The Cultural Layer of the City of Kirensk

The city of Kirensk has been studied by archaeological methods for over a century; its research was initiated by the commission of the Eastern Siberian Branch of the Russian Geographical Society. During that time, a number of Neolithic and Bronze Age sites, and a burial ground were discovered within the city. The project of a gas distribution pipeline covering the entire city necessitated a virtually complete archaeological survey. Cultural layer was discovered in test pits which were made in the historic part of the city on the remains of a floodplain terrace where the Kirenga River flows into the Lena River. Systematization of archival, cartographic, and photographic sources has made it possible to perform a comprehensive examination of the research history of the city. Spatial information was accumulated in the QGIS software environment. The use of multilayer visualization tools as well as statistical and spatial analysis resulted in formulation of the initial hypothesis. Locations with elevation marks of the previously discovered cultural layer made it possible to identify the most promising search areas. Artifacts from the Neolithic and Modern Period were discovered in the pits. The former chronological complex included pottery fragments of the Posolskoe type which appeared in the Upper Lena region in the Neolithic. The latter complex was most notable for its fragments of smooth thin- and thick-walled pottery with either outwardly curved or straight rim. The complex also included decorative and functional artifacts – a two-piece bell and double-sided carved bone comb. The primary dating element was a coin minted in 1870, which was discovered in the cultural layer with the aforementioned artifacts. The archaeological survey resulted in establishing the spatial configuration of the cultural layer in the city of Kirensk in terms of planigraphy and stratigraphy. Taking into consideration a number of distinctive patterns identified, further archaeological research will provide more comprehensive body of material sources and will make it possible to more accurately identify the distribution of the enclosing substrate

Bronze Age · Floodplain · Pottery · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Marine and environmental studies · Soil and Environmental Studies · Stratigraphy