The Site of Kurpezhe-Molla (Northern Caspian): Introducing New Data

Introduction. The article analyzes materials from one reference site of the Caspian culture in the Northern Caspian. Two main achievements of prehistoric society — emergence of metalworking and that of productive economy — are associated with this culture. Goals. The paper aims to identify cultural and chronological complexes inherent to the site of Kurpezhe-Molla. So, the study seeks to characterize stone and ceramic inventories, their cultural attributions, attempts a comparative analysis of pottery production techniques in different cultures, and determines their absolute ages. Materials and methods. The work focuses on materials from Kurpezhe-Molla — a key site of the Caspian culture. The latter was being excavated from 1980 to 1989 to have yielded publications covering the first five years only. This paper is first to publish and consider complexes of all years of research. The employed research methods include the typological, planigraphic, technical/technological, and radiocarbon ones. Results. Typological analysis makes it possible to identify ceramics of the Khvalynsk and later cultural types (in addition to ceramics of the Caspian culture proper). This was confirmed by that the stone artifacts included some typical for the Early Eneolithic. Technical and technological characteristics of the Caspian and Khvalynsk pottery samples prove similar enough but there are some differences. The work estimates an earlier age of the Caspian culture and a later one for that of Khvalynsk. Conclusions. Comprehensive insights into respective materials attest to a complex character of the site of Kurpezhe-Molla. Artifacts of the Caspian culture proper are paralleled by materials of the Khvalynsk type. The radiocarbon dates obtained imply the Caspian materials be referred to an earlier period. The paper traces both similar and distinctive features inherent to typology and manufacturing techniques characteristic of the archaeological cultures examined. This may indicate the Khvalynsk ceramic tradition had evolved from the Caspian one, or serve evidence of their coexistence at a certain stage.

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