On the Technological and Cultural Traditions of Syalakh Net-impressed Ceramics

One of the debated issues in Yakutian archaeology concerns the reconstruction of the technological traditions of Syalakh net-impressed ceramics of the Early Neolithic. Various hypotheses have been proposed regarding the manufacturing process of vessels belonging to the Syalakh culture. The renewed interest in the technology of net-impressed ceramics in Yakutia is driven by the fact that insights into ancient pottery traditions provide information on the historical and cultural processes of the region's Neolithic period, in which the bearers of the Syalakh net-impressed ceramic tradition directly participated. Due to the insufficiently developed understanding of the system of technological traditions in ancient pottery among the Early Neolithic population of Yakutia, it has previously not been possible to incorporate such data into reconstructions of the historical and cultural dynamics of the Middle Holocene in Central Siberia. Recent progress on this issue has become possible owing to advancements in the study of ancient pottery technology and the refinement of the cultural-chronological framework for the Neolithic of the Baikal-Yenisei Siberia, where netimpressed ceramics were also widely distributed. The aim of this paper is to identify the cultural and technological traditions of Syalakh net-impressed ceramics in Yakutia in accordance with current methodologies and perspectives. A technological analysis was conducted on ceramic assemblages from archaeological sites on the Aldan River (Belkachi 1, Sumnagin 1), the Vilyuy River (Khatyngnaakh 2, Syuldyukar, Tumul), the Amga River (Kyunkyu 2), and the Lower Lena (Siktyakh 1). The analysis revealed a number of technological characteristics associated with different stages of pottery production and the practices of ancient hunter-gatherers, including the selection of raw plastic materials, the preparation of moulding compounds, and vessel construction techniques. It is concluded that the identified technological traditions find clear parallels in the Early Neolithic pottery of the Baikal-Yenisei Siberia, particularly in the use of slab (or patch) building, the probable use of base molds, and the use of ceramic fragments as anvils during beating. This may indicate continuity in pottery traditions between the two regions, especially given that Syalakh ceramics are somewhat younger than the Early Neolithic net-impressed ceramics of the Baikal-Yenisei Siberia. In conclusion, directions for further research on this issue are outlined

Ethnoarchaeology · Holocene · Population · Pottery · Technological change · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Archaeology and Rock Art Studies · Cultural Heritage Materials Analysis