The paper presents a comprehensive analysis of materials of the Late Neolithic site in the Northern Caspian region. The typological method established the heterogeneity of the pottery complex. Technical and technological analysis of the initial plastic raw materials and the formula of molding clay demonstrated major differences, which allow distinguishing three groups. The comparison of the stone inventory of the site by different types of raw materials revealed two variants of the flint and quartzite complex. The first one is similar by tool types to the Kairshak materials (trapezoids, scrapers pointed and with a “muzzle”), and the second one — to the Tentexor ones (massiveness of blanks, the nature of retouching). This confirms the continuity of the stone industry from the Middle to Late Neolithic. Traceological analysis has shown that trapezoids with flattening retouching were used as arrowheads. The quartzite assemblages are closer to the Caspian Culture. From the radiocarbon dating results, the age of the Zhe-Kalgan I site is the youngest of the Tentexor-type monuments. As a result, it has been concluded that the site was inhabited several times during the Late Neolithic.

Keywords: Northern Caspian region, late Neolithic, ceramic and stone inventories.

 

Funding. The work was supported by grant No. 24-28-00103 of the Russian Science Foundation “Transformation of Late Neolithic-Eneolithic Cultures of the Lower Volga Region: An Interdisciplinary Approach”, https://rscf.ru/project/24-28-00103/.

 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Accepted: 10.09.2024

Article is published: 15.03.2025