Chronology of Kama Neolithic culture

Documenta Praehistorica XLIV (2017) Chronology of Kama Neolithic culture Evgeniia L. Lychagina 1, Aleksandr A. Vybornov 2 1Perm State Humanitarian Pedagogical University, Perm, RU 2Samara State University of Social Sciences and Education, Samara, RU ABSTRACT – The concept of the Kama Neolithic culture was proposed by Otto Bader, but lacked radiocarbon dates in the 20th century. Now, we have more than 50 radiocarbon dates that can be attributed to the Kama Neolithic culture. The results of radiocarbon analysis of organogenic materials of the Kama culture allow us to determine its chronological limits between the second quarter of the 6th and the beginning of 4th mill. cal BC. The early phase of the Kama culture is now dated between the second quarter of the 6th and the beginning of the 5th mill. cal BC, the middle phase is dated to the first half of the 5th mill. cal BC, and the late phase is dated between the second half of 5th and the beginning of 4th mill. cal BC. KEY WORDS – Kama Basin; Neolithic; radiocarbon dating; comb ware pottery; stone tools; dwellings Kronologija neolitske kulture Kama IZVLE∞EK – Koncept neolitske kulture Kama je predlagal Otto Bader, vendar je bila kultura v 20. stoletju brez radiokarbonskih datumov. Danes imamo zanjo ∫e ve≠ kot 50 radiokarbonskih datumov. Rezultati radiokarbonskih analiz organskih ostankov nam omogo≠ajo, da postavimo njene kronolo∏ke meje med drugo ≠etrtletje 6. tiso≠letja in za≠etkom 4. tiso≠letja pr. n. ∏t. Zgodnja faza kulture Kama je trenutno postavljena med drugo ≠etrtletje 6. in za≠etek 5. tiso≠letja pr. n. ∏t., srednja faza je datirana v prvo polovico 5. tiso≠letja pr. n. ∏t. in zadnja, njena pozna faza, je datirana med drugo polovico 5. in za≠etkom 4. tiso≠letja pr. n. ∏t. KLJU∞NE BESEDE – pore≠je reke Kama; neolitik; radiokarbonsko datiranje; lon≠enina z glavni≠astim okrasom; kamena orodja; bivali∏≠a Introduction The study area is situated in the Cis-Urals flatlands in the basin of the Kama River (Fig. 1). This is a high plain intersected with river valleys and hollows. The Kama, Vishera, Chusovaya, Belaya, and Vjatka rivers are the largest in the area. Shallow-lying resistant PreQuaternary rocks outcropping in the sides of the river valley form specific relief features. The valleys cut into these deposits and therefore have box-shape cross sections: relatively wide bottoms composed of loose alluvium, and steep solid sides, including cliffs of basement terraces. 152 The climate of the study area is moderately continental. Precipitation is relatively high for this latitude and longitude due to the piedmont position of the area. The peak of the hydrologic regime of the rivers is mostly during the spring flood; in the winter season, the rivers are frozen. The landscapes of the floodplain are comprised mostly of willow-poplar forests on sod-fibrous sand floodplain soils. The high right bank landscape is forest-steppe (grassland); the left bank terrace is covered with pine forest (Lychagina et al. 2013b.210). DOI> 10.4312\dp.44.9 Chronology of Kama Neolithic culture Fig. 1. Map of the research area. 1 Pezmog IV; 2 Chirva II; 3 Vasjukovo II; 4 Khutorskaya; 5 Lake Chashkinskoye I; 6 Lake Chashkinskoye IIIa; 7 Lake Chashkinskoye VI; 8 Ust-Zalaznushka II; 9 Posyor; 10 Lake Borovoe I; 11 Lyovshino; 12 Mokino; 13 Krjazhskaya; 14 Chernashka; 15 Chernushka; 16 Tarhan I; 17 UstShizhma; 18 Srednee Shadbegovo; 19 Kyilud III; 20 Chumoytlo; 21 Mullino; 22 Ziarat; 23 Sauz II; 24 CaenTubinskaya; 25 II Lebedinskaya; 26 Podlesnoe III; 27 Podlesnoe IV; 28 Lake Molebnoe I; 29 Otarskaya VI; 30 Nizhnaya strelka V; 31 Ozimenki II; 32 Lesnoe-Nikolskoe III). The ‘Neolithic package’ in the Kama region includes the emergence of pottery, new kinds of stone tools, an increase in subterranean dwellings, the transition to sedentism through the development of active fishing and hunting without a transition to a productive economy, and changes in worldview. The concept of the Kama Neolithic culture was proposed by Otto Bader (Bader 1970.165–169). Based on the results of typological analyses and stratigraphic evidence, he proposed two stages of this culture: the Khutorskoy stage (developed or middle Neolithic) and the Lyovshinskiy stage (Late Neolithic) (Bader 1978.72–74). Early Neolithic sites were discovered in the Kama basin in the 1970 and 1980s. At present, Kama culture is divided into three stages: Early Neolithic, Khutorskoy and Lyovshinskiy stages (Lychagina 2013a.55–67). 153 Evgeniia L. Lychagina, Aleksandr A. Vybornov Unfortunately, no radiocarbon dates were available for this culture in the last century. Therefore, the chronological frameworks of the culture were based on analogies with other cultures, for example, Poludenskaya, Dnieper-Donets culture, and others. Otto Bader dated the Khutorskoy (middle) stage to the second half of the 4th millennium BC (5500–5000 BP) and the Lyovshinskiy (late) to the first half of the 3rd mill. BC (5000–4500 BP) (Bader 1978.73). At the beginning of the present century, extensive radiocarbon dating of the Neolithic in the Kama region was done. These studies allowed a chronology of Kama culture to be created. Early phase of the Kama culture Basic sites: Mokino, Ust-Bukorok, Ziarat, Ust-Shizhma I, Tarkhan I, Scherbet II, Mullino, Podlesnoe III, and Pezmog IV. Site location: Most of the sites are located on the remnants of the floodplains of small rivers flowing into the Kama and Vyatka rivers, or on the first terrace of the Kama River and its tributaries (Fig. 1). Dwellings: The remains of Kama dwellings were discovered at the Ust-Bukorok and Tarkhan I sites. They were 25.5–66m2 in area and had rectangular ground plans. Their sunken floors were cut c. 30–40cm into the bedrock, with one fireplace near the exit, and household pits (Fig. 2.1–2). Pottery: The ceramic assemblages are rather small and include only up to 250 fragments. Irina N. Vasilyeva of the Samara State Academy of Social Sciences and Humanities carried out technological analyses of the pottery from the Ziarat site (Fig. 5). The results show that iron-rich clays were used as raw material. The clay was mixed with tempering materials, resulting in various paste recipes: clay and chamotte in 1:1, 1:2, 1:3 concentrations mixed with an organic solution (Vasilyeva, Vybornov 2012.36–40). The surfaces of all of the vessels were smoothed with a soft object; the average thickness of the wall is 0.9–1cm. The bases are either rounded or bevelled. A slight overlap of a rim was noted only on a vessel from the Mokino site. Most of the vessels have a semi-elipsoid form with a straight or slightly covered neck. The ornamentation is composed of impressions of small and middle-notched long stamps, with the use of oval short stamp impressions, mostly to divide Fig. 2. Neolithic dwellings. 1 Ust-Bukorok; 2 Tarkhan I; 3 Khutorskaya; 4 Ust-Zalaznushka II. 154 Chronology of Kama Neolithic culture the ornamental areas. Rows of oblique stamp impressi (...truncated)