Introduction. The paper deals with the issue of pressure blademaking emergence chronology in the North-Western Caucasus. The possible paths of the innovation diffusion are discussed. Materials and methods. The study of the lithic technology is based on the materials from the Early Holocene layers of the Dvoinaya Cave and the Chygai Rockshelter. The series of AMS dates were obtained for the layers. The earliest use of pressure blademaking was revealed in the layer 4/5 of the Dvoinaya Cave and the layers 3-5 of the Chygai Rockshelter dated to 11,3–8,5 cal kyr BC and 11,1–8,5 cal kyr BC respectively. Results. The full technological context of the bladelet and microbladelet production with the use of pressure was revealed at the Dvoinaya Cave. The blanks were produced from the conical cores with faceted platforms. In layers 3–5 of the Chygai Rockselter the pressure bladelets and microbladelets were discovered. In both cases the metrics of the pressure produced blanks indicate the use of Mode 3 of the pressure technique (pressure with the use of short crutch in a sitting position). Discussion. We don’t consider possible the diffusion of the technique from the Elbrus region of the North Caucasus as there were two technologically distinct traditions that were partly synchronous. The lower chronological range of the Mode 3 pressure emergence in the North-Western Caucasus roughly coincides with the Early Mlefaatian and the Nemrikian in the south and the Early Butovo in the north. The possible intermediate industries dated to the Early Holocene have not been discovered so far in the neighboring regions to the south or to the north of the North-Western Caucasus. Conclusion. The early timе of the complex mode of the pressure technique emergence in the North-Western Caucasus is indicative of the external adoption and an extremely fast pace of the innovation diffusion in the Early Holocene.

The new radiocarbon dates were obtained from samples of the collections from the excavations by S.N. Zamyatnin in 1955–1957 of the Sosruko Rockshelter in the Elbrus region. The Sosruko Rockshelter is a multi-layered site containing cultural horizons of the Iron Age, Mesolithic and Late Upper Palaeolithic. Clear stratigraphy of the Stone Age layers and representative collections were used to create periodization schemes of the development and change of the lithic industries of the late Pleistocene — early Holocene of the Caucasus. But the lack of radiocarbon dating did not allow determining their absolute age. Three samples of faunal remains of layers M1, M2 and M3 were analyzed. Obtained four radiocarbon AMS dates are in agreement not only with the sequence of deposits in the Rockshelter, but also with the data obtained for similar typological collections of the North-West Caucasus synchronous sites.

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Íàõîäêè êîñòåé ÷åëîâåêà êàìåííîãî âåêà êàê ðàçðîçíåííûå, à òåì áîëåå ïîãðåáåíèÿ, êðàéíå ðåäêè. Ýòîò òåçèñ âåðåí è ïðèìåíÿåì äëÿ àðõåî-ëîãè÷åñêèõ èñòî÷íèêîâ ïî âåðõíåìó ïàëåîëèòó è ìåçîëèòó Ñåâåðíîãî Êàâêàçà, ãäå íà ñåãîäíÿøíèé äåíü àíòðîïîëîãè÷åñêèå ìàòåðèàëû ýòîãî âðåìåíè íàéäåíû òîëüêî íà ïàìÿòíèêàõ Ãóáñêîãî óùåëüÿ: ÷àñòè÷íî ðàçðóøåííîå ïîãðåáåíèå è, âîçìîaeíî, åùå ðàçðîçíåííûå îñòàíêè èç íàâåñà Ñàòàíàé (Ãóáñêèé 7) [Àìèðõàíîâ, 1986]; çóá âçðîñëîãî ÷åëîâåêà èç ïåùåðû Êàñîaeñêàÿ [Àóòëåâ, 1987]; è äâå ôàëàíãè èç ìåçîëèòè÷åñêèõ ñëîåâ ïåùåðû Äâîéíàÿ [Ëåîíîâà, Ìåäíèêîâà, 2015]. Èç ïåùåðû Äâîéíîé òàêaeå ïðîèñõîäèò íåáîëüøîé ôðàãìåíò çóáà ÷åëîâåêà, îáíàðóaeåííûé â ïðîöåññå ðàçáîðêè ìàòåðèàëîâ ïðîìûâêè êóëüòóðíûõ îòëîaeåíèé, èññëåäîâàííûõ â 2012 ã. Ïåùåðà Äâîéíàÿ íàõîäèòñÿ â ïðåäãîðüÿõ Ñåâåðî-Çàïàäíîãî Êàâêàçà â Ãóáñêîì óùåëüå (ñåâåðíûé ñêëîí Ñêàëèñòîãî õðåáòà), íà ëåâîì áîðòó