Stone Tubular Beads of the Late Ushki Culture of Kamchatka

Bibliographic Data

ID24217460
AuthorsА Yu Fedorchenko (0000-0001-7812-8037, Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences), N E Belousova (0000-0001-7054-3738, Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences), A S Polovykh (0000-0003-0298-9185, V. S. Sobolev Institute of Geology and Mineralogy of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences), M V Seletsky (0000-0003-2581-8792, Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences)
Year2026
Volume25
Issue7
Pages54-68
Publication date2026-09-25
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueVestnik NSU Series History and Philology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1818-7919
PublisherNovosibirsk State University (NSU) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.25205/1818-7919-2026-25-7-54-68
OpenAlexW7214550394
LanguageEN
References cited16

Purpose. The article presents the results of a complex study of stone elongated tubular beads from cultural layer VI of the Ushki I site, attributed to the Late Ushki culture of the Final Upper Paleolithic of Kamchatka. The study is based on the systematization of archaeological and archival materials, as well as technological, traceological, spatial, and mineralogical analysis of the artifacts. Results. For the first time, the chaîne opératoire of stone tubular bead production has been reconstructed, including raw material selection, grinding, biconical drilling with a tool having a narrow rectangular tip, and final grinding and polishing. It has been established that the beads were made from magnesian silicates and zeolites, the probable sources of which were hydrothermally altered ultrabasic rocks in Central Kamchatka. Traceological analysis has shown that the artifacts were used as elements of composite body ornaments. Conclusion. The results obtained indicate a high level of development of ornamental stone processing technologies, high mobility of the Late Ushki culture population, and the distinctive development of a tubular bead production tradition based on the use of local mineral raw materials.

body ornaments · chaîne opératoire · Kamchatka · Lithic technology · raw material selection · traceological analysis · zeolites · Archaeological and Geological Studies · Archaeology and Rock Art Studies · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology

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Open DOIOpen Access