Preliminary Results of Experimental Study of Neanderthal's Hunting Weapons from Chagyrskaya Cave

The proposed article presents the first for the territory of Northern and Central Asia results of experimental reconstructions of Neanderthal hunting. We reconstructed the close-range hunting of Neanderthals from Chagyrskaya Cave by bison and smaller herbivores. To this end, a reference collection of retouched points was produced as part of the knapping technology presented in the archaeological complexes. The points were attached to birch and willow staves using organic materials - resin and bast. To simulate the hunting process, experimental spears were used to strike sheep and bull carcasses. This resulted in breaks and typical impact fractures on the tools from the reference collection. The use-wear method showed greater promise of studies of macro than micro-features. As a result, the experimental and archaeological artefacts exhibited wear traces, which are more likely for close-range hunting. Our results are preliminary and require further experimentation and use-wear research.