The Site of Kombak-te (Northern Caspian): Some New Data

Introduction. The article examines stone artifacts from a Northern Caspian Eneolithic site of the Khvalynsk culture. Stone tool industries also serve to characterize Early Metal Age cultures. Goals. The work seeks to determine the cultural affiliation of stone implements from the site of Kombak-te. To facilitate this, the paper shall analyze a variety of such stone implements and their groups. Materials and methods. The publication focuses on finds from the third major Khvalynsk site of Kombak-te. The latter was investigated in 1989 but only some pottery data were published. The article is the first to introduce into scientific circulation and analyze stone artifacts excavated on the site. The study employs the typological and radiocarbon dating methods. Results. Our preliminary typological analysis of pottery yielded a number of cultural/chronological groups, which made it possible to classify the stone artifacts in greater detail. The technical and typological features serve a basis for distinguishing between items representing the Caspian and Khvalynsk cultures. The identified differences are manifested in the involved source materials (quartzite and flint), blank manufacturing techniques, categories and types of the implements. Conclusions. The comprehensive insights attest to the stone artifacts of Kombak-te come from different cultures and eras. So, Khvalynsk-type items are paralleled by some of the Caspian culture. The paper identifies some characteristic and specific properties of source materials, primary splitting and subsequent processing techniques, describes various tools. The available radiocarbon determinations confirm those of the Caspian culture are more ancient.

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