Mesolithic layers of the Zamil-Koba 2 site in the Crimea

The site Zamil-Koba 2 is situated in the Bakhchisarai district of the Republic of the Crimea. This is a small grotto in the northern wall of the Zamil gorge. The site was discovered by D.A. Krainov in 1935, and the total area of the grotto (288 square meters) was excavated by Krainov in 1937—1938. The bottom part of the sediments contained two Mesolithic layers which were attributed by Krainov to the “Azilian” and “Tardenoisian”. The collections are stored in the State Historical Museum in Moscow. Only some selected finds have been featured in previous literature, while the bulk of the material remained unpublished up to the present date. The complex analysis conducted by the authors showed that the two layers in question can be dated to the Final Mesolithic, and should be attributed to the Alimovski rockshelter type of the Murzak-Koba culture of the Mountainous Crimea. Both Mesolithic layers are remains of short-lived hunting camps where processing of animal carcasses and operations connected with it took place.