The Early and Middle Neolithic in NW Russia

Radiocarbon chronologies from the Sukhona and Onega regions

Bibliographic Data

ID12639115
AuthorsHenny Piezonka (0000-0002-5854-1323, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, corresponding author), Nadezhda Nedomolkina (0000-0003-4184-9441, Vologda State University), Marina Ivanishcheva, Natalya Kosorukova (Cherepovets State University), Marianna Kulkova, M A Kulkova (0000-0001-9946-8751, Herzen University), John Meadows (0000-0002-4346-5591, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel)
Year2017
Volume44
Pages122-151
Publication date2017-12-27
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueDocumenta Praehistorica (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1408-967X • E-ISSN: 1854-2492
PublisherUniversity of Ljubljana (PUBLISHER • SI)
DOI10.4312/dp.44.8
OpenAlexW2782143236
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited7

The onset of the Neolithic period in the Russian North is defined by the emergence of pottery vessels in the archaeological record. The ceramics produced by mobile hunter-gatherer-fisher groups in the north-eastern European forest zone are among the earliest in Europe, starting around 6000 cal BC. After the initial mosaic of local styles in the Early Neolithic, including sparsely decorated wares and early Comb Ware, the Middle Neolithic period, starting in the 5th millennium cal BC, saw the development and spread of larger, more homogenous typological entities between the Urals and the Baltic, the Comb-Pit and Pit-Comb wares. Absolute chronologies, however, are still subject to debate, due to a general lack of reliable contextual information. Direct 14C dating of carbonised surface residues (‘food crusts’) on pots can help to address this problem, as it dates the use of the pottery; but if aquatic foods were processed in the vessels, the respective radiocarbon ages can appear to be too old due to the freshwater reservoir effect. In this pa­per, we discuss the radiocarbon chronologies of four important stratified archaeological complexes in the region between Lake Onega and the Sukhona basin, Berezovaya Slobodka, Veksa, Karavaikha, and Tudo­zero. A growing series of dates, including AMS dates, sheds new light on the onset and further periodisation of the Early and Middle Neolithic in this important area between Eastern Fennoscandia, Central Rus­sia and the Far North-East of Europe, although problems concerning the absolute chronology of the initial Neolithic remain

Ancient history · Archaeology · Chronology · Geography · Middle East · Period (music · Pottery · Radiocarbon dating · Ancient and Medieval Archaeology Studies · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · History · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology · Geology

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