Weapons from the Lower Layer of the Zamil-Koba 1 Rock Shelter in the Crimea

The article analyzes weapons from the lower cultural layer of the Zamil-Koba 1 rock shelter in the South-Western Crimea excavated by D. A. Krainov in 1935—1937. The collection is stored at the State Historical Museum in Moscow. Lithic artefacts from the lower layer are typical for the Final Palaeolithic — Early Mesolithic Shan-Koba culture of the Mountainous Crimea. The faunal assemblage is dominated by red deer and wild boar remains. Weapons and their parts were identified on the basis of use-wear and experimental studies carried out by the authors. There are oblique and transverse arrowheads. The former are represented by segments and a single lanceolate point, while the transverse arrowheads include trapezes and segments. Single inserts of composite arrowheads are also present. The authors come to the conclusion that bow and arrows was the main hunting weapon used by the people who left the assemblage associated with the lower cultural layer of Zamil-Koba 1.