Abstract
Dating is basic for archaeological and paleontological investigations and results of different dating methods used in Azokh caves are described in this chapter. Fossils from Azokh were not dated by any method previously. Lithic technology and taxonomy suggested a middle Pleistocene age for Unit V (from where Acheulian industries and a human mandible fragment were recovered) while Units III and II yielded Mousterian industries indicating middle Paleolithic ages. Dates from Azokh by Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) previously published elsewhere were given before final calculations and they slightly differ from those given in this Appendix, which are the definitive dating results.
Резюме
Датировка является важнейшим этапом археологических и палеонтологических исследований, и в данном разделе описаны результаты различных техник датировки, использованных для Азохской пещеры. Находки из Азоха ранее не были датированы каким-либо методом. Технология получения каменных орудий и таксономия фауны указывают на среднеплейстоценовый возраст подразделения V (где были найдены ашельские орудия и фрагмент нижней челюсти человека), в то время как подразделения III и II с мустерианской индустрией имеют среднепалеолитический возраст. Датировки Азоха методом электронного спинового резонанса (ЭСР), ранее опубликованные в литературе, были получены до проведения завершающих вычислений и потому они немного отличаются от представленных в этом приложении, являющихся окончательными оценками. Результаты ЭСР и метода рацемизации указывают на возраст около 300 тыс. лет для находок из подразделения V, в то время как техника ЭСР для поверхностных горизонтов плейстоценовых седиментов в Азох 1 дает оценку около 100 тыс. лет.
Серия изотопов урана была использована для датировки спелеотема из маленьких цельных камер во фронтальной и самой нижней секциях Азох 1. Возраст спелеотема оказался в пределах 1,19 ± 0,08 млн. лет. Это является минимальной оценкой времени зарождения самой пещеры, подтверждая древность отложений и указывая на возможность существования более ранних слоев со следами заселения.
Датировка методом 14С была использована для наиболее молодых отложений. Современные останки, найденные в подразделении 2 пещеры Азох 2, имели надежную датировку между 670 и 805 гг. н.э. Радиоуглеродная датировка древесного угля, обнаруженного рядом с современным зубом в подразделении А пещеры Азох 5, старше и имеет возраст от 722 до 384 гг. до н.э., в то время как верхняя поверхность седиментов в Азох 5 имеет возраст между 126 и 178 гг. н.э.
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Fernández-Jalvo, Y. et al. (2016). Appendix: Dating Methods Applied to Azokh Cave Sites. In: Fernández-Jalvo, Y., King, T., Yepiskoposyan, L., Andrews, P. (eds) Azokh Cave and the Transcaucasian Corridor. Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24924-7_16
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