Figure 1.
Myshtulagty Lagat (Weasel Cave) was discovered in 1981 by Hidjrati (1987,1990,1991,1995,1998) and has been investigated every year since. Myshtulagty Lagat is the first stratified Paleolithic cave from north-central Caucasus. It is a west-facing, cascade-type formation in Jurassic dolomite, at 1125m, and immediately west of Terek Gorge. Excavations reveal an intact stratigraphy of 22 vertical metres containing 36 layers from Lower Paleolithic through to Medieval. Some 23 strata are Middle Paleolithic and those below Layer 21 are Acheulean. The cave complex consists of a number of collapsed and intact karstic features. It is composed of two upper chambers; Dormouse Hall - a large chamber beneath the upper chambers; and a large collapsed Main Unit. Known Paleolithic deposits can be divided into three ensembles: upper (Layers 5-11); middle (12-21); and lower (22-36).
Figure 2.
The first upper chamber contains Holocene deposits, while the second upper chamber contains Holocene (Layers 1-3), sterile Late Glacial Layer 4, and Mousterian (Layers 5-12). The upper ensemble (Layers 5-11) contains Mousterian assemblages with different sub-strata of Layer 5 dated to 32,980 + 1070, 34,288 + 1235 (C14), and 36,130 + 400 BP (AMS). The assemblages are Typical Mousterian (Non-Levallois) with denticulates and no blades. The vast majority of artifacts are of local microquartzites. The tools are surprisingly unsophisticated, and may have been made by a remnant population of Neanderthals. A late persistence of Neanderthals is also evinced at Mezmaiskaya (Reference GolovanovaGolovanova et al. 1999: 79) and Ortvale Klde (Reference TushabramishviliTushabramishvili et al. 2002: 928) elsewhere in Caucasia. From the correspondening Layer 7-lower in Dormouse Hall, we obtained an AMS date of 44,740 + 970 BP.
Figure 3.
Outside the extant mouth of Myshtulagty Lagat is a c. 22m thick stratigraphy with Layers 12-36 in situ - Deep Unit. Layers 12-21 contain blade assemblages, and Layers 29-36 (excavated in a less than 3m2 area) contain Acheulean (flake tools and one chopper - Layer 29, cores in Layer 32) ones. There are traces of fire and broken bones in the deepest layers. In addition, ten volcanic ash strata are documented in the lowest portions. These are dated by argon-argon to over 200,000 BP (Layer 18), and over 500,000 BP (Layer 24).
The middle ensemble (Layers 12-21) contains extensive evidence of human occupation. Tools are well-made, and represent Denticulate Mousterian (Levallois) with Levallois blade tools, including Levallois points. We can make clear connections with blade assemblages elsewhere in the region from the same time (Bar-Yosef and Kuhn 1999:325-6). Fauna, microfauna, and pollen profiles all support a 70,000 to 128,000 BP range for Layers 12 - 14. Layer 14 is the richest layer -- the density of bones and artifacts exceeds 1000/m2. It is 140cm thick, and the pollen sequence shows climatic shifts from cool and wet (lowest sub-strata), to warm (middle), to much colder (uppermost sub-strata). Clearly, this is Isotope Stage 5e. The ensemble as a whole (Layers 12-21) seems to span the period of 70,000-250,000 BP. The lower ensemble (Layers 22-36) contains relatively few artifacts from a small excavation area, but the technology is Acheulean (chopper, cores, and flake tools). These lowest strata are undated, but appear to date from 250,000-400,000 BP based on pollen and fauna.
Faunal remains are generally very well preserved in layers studied to date (Layers 5-14). But, with very rare exceptions, the bones show severe breakage. The bones provide clear indications of hominid cut marks, carnivore tooth marks, and percussion marks from marrow extraction. Preliminary taxomonic analyses by Barynishkov (Russian Academy of Sciences) and Cleghorn (SUNY-Stony Brook) show Cervus elaphus, Capra caucasica, and Ursus spelaeus most frequently represented. Equus caballus, Capreolus capreolus, Sus scrofa, Canus lupus, and Bison priscus are less so. We can say that Capra caucasica dominate Layers 5-11; while Cervus elaphus and Ursus spelaeus dominate Layers 12-14.
The unusual characteristic of the deep stratigraphy is its inclination. Field studies by Nesmeyanov and Voeikova (Russian Academy of Sciences) made it clear that this vertical displacement is caused by the fact that the cave is situated immediately above a neotectonic crack and a slow uplift of the bedrock by neotechonic movements - a horst. This is most clearly demonstrated by the change in inclination of strata along the backwall of the Deep Unit (Layers 21-36) and at the hypothesized, deep entrance of Dormouse Hall (Figure 4 - Lower part of profile M-O 34-44). Here, the termini of backwall strata are displaced more than 2.6m upward. In addition, mirrors of the fault glide are preserved. Furthermore, the bottom of Myshtulagty Lagat has not been reached.
Figure 4.
The overall pattern of Middle Pleistocene occupation at Myshtulagty Lagat shows some interesting trends. We see some very clear changes in the nature and 'sophistication' of the technology. Initial Mousterian tools are made on blade supports, but they are not found during late Mousterian times, when they are replaced by flake-based Mousterian toolkits. At a different time, the habitation areas of the cave shift from the more protected Dormouse Hall, to the more exposed upper chambers and if necessary vice versa. There is no clear evidence of corresponding shifts in tool function or the faunal assemblages. While the climate went through several distinct cycles, it was also apparently similar during most of the major occupations of the upper and middle ensembles. As pointed out by Hoffecker (2002: 65), Isotope Stage 5e sites are not common in western Europe, but at Myshtulagty Lagat these occupations are the most intense. Why this is so is an interesting question.
The lengthly record of Myshtulagty Lagat provides the opportunity to study the spread of early Homo into northern Eurasia, the evolution of Homo sapiens neanderthalensis, and the replacement of Neanderthals by Homo sapiens sapiens. There are strong indications that the Caucasus was inhabited by Mousterian peoples very late. Thus, the region contains evidence of both very early occupation during the Lower Paleolithic, and as a refugium for late Neanderthals (Reference HoffeckerHoffecker 2002: 143; Reference SofferSoffer 2001: 236-244). Such questions require a detailed understanding of the contextual and archaeological bases of Myshtulagty Lagat. Of all Palaeolithic sites known in Caucasia none possess the more than 500,000 year continuous sequence here.
