Early Neolithic Complexes of the Buguldeika 1 Geoarchaeological Site (Western Coast of Lake Baikal)

For the first time, the materials of the Early Neolithic complexes (cultural layers 7 and 8) of the multilayered site Buguldeika 1 on western coast of Lake Baikal, excavated in 2016 by A. A. Timoschenko and E. N. Bocharova, are introduced in full. A comparative analysis of materials from layers 7 and 8 showed that these complexes are largely homogeneous in nature (in terms of production and typology of ceramics and stone items). The differences lie in the changed proportions of cord-impressed Khaita and net-impressed ceramics (the predominance of the first of them in layer 8, and the second in layer 8). The complex of layer 7 contains a more diverse set of stone products, including rods of compound fishhooks of not only the Baikal, but also the Kitoi-like type. Some features were recorded in the composition and ratio of fauna remains, which made it possible to outline differences in fishing strategies: 1) layer 8 – hunting of ungulates, 2) layer 7 – specialized hunting for seals. Probably, such difference is explained by the seasonal characteristics. Based on the stratigraphy, comparison of archaeological materials with synchronous complexes of main multilayered sites of the Cis-Baikal and radiocarbon AMS dating, the age of the cultural layers of the studied site was determined. They represent different chronological periods of the Early Neolithic: layer 8 – 7779–7576 cal BP, and layer 7 – 7406–7168 cal BP. An important point of this study is the fact of the presence of bighorn sheep on the coast of Lake Baikal during the boreal stage of the Holocene (8981–8398 cal BP). Excavations at the Buguldeika 1 showed the prospects for further research of this site and confirmed the existence in the Early Neolithic of the Cis-Baikal of different traditions for the production of ceramic vessels: with impressions of woven net and impressions of cord (Khaita type). A series of radiocarbon dates obtained from all complexes of Cis-Baikal Early Neolithic sites (including Buguldeika 1) indicate that both pottery traditions existed relatively synchronously in the chronological range of 8160–7000 cal BP. A comparative analysis of the Early Neolithic complexes of the Baikal coast with materials from multilayered sites in the south of Middle Siberia showed their correspondence with each other in several techno-morphological characteristics and, above all, in the manufacture of ceramics

Archaeology · Fauna · Geography · Radiocarbon dating · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology · Ecology · Geology · Paleontology · Stratigraphy

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