KURUCHAY CULTURE AND ITS HABITAT

Authors : Azad Zeynalov, Sergey Kulakov

Pages : 11-26

Doi:10.22520/tubaar.2017.20.001

View : 1 | Download : 12

Publication Date : 2017-03-01

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Lower Paleolithic site of Cave Azykh was discovered in Azerbaijan in 1960. Proceeding from Cave Azykh’s lower layers’ differences from the “classical” Oldowan, M. M. Guseynov singled out a new culture, a “Kuruchay” one. One of the criteria for singling out the new culture was the discovery of large, up to 4-4.5-kilo two-hand choppers M. M. Guseynov called “gigantolites.” Several decades later, the “Kuruchay culture”-forming base - large two-hand gigantolite tools - were discovered not only at the Lower Paleolithic site of Garaja near the Mingechavir reservoir 300 kilometers north of Azykh but also at Central Dagestan’s Lower Paleolithic sites far away from the site of Azykh. The Lower Paleolithic sites discovered in the Southern Caucasus and throughout the Caucasus prove that the migration ways of most ancient populations of hominids were diverse. After having penetrated the Caucasus about 2 million years ago, most ancient hominids moved northwards through at least two directions. They moved towards Azykh and farther straight northwards through Garaja towards a Dagestan complex of Lower Paleolithic sites. The other migration way led towards Dmanisi and farther northwards as well.
Keywords : Azerbaijan, Azykh, Garaja, Kuruchay Culture, Chopper-Gigantolite