An Archaeobotanical Study of the Bukhta Nakhodka Fort, the Yamal Peninsula (13th to Early 14th Century)

We present the findings from an archaeobotanical study of samples from the habitation layer of Bukhta Nakhodka, a 13th to early 14th century fort on the Yamal Peninsula, Western Siberia. On the basis of a detailed analysis of the taxonomic diversity of macro- and micro-remains of plants, the vegetation around the site is reconstructed as grass, moss, and subshrub tundra. The abundance of pollen and vegetative plant parts in habitation deposits inside buildings support an earlier hypothesis that peat and turf briquettes, resulting from turf removal, were used for construction. The vegetation cover of tundra area within the site and immediately adjoining it had changed. Its integrity was disrupted during construction of the fort, after which ruderal tundra apophytes expanded rapidly, and the turf layer was partly recovered during the fort's existence. A secondary grass cover, differing from that of the natural tundra communities, formed after the fort had been abandoned. A few remains of wild food plants were found, but none of cultivated plants. On the basis of archaeobotanical data, it is concluded that the pre-Nenets people used the plant resources of the Yamal subarctic tundra mostly for construction, domestic needs, and possibly as food

Ancient history · Archaeology · Geography · Peninsula · History

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