Стаття присвячена підсумкам багаторічних
досліджень під проводом Д. Я. Телегіна однієї з ключових мезолітичних пам’яток Кримського півострова — стоянки Ласпі 7 на Південному березі Криму.
Late Mesolithic Laspi 7 site is situated in Ukraine, in
the West part of the South Coast of Crimea, in the Laspi
Bay, Black Sea coast (44°24’48.5”N 33°42’41.3”E). It was
investigated under the direction of prof. Dmytro Telegin
in the second half of 1970s. The site was destroyed by
Russian occupation power.
There were 7 cultural layers of the site, which had the
thickness near 2 m. There was Kokkenmedding — clay
sediment with crushed stone and with unusual great
number of the Helix albescens shells, ash and charcoal.
Any structures of the cultural layer are not traced.
Archaeological materials of Laspi 7 are represented
by numerous flint collection (2347 eks.), bone tools assemblage
(13 eks.), ocher, faunistic materials etc. Flint
complexes from all cultural layers generally are similar.
Most of the cores are pyramidal. Prismatic and pencilshaped
cores are single. Microlithic assemblage consists
of geomethric miсroliths (asymmetrical and symmetrical
trapezoids); single backed microliths and truncated
blades. Scrapers are mostly semicircular on the flakes,
single end scrapers are on the blades. Most of the burins
are on the flakes, they are angle and, in smaller quantities,
lateral. There are some «Kukrek type» burins with
numerous worked parts. Angle burins on the blades
are not numerous. Unusual big quantity of encoches
is amazing. There is one Kukrek insert. Bone tools are
very different (13 eks.): base part of the harpoon, fragment
of the point with the grooves, different points, the
borers, partly worked boar tusks, fragment of the antler
socket. The age of Laspi 7 is 8600—7000 В Р. The most
true 14C dates are 8625 ± 40 BP (GrA-35704) and 8620 ±
40 BP (GrA-35703).
Laspi 7 flint assemblage is typical for the Late Mesolithic
Murzak-Koba culture of Mountain Crimea.
Laspi 7 is a shining example of the «revolution of
the wide range» in Crimea. Inhabitants of the site used
very different food resources: ungulates (red deer, boar,
roe deer), birds (above all bustard), fish (catfish and
pike perch), Helix albescens snails. Numerous ornito-,
ihtio- and malakofauna dates evidences about the occupation
of the site in autumn, winter, and spring time.
Probably, the site was visited periodically during these
seasons.