Faunal remains from the Oldowan site of Muhkai II in the North Caucasus: Potential for dating and palaeolandscape reconstruction

The results of study of faunal materials unique for the north-eastern Caucasus are published, deriving from layer 80 of the Oldowan site of Muhkai II. Twenty-six specimens of four species of carnivorous mammal and six species of herbivorous mammal were identified in this material. In addition, the remains of small mammals, reptiles and amphibians were identified, which are indicators for the dating of the assemblage and the establishment of the specific characteristics of the natural environment at the time of usage of the Oldowan site. While in the modern day the investigated region consists of a belt of medium high mountains, during the chronological period under study open landscapes of savannah type with small areas of forest vegetation dominated. Based on a combination of data from palaeomagnetic analysis and faunal determinations, the time of existence of the complex is established as no later than the lower limit of the Olduvai episode during the Matuyama palaeomagnetic epoch.