of Adygea,
Sovetskaya 229, Maykop, 385000, Russia
E-mail: nedomolkinandrei@mail.ru
3Sergeev Institute of Environmental Geoscience, Russian Academy of Sciences,
Ulansky per. 13, bldg. 2, P.O. Box 145, Moscow, 101000, Russia
E-mail: amuriy@gmail.com
4Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia,
Nab. r. Moyki 48, St. Petersburg, 191186, Russia
E-mail: kulkova@mail.ru
5Institute of Limnology, Russian Academy of Sciences,
Sevastyanova 9, St. Petersburg, 196105, Russia
E-mail: tsapelko@mail.ru
6Saint Petersburg State University,
Universitetskaya nab. 5, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia
E-mail: katenosevich@mail.ru
Hadjoh-2: A Middle Paleolithic Workshop-Camp
in Northwestern Caucasus
This article outlines the results of a multidisciplinary study of stratified Middle Paleolithic site Hadjoh-2,
northwestern Caucasus, situated at the outcrop of high-quality Shahan fl int. During fi ve fi eld seasons, more than 6-meter
deep deposits were excavated over an area of ca 33 sq. m. Ten lithological strata and four habitation-horizons were
identifi ed. Excavations focused on bottom layers 6 and 7. During their accumulation, the site occupied a fl oodplain
terrace on the right bank of the Sredniy Hadjoh River, a right tributary of the Belaya. Because the terrace dates to the
Middle/Late Pleistocene boundary, the site is no earlier than the beginning of Late Pleistocene, 130–120 ka BP. Results
of pollen-analysis suggest that the climate was cold and dry, and subalpine and alpine meadows prevailed around the
site at that time. The study of lithic assemblages shows that the bottom layers accumulated when the site was a workshop
near the fl int outcrops. In both layers, knapping debris such as cores, chips, and small fragments predominate. Most tools
are unfi nished bifacial forms. These assemblages are paralleled by the Eastern Micoquian industries of Mezmaiskaya,
Barakaevskaya, Monasheskaya, and Ilskaya.
Keywords: Paleolithic, workshop site, stone industries, Caucasus.
Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology of Eurasia 46/1 (2018) 16–26 E-mail: Eurasia@archaeology.nsc.ru
© 2018 Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
© 2018 Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
© 2018 E.V. Doronicheva, A.G. Nedomolkin, A.A. Muriy, M.A. Kulkova, T.V. Sapelko, E.S. Nosevich
16
PALEOENVIRONMENT. THE STONE AGE
Introduction
The sites situated on sources of stone raw materials
allow us to obtain a lot of new data, not only concerning
use and transportation of the raw materials, but also
about organization by humans of various site types,
human mobility, and subsistence strategies (Shchelinsky,
2005; Nekhoroshev, 1999: 29–32; Kovalenko, Ketraru,

E.V. Doronicheva et al. / Archaeology, Ethnology and Anthropology of Eurasia 46/1 (2018) 16–26 17
2010; Matyukhin, 2010; Fedyunin, 2011; Neruda,
Nerudová, 2010; Gopher, Barkai, 2011; Dawson
et al., 2012). Until recently, ten multi-layered stratifi ed
Middle Paleolithic sites were known in the northwestern
Caucasus: Ilskaya I, II, Monasheskaya, Barakaevskaya,
Autlevskaya, Mezmaiskaya, Matuzka, Dakhovskaya
caves, Gubs Rockshelter 1, and Baranakha-4 (Fig. 1).
According to most researchers, these belong to a special
cultural tradition—the Eastern Micoquian, and have
analogies in the sites of Central and Eastern Europe
(Golovanova, 1993; Golovanova et al., 1998; Lioubine,
1998; Golovanova, 2015). According to modern data,
this tradition appeared in the northwestern Caucasus
ca 70 ka BP, and existed until the end of Middle Paleolithic
in this region (ca 40 ka BP). But during surveys in 2007–
2014, there were discovered the new open-air sites of
Besleneyevskaya-1, Hadjoh-2, and Hadjoh-3, located on
sources of raw materials.
This article presents results of complex research in the
multi-layered site of Hadjoh-2. It is located in the Kuban
River area (Fig. 1), on the right bank of Sredniy Hadjoh
River (Belaya River valley), at about 60 m above the
river, and 503–507 m above the sea level; 44°18′46.9′′ N,
40°14′30.2′′ E. E.V. Doronicheva discovered the site in
2008. During fi ve (2009–2010, 2013–2015) excavation
campaigns, deposits with thickness more than 6 m were
studied on an area of 33 m2 (Fig. 2). The lower cultural
layers 6 and 7 are the most rich in artifacts. This article
focuses on describing these materials.
Results of geological
and geomorphological research
Geological and geomorphological research showed that
the area of Sredniy Hadjoh River valley is composed
of Jurassic and Cretaceous deposits (Gosudarstvennaya
geologicheskaya karta…, 2004: L–37–XXXV). According
to the scheme by S.A. Nesmeyanov (1999: 177) and
fi eld observations by A.A. Muriy (in 2014), the terrace,
on which the Hadjoh-2 site is located, is preliminarily
correlated with the Late Hadjoh geomorphological level
(Fig. 3). Because of a fuzzy morphological manifestation
of terrace formations in the area, we can assume that
the site may belong to either the Late Hadjoh, or to the
very beginning of the subsequent Early Vyushat erosion-
accumulation cycle. The Hadjoh geomorphological
level is dated to the Late Middle Pleistocene period. The
formation time of the terrace where the site is located can
be estimated as the boundary between the Middle and Late
Pleistocene: about 130 ka BP according to modern data
(Paleoklimaty…, 2009: 4).
Stratigraphy
At the site, ten lithological layers were identifi ed (see
Fig. 2, 2).
Layer 1. Humus sandy loam, black in color, without
inclusions. The contact with the underlying layer is fuzzy,
15–20 cm.
Layer 2. Beige loam with numerous inclusions of
small corroded sandstone pebbles, 50–80 cm.
Layer 3. Light brown loam with a large number of
highly corroded limestone pieces, 40–60 cm.
Layer 4A. Dark brown, dense loam with numerous
inclusions of decomposed limestone. The contact with the
underlying layer is fuzzy, 20–30 cm.
Layer 4B. Light beige, dense loam with a large
number of decomposed limestone pieces and rare
corroded sandstone pebbles, 30–50 cm.
Layer 4C. Gray-brown, dense loam with rare
inclusions of corroded limestone. The contact with the
underlying layer is fuzzy, 60–80 cm. Bones of steppe
bison (Bison priscus, defi nition by Y.N. Spasovsky) are
found.
Layers 1–4C lie with a slight slope towards the edge
of the terrace.
Layer 5. Red-gray, sandy lo am with few small
and medium-sized corroded fragments of sandstone
and limestone. The surface and bottom of the layer lie
Fig. 1. Location of sites mentioned in the paper in the
northwestern Caucasus.
a – open-air sites; b – cave sites.
1–4 – Sredniy Hadjoh, Shahan, Hadjoh-2, -3; 5–8 – Barakaevskaya,
Monasheskaya, Autlevskaya, Gubs Rockshelter 1; 9 – Mezmaiskaya,
10 – Matuzka.
0100 km
аb

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18
relatively horizontally towards the terrace backside,
40–60 cm.
Layer 6. Light brown loam with numerous small,
medium-sized, and rare large fragments of sandstone and
limestone, 160–190 cm. Several unidentifi ed bones were
found.
Layer 7. Reddish loam with medium and large
limestone debris and blocks, the number of which
increases sharply in the lower part. The layer slopes t o the
edge of the terrace, up to 200 cm.
Layer 8. Brown loam with numerous small and large
blocks of limestone, visible thickness 200 cm. The layer
apparently lies on the terrace pedestal.
Artifacts are not found in layers 2, 5, and 8. Rare
reworked small fl int artifacts are found in layers 1, 3,
and 4B. Layers 4A, 4C, 6, and 7 are suffi ciently rich in
stone tools, which are dated to the Middle Paleolithic.
A slight planar erosion of artifacts within the terrace is not
excluded for these layers.
Palynological data
15 samples were analyzed from layers 7 and 6. Technical
processing was carried out according to the improved
standard method (Grichuk, 1940; Berglund, Ralska-
Fig. 2. Excavation plan (1) and section (2; see description in the text) of the Hadjoh-2 site.
Fig. 3. Structure-geomorphological scheme of the Hadjoh-2
site area.
a – sites; b–i – geomorphology levels: b – Shahan, c – Makhoshevsk, d –
Early Kurdzhips, e – Late Kurdzhips, f – Early Hadjoh, g – Late Hadjoh,
h – Vyushat, i – Maikop.
12
01 m
0400 m
аbcde
fgh i

E.V. Doronicheva et al. / Archaeology, Ethnology and Anthropology of Eurasia 46/1 (2018) 16–26 19
Jasiewiczowa, 1986; Sapelko, 2014). All the samples
were found to be strongly carbonate.
In samples from layer 7, pollen of grasses (Asteraceae,
Chenopodiaceae, Cichoreaceae, Polygonaceae,
Rosaceae, Linaceae, Rubiaceae, Cyperaceae, and others)
prevails. Pollen of Polygonum and Geranium occurs. The
tree species are represented mainly by birch; a few pollen
grains of pine are mostly torn and crumpled. There is a
signifi cant content of phytoliths and coals. In the lower
part, decrease in the number of phytoliths and appearance
of faunal remains were noted.
In layer 6, pollen of tree species quite disappears.
Pollen of herbs (Asteraceae and Rosaceae) is found.
Pollen grains of Geranium and spores of fern are found.
The saturation with phytoliths is less than in layer 7. In
the lower part, their number decreases, and faunal remains
are present.
According to the results of the analysis, it is incorrect
to draw conclusions about the character of the vegetation
because of the low pollen-content. The unfavorable
conditions for fossilization of pollen grains were likely
associated with the cold and dry climate in layer 6. The
environment was better during the accumulation of layer 7.
Apparently, at the time of layer 7, there was woody
vegetation, which disappeared during formation of layer 6.
The spread of the fl ax family, which also disappeared in
layer 6, may testify to a warmer, but dry climate during
accumulation of layer 7. Flax is usually found in the
mountain steppes, subalpine and alpine meadows (Zernov,
2006: 365–366).
Lithic raw materials
Five flint sources (called Shahan-1–5) have been
detected in the Sredniy Hadjoh River valley. They are not
indigenous, but represent fl int in the secondary occurrence
in clays. Flint nodules originate from a destroyed stratum
of the Oxford-Kimmeridgian (Upper Jurassic) limestones.
One of the important characteristics of this raw material
is the size of the nodules, whose length can reach 90 cm
(rare cases), but is mostly 20–40 cm. The Hadjoh-2 site
is located directly on the fl int exposure—the Shahan-4
source. M.A. Kulkova conducted petrographic and
geochemical analyses of fl ints from the natural outcrops
and the site in the Fersman laboratory of environmental
geochemistry (the Herzen State Pedagogical University
of Russia), using the standard method (Doronicheva,
Kulkova, 2016).
According to the petrographic analysis, the fl int from
Shahan-1 and Shahan-2 sources consists mainly of quartz
with inclusion of chalcedony geodes. The composition
includes a signifi cant amount of siliceous skeletons of
marine organisms (shells and spicules), and separate
grains of olivine. The fl int from Shahan-3 and Shahan-5
sources is somewhat more saturated with organogenic
inclusions, and contains less limonite. The flint from
Shahan-4 source is most enriched with siliceous skeletons
of marine organisms, especially sponge spicules. The
X-ray fluorescent analysis of flint samples with the
“Spectroscan MAX” device showed an increased content
of some trace elements, such as P2O5, Y, Zr, Ni, and MnO.
According to the results of research on the lithic
assemblage from the Hadjoh-2 site, 99 % of artifacts
are made from the flint (KR-9/10) coming from the
Shahan-4 source, on which the site is directly located.
The exceptions are two fl akes, one from sandstone (in
layer 6) and another from fl int (in layer 7) derived from
the Meshoko source, located at the distance of ~6–7 km
from the site. Several quartzite, sandstone, and limestone
pebbles were found in both layers. All these rocks are
known in the modern pebble deposits of the Sredniy
Hadjoh River.
Description of lithic industry
Layer 6. In total, 1639 artifacts have been found
(Table 1); all have a good preservation (not battered or
abraded). The most of the fi nds are covered with a white
patina; 25 pieces are covered with limestone crust, and 7
pieces are burnt.
Core-like fragments (43 pcs) are pieces of fl int (2–
10 cm) with fl ake negatives on some portions of their
surfaces. Apparently, most of these are fragments of cores.
Among 20 cores, unifacial single-platform cores
(14 pcs) predominate (Fig. 4, 4–7). Their sizes are 4–8 cm
on average. The striking platforms on cores were made
by one, more rarely two, large scars, and two cores have
platforms prepared by a series of small removals. The
fl aking was carried out mainly in one direction on slightly
convex surfaces. Convergent negatives are rare (Fig. 4, 6).
Angles of striking platforms are 70–80°.
Two- and three-platform (Fig. 4, 8) cores are rare
(3 pcs each), and unifacial and bifacial variants of
opposite and orthogonal fl aking are equally represented.
The striking platforms on these cores are made mainly
by large scars.
Flakes make up one third of the collection (Table 2),
and most of them are fragmented. There are nine technical
fl akes (CTE) used for preparation of striking platforms
(Fig. 4, 1). More than half of the fl akes (54 %) have cortex
areas. Primary and semi-primary fl akes are 20 %, and
15 % of fl akes have cortical striking platforms. Flakes
with negatives going in the same direction as the fl ake
are 59 %; most of the negatives are parallel. Flakes with
orthogonal (4.7 %) and opposite (10 %) dorsal patterns are
few. Striking platforms are mostly fl at, then punctiform
(19.5 %), retouched (2.6 %), and dihedral (2.8 %)
(Table 2). The collection includes only 35 (6.4 %) laminar

E.V. Doronicheva et al. / Archaeology, Ethnology and Anthropology of Eurasia 46/1 (2018) 16–26
20
Fig. 4.Lithic artifacts from layer 6.
1 – technical fl ake (СTE); 2, 3 – laminar fl akes; 4–8 – cores; 9 – side-scraper fragment; 10–13 – tools.
05 cm
1
23
456
78
9
10 11
12
13
Table 1. General composition of the collection from the Hadjoh-2 site
Categories
Layer 6 Layer 7
N%N%
Cores/core-like fragments 20/43 3.9 55/94 8.2
Broken nodules 49 3.0 73 4.0
Small fragments 664 40.5 440 24.2
Chips 301 18.4 233 12.8
Technical fl akes (СTE) 9 0.5 19 1.1
Blades/laminar fl akes 0/35 2.2 1/33 1.9
Flakes 502 30.6 839 46.2
Tools on chunks 2 0.1 2 0.1
Tools on fl akes 10 0.6 20 1.1
Pebbles 4 0.2 8 0.4
Total 1639 100 1817 100

E.V. Doronicheva et al. / Archaeology, Ethnology and Anthropology of Eurasia 46/1 (2018) 16–26 21
fl akes (Fig. 4, 2, 3), with unidirectional dorsal patterns.
Real blades are absent.
Only 12 tools were found in layer 6. Side-scrapers on
fl akes (3 pcs) are represented by fragments (Fig. 4, 9).
Bifacial tools are made on flakes (3 pcs) and chunks
(2 pcs). Among these, there are two partly bifacial tools:
a convergent tool (Fig. 4, 10), and a scraper with thinned
back and proximal part of the flake (Fig. 4, 11). The
bifacial backed scraper, similar to the Bockstein type
(Fig. 4, 12), indicates that the layer 6 assemblage belongs
to the circle of Micoquian industries in Central and
Eastern Europe. Unfinished bifacial convergent tools
(2 pcs) are close to small sub-triangular bifaces, which are
also typical of the Eastern Micoquian (Fig. 4, 13). Besides
these forms, an end-scraper on fl ake, two fl akes with scale
retouch, and a tool fragment were identifi ed.
Some conclusions about the fl aking technique can be
reached on the basis of the analysis of cores (20 pcs) and
fl akes (546 pcs). The collection is also characterized by
the presence of core-like fragments (43 pcs), fragments
of fl int nodules (49 pcs), and a large number of small
indefinable fragments (664 pcs). The great number
of waste products of flaking indicates that the stone-
knapping was carried out directly at the site. Most fl akes
(54 %) have cortex areas, and 15 % of the fl akes have
cortical striking platforms.
The preparation of cores involved mainly the
preparation of striking platforms by large removals. Flat
platforms on fl akes are 60.1 %. The fl aking was carried
out mainly in one direction, on slightly convex surfaces.
Unifacial single-platform cores and fl akes with negatives
of removals struck in the same direction as the original
Table 2. Characteristics of striking platforms on fl akes
Flake groups Total Flat Punctiform Dihedral Retouched Cortical Fragmen-
ted
Primary (100 % cortex) 54/68 15/19 7/9 –/1 –/1 15/26 17/12
Semi-primary (50–99 % cortex):
40/84 21/56 9/4 – –/1 5/11 5/12with unidirectional removals
longitudinal-transverse 3/13 1/7 1/– – – 1/5 –/1
opposite 5/8 2/4 1/– – – 2/4 –
unidentifi able 8/10 4/3 1/– – – 1/3 2/4
Flakes with cortex (0–49 % cortex):
113/220 55/111 11/21 2/2 –/3 17/36 28/47with unidirectional removals
longitudinal-transverse 16/15 10/9 4/2 –/1 – –/2 2/1
opposite 36/20 20/7 5/3 1/– – 7/8 2/2
unidentifi able 18/45 7/11 3/3 1/– – 4/2 3/29
Flakes:
162/261 72/133 29/20 6/18 8/7 3/4 54/79with unidirectional removals
longitudinal-transverse 7/6 6/4 – – – – 1/2
transverse –/3 –/2 –/1 – – – –
opposite 14/18 10/8 2/6 – – –/3 2/1
unidentifi able 26/66 3/14 1/1 – – 1/2 21/49
Levallois fl akes with unidirectional
removals –/2 – – – –/2 – –
Blades with unidirectional removals –/1 –/1 – – – – –
Laminar fl akes with unidirectional
removals 35/33 16/18 3/2 1/1 2/2 4/– 9/10
Technical fl akes (CTE) 9/19 6/9 3/3 – – –/3 1/4
Total 546/892 248/416 80/75 11/23 10/16 60/109 147/253
Note. Before the slash the data for layer 6, after the slash the data for layer 7.

E.V. Doronicheva et al. / Archaeology, Ethnology and Anthropology of Eurasia 46/1 (2018) 16–26
22
fl ake predominate. This fl aking technique was not aimed
at the production of blades. Real blades are absent, and
laminar fl akes are infrequent.
The multi-platform cores appear to refl ect various
stages of core-reduction. The renewal of cores was
produced with opposite and orthogonal flaking. The
number of cores and fl akes with longitudinal-transverse
(orthogonal) and opposite fl aking patterns is small. A large
proportion of fl akes with cortex, predominance of single-
platform cores, and the small number of multi-platform
cores indicate that core reduction cycles were short:
usually only a few fl akes were struck from one striking
platform, and the core reduction was mainly completed
at the stage of single-platform fl aking, after which the
core was discarded. In Middle Paleolithic archaeological
contexts, this feature is usually a reflection of the
abundance of stone raw materials. The Hadjoh-2 site
is located on fl int outcrops. The marked characteristics
of the materials, as well as the small number of tools,
some of which are unfi nished bifacial forms, allow us
to conclude that layer 6 preserves the remains of a fl int-
knapping workshop, located on flint outcrops, where
ancient people repeatedly came throughout the formation-
period of the layer.
Layer 7. The collection comprises 1817 artifacts (see
Table 1); all are well preserved (not battered or abraded).
A part of the fi nds (15 %) is not patinated. Most artifacts
(75 %) are covered with a white patina, many only on one
surface. Five pieces are covered with limestone crust, and
13 pieces are burnt.
Among 55 cores, unifacial single-platform cores
(34 pcs) predominate (Fig. 5, 6, 7, 11). The striking
platforms on cores are made by one, or rarely two,
large removals. Eight cores have platforms prepared
by a series of small removals (Fig. 5, 10). The fl aking
was carried out mainly in one direction, on slightly
convex surfaces. Angles of striking platforms are 70–
80°. Especially interesting is the refi tting of a unifacial
single-platform core (Fig. 5, 9) and a Levallois fl ake
(Fig. 5, 8), which were found in adjacent squares.
The striking platform of the core is prepared by small
removals, the platform angle is 78°. Negatives of two
parallel scars are preserved on the production surface.
The fl ake has a retouched convex platform.
Also, two-, three-, and four-platform unifacial cores
(8, 3 pieces, and one piece, respectively) are represented.
Less frequently, cores were reduced from two (5 pcs) or
more (3 pcs) surfaces. The reduction from opposite and
orthogonal platforms is present. The striking platforms are
mostly fl at. One highly reduced core (45 × 48 × 14 mm)
can be defi ned formally as a disk-shaped core (Fig. 5, 5);
however, in this technological context, the core can be
defi ned as a bifacial multi-platform residual core.
Flakes make up one third of the collection (Table 2),
and most of them are fragmented. Core platform
preparation technical fl akes (CTE; 19 pcs) are identifi ed.
More than half (54 %) of the fl akes have cortex areas,
semi-primary (12.9 %) and primary (7.6 %) fl akes are
numerous, and 17 % of the fl akes have cortical striking
platforms. Flakes with negatives of removals struck in
the same direction as the fl ake predominate (64 %), and
the negatives are usually parallel (Fig. 5, 2). Flakes with
opposite (5.2 %) and longitudinal-transverse (3.5 %)
dorsal patterns are rare, and fl akes with the irregular dorsal
pattern (Fig. 5, 1) are represented by individual pieces.
Two fl akes can be defi ned as Levallois (Fig. 5, 8), with
unidirectional negatives and faceted striking platforms.
Flat striking platforms prevail (65 %), and there are also
punctiform (11.8 %), dihedral (3.6 %), and retouched
(2.6 %) platforms. Only one blade (Fig. 5, 3) and 33
(3.8 %) laminar flakes (Fig. 5, 4) with unidirectional
negatives were identifi ed.
In layer 7, 22 tools were found. Unfi nished bifacial
forms prevail (12 pcs). These include the tool that
can be defined as an oval biface or bifacial scraper
(Fig. 5, 16), and the tool similar to small triangular bifaces
characteristic to the Micoquian industries (Fig. 5, 15). The
presence of leaf-shaped biface fragments (3 pcs; Fig. 5,
14) is also indicative. Among 7 side-scrapers, 3 simple,
2 angled, a transversal (Fig. 5, 12), a diagonal, and a thick
scraper are identifi ed. Also, there are three end-scrapers
on fl akes (Fig. 5, 13).
All the characteristics of the materials indicate that
the fl int-knapping was carried out directly on the site.
There are numerous waste products, including small
unidentifi able fragments (24.2 %), core-like fragments
(5.2 %), and fragments of broken nodules (4.0 %).
A large part of the fi nds has cortex areas, and many fl akes
have cortical striking platforms. The large number of
core-like fragments is explained by the fact that with the
abundance of fl int raw material the cores were exploited
to the limit and, if defect, were discarded in the initial
stages of reduction.
The technique of core preparation was primarily the
preparation of striking platforms by large fl akes. Most
flakes have flat platforms, while carefully prepared
platforms are rare (6.2 %). The fl aking was carried out
in one direction, from slightly convex surfaces. Unifacial
single-platform cores (61.2 %) and fl akes with negatives
of removals, struck in the same direction as the original
fl ake, prevail. The renewal of cores was produced using
opposite and orthogonal fl aking. Flakes with longitudinal-
transverse and opposite dorsal patterns are rare.
In general, the fl aking technology is similar to the
technology described for layer 6. Some differences (for
example, the presence of two Levallois fl akes and one
true blade in layer 7) are apparently explained by only
the slightly larger representativeness of the collection
from layer 7. The characteristics of the materials from
this layer, as well as the presence of unfi nished bifacial

E.V. Doronicheva et al. / Archaeology, Ethnology and Anthropology of Eurasia 46/1 (2018) 16–26 23
tools, allow the conclusion to be made that during
formation of layer 7 the site was used as a workshop
located on raw material outcrops.
Conclusions
The results of a multidisciplinary research of the Hadjoh-2
site allow us to propose a preliminary reconstruction of
paleorelief and paleoclimate. During the formation of
layers 7 and 6, the site was located on the fl oodplain
terrace on the right bank of the Sredniy Hadjoh River. The
terrace’s formation is dated to the boundary of the Middle
and Late Pleistocene; consequently, the Hadjoh-2 site is
not older than the beginning of the Late Pleistocene, 130–
120 ka BP. According to the results of pollen analysis, cold
and dry climate dominated at that time in the site area, and
the environmental conditions were similar to subalpine
and alpine meadows. Such a climate was reconstructed
in the lower layer 3 at Mezmaiskaya Cave (Golovanova
et al., 1998), whose age is ca 70 ka (Golovanova, 2015).
Apparently, layers 6 and 7 in the Hadjoh-2 site can also
be correlated with one of cooling periods at the end of
MIS 5 or the onset of MIS 4.
The analysis of stone inventory indicates that layers 6
and 7 in the Hadjoh-2 site represent remains of workshops
located directly on outcrops of high-quality fl int. In both
collections, products related to primary stone-knapping
Fig. 5. Lithic artifacts from layer 7.
1, 2, 4 – fl akes; 3 – blade; 5–7, 9–11 – cores; 8 – Levallois fl ake refi tting with the core (9); 12–16 – tools.
05 cm
1234
56
7
8
9
10
11
12 13
14
15 16

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24
predominate, including cores (3.9 and 8.2 %), fl akes (33.3
and 49.2 %), and small fragments (40.5 and 24.2 %).
Most of the fi nds have cortex areas. The technique of
core preparation was based on preparation of the striking
platform by large fl akes; carefully prepared platforms are
rare. The fl aking was carried out in one direction, from
slightly convex surfaces. Unifacial single-platform cores
prevail (70 and 61.2 %). The renewal of cores was made
using predominantly opposite and orthogonal fl aking.
The parallel dorsal pattern prevails on fl akes. There is a
series of laminar fl akes. According to F. Bordes’s method
(1953), 33 laminar fl akes, a blade, and two Levallois
fl akes can be assigned to the Levallois products (IL = 4.0)
in layer 7. The fl aking technique can be defi ned as non-
laminar and non-Levallois. In layer 6, 35 laminar fl akes
can be assigned to the Levallois products (IL = 6.4). This,
according to Bordes’s method, indicates some presence
of Levallois technique, but, nevertheless, does not allow
us to defi ne the industry as a Levallois one (IL > 20 is
required for this defi nition).
In general, the fl aking technique in the site of Hadjoh-2
is similar to that in Mezmaiskaya Cave (lower layers 3
and 2В-4). Primarily, this is refl ected in the cores. In
Mezmaiskaya Cave, fl aking in one direction from slightly
convex surfaces also predominates. The percentage of
laminar fl akes is not high, and the Levallois indexes are
low (3.6 in layer 3, and 3.0 in layer 2B-4). However, the
index of prepared platforms is higher in Mezmaiskaya
Cave; Hadjoh-2 is similar to Barakaevskaya Cave on this
index (Table 3).
The tools in layers 6 and 7 are represented
predominantly by unfinished bifacial forms. On the
basis of the technical and typological parameters of
the collection (including the bifacial scraper similar
to the Bockstein type, fragments of unfinished leaf-
shaped forms, and sub-triangular bifaces), we conclude
that the materials of the lower layers in the Hadjoh-2
workshop-camp are most similar to the Eastern Micoquian
industries in the Mezmaiskaya (Golovanova et al., 1998;
Golovanova, 2015), Barakaevskaya (Lyubin, Autlev,
1994), Monasheskaya (Lyubin, 1977: 144–173; 1989;
Belyaeva, 1999: 71–143), and Ilskaya (Shchelinskii,
1998) sites.
The Shahan flint outcrops, on one of which the
Hadjoh-2 site is located, were a kind of “silicon province”,
whence the flint was transported to other sites in the
Table 3. P ercentage of main categories of lithic artifacts and technical indexes*
Site
Cores and core-
like fragments
Broken nodules
and chunks
Small fragments
Chips
Flakes
Flakes**
Tools
IL
IF large
with cortex
technical
laminar fl akes
and blades
Hadjoh-2:
layer 6 3.9 3.0 40.5 18.4 33.3 54.0 1.6 6.4 0.7 6.4 5.4
layer 7 8.2 4.0 24.2 12.8 49.2 54.0 2.1 3.8 1.2 4.0 6.2
Mezmaiskaya Cave***:
layer 3 1.8 0.1 25.4 40.6 13.0 26.0 4.0 3.6 18.6 3.6 19.0
layer 2В-4 3.4 0 24.7 25.9 26.0 17.0 9.0 3.0 20.0 3.0 22.2
Barakaevskaya Cave:
layer 2 0.3 … … … … … … … 3.7 1.8–6.2 24.4
Monasheskaya Cave:
layer 4 1.2 7.1 … 13.1 73.7 … … 4.6 4.2 … 53.0
layer 3А, hor. 3 0.9 4.3 … 16.7 75.8 … … 7.8 2.3 … 48.5
" hor. 2 0.5 3.3 … 22.5 71.4 … … 6.1 2.3 … 43.9
" hor. 1 0.5 1.9 … 9.2 84.7 … … 3.7 3.7 … 37.5
layer 2 1.4 1.1 … 6.4 87.5 … … 5.0 3.6 … 49.3
*The data collected by E.V. Doronicheva and according to: (Belyaeva, 1999: 71, tab. 2.; Lyubin, 1989: pp. 84–87).
**The percentage relative to the total number of fl akes.
***Collections from 1987–2001 excavations.

E.V. Doronicheva et al. / Archaeology, Ethnology and Anthropology of Eurasia 46/1 (2018) 16–26 25
northwestern Caucasus. The analyses of stone raw
materials show that the fl int from Shahan outcrops was
transported in the Middle Paleolithic to Mezmaiskaya
(30–40 km to the south-west) and Matuzka (about
30–40 km to the west) caves. Moreover, the data from
Mezmaiskaya, where this fl int was recorded in all Middle
Paleolithic layers (dating to 70–40 ka BP), indicate that
the Shahan outcrops were exploited throughout the entire
period of the Neanderthal occupation of this region
(Doronicheva, Kulkova, 2016; Doronicheva, Kulkova,
Shackley, 2016).
A comparison between the materials from the lower
layers of the Hadjoh-2 site and Mezmaiskaya Cave
(Table 3) shows a number of differences. In the cave,
the proportions of cores and fl akes are less, and the
percentage of technical fl akes is higher. This, apparently,
is related to a limited amount of raw materials and their
maximum use, which is refl ected in the renewal and
maximum reduction of cores. At the same time, there are
signifi cantly more tools and chips in Mezmaiskaya Cave,
which may indicate the production and rejuvenation of
tools directly on the site. This ratio of major categories
of inventory allows us to defi ne Mezmaiskaya Cave
as the camp-site of active habitation, where various
tools were used and stone knapping was restricted;
and the Hadjoh-2 site as the workshop-camp used for
stone knapping and manufacturing of preforms for
bifacial tools.
Comparing the Hadjoh-2 collections with materials
from the active habitation workshop-camps in the Gubs
Gorge (Lyubin, Autlev, 1994; Belyaeva, 1999), which
are also located on a fl int source, one can note that the
percentage of cores in Monasheskaya and Barakaevskaya
caves is lower, and the percentage of tools is higher than in
the Hadjoh-2 site (Table 3). The technological indicators
are higher in Monasheskaya Cave than at Hadjoh-2,
and the cave-site has a later age than the Hadjoh-2 site
(Golovanova, 2015). The signifi cant feature of active
habitation workshop-camps is the multi-raw-materials
resource base of their lithic industries. The transported
lithic raw materials are represented mostly by tools
(Belyaeva, 1999: 72). In the Hadjoh-2 site, 99 % of
artifacts are made of fl int, on sources of which the site
is located.
The Hadjoh-2 site functioned for quite a long time.
Our studies indicate that the materials from layers 7, 6,
and 4A represent workshops. Layer 4C is a camp where
humans not only made tools, but al so butchered game
(details for layers 4A and 4C see in: (Doronicheva et al.,
2016)). Further research will allow us to compare in more
details the stages of human habitation at Hadjoh-2 and
other sites, as well as to study economic variability among
the sites, human life support strategies and mobility,
cultural relations and exchange in the Middle Paleolithic
of northwestern Caucasus.
Acknowledgement
This study was supported by the Russian Foundation for the
Humanities, Project No. 14-31-01209a2, “Functional Variability
of the Middle Paleolithic Sites in the Northwestern Caucasus. A
Complex Research of the Hadjoh-2 Site”.
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Received October 18, 2016.
Received in revised form February 1, 2017.