Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology of Eurasia
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SIBERIAN BRANCH OF THE RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES INSTITUTE OF ARCHAEOLOGY AND ETHNOGRAPHY ARCHAEOLOGY, ETHNOLOGY & ANTHROPOLOGY OF EURASIA Number 3 (27) 2006 Published in Russian and English CONTENTS PALEOENVIRONMENT. THE STONE AGE 2 P.V. Volkov, A.P. Derevianko, and V.E. Medvedev. Late Pleistocene to Middle Holocene Foraging Strategies in the Middle and Lower Amur Basin 16 N.K. Anisyutkin and V.I. Timofeyev. The Paleolithic Flake Industry in Vietnam 25 Y.E. Vostretsov. Turning Points in the Cultural Evolution of Prehistoric Primorye THE METAL AGES AND MEDIEVAL PERIOD 33 L.A. Bobrov and Y.S. Hudiakov. Mongolian Ceremonial Helmets of the Late Medieval Period from the State Hermitage Museum Collection 41 V.D. Kubarev. Myths and Rituals Impressed in Petroglyphs of the Altai 55 E.B. Vadetskaya and L.S. Gavrilenko. Plaster Masks of the Yenisei Mummies: Technology and Painting 67 E.E. Antipina and A. Morales. Archaeozoological Approach to Complexity: Animal Remains from Two Metallurgical Sites from the Eastern and Western Corners of Europe DISCUSSION ISSUES IN THE STUDY OF PREHISTORIC ART 82 L.N. Ermolenko. On the Meaning of Certain Stylistic Features in the Faces of Ancient Turkic Sculptures 89 D.V. Cheremisin. Toward a Discussion on the Information Content of Petroglyphs and the Methods of their Study ETHNOLOGY 101 O.V. Golubkova. Ethno-Cultural Interaction of the Northern Komi-Zyrians and the Russians in the Realm of Sacral Symbolism 112 Yu.E. Berezkin. Folklore-Mythological Parallels among Peoples of Western Siberia, Northeastern Asia, and the Lower Amur – Primorye Region PHOTOETHNOGRAPHY THE NORTHWESTERN ALTAI: FOUR SEASONS 123 Summer. Peasant Trades in the Land of Soloneshnoye: From the Past to the Future ANTHROPOLOGY 139 E.S. Aristova, T.A. Chikisheva, A.M. Seidman, A.N. Mashak, and Y.A. Khoroshevskaya. Pituitary Dwarfi sm in an Early Bronze Age Individual from Tuva 148 A.P. Buzhilova, M.V. Dobrovolskaya, and M.B. Mednikova. Injuries on Human Skeletal Remains from Sopka-2 and their Relevance for Social Relationships among the Baraba Steppe Populations INFORMATION 157 International Conference “Frozen Tombs in the Altai Mountains: Strategies and Perspectives” 160 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 2 PALEOENVIRONMENT. THE STONE AGE DOI: 10.1134/S1563011006030017 P.V. Volkov, A.P. Derevianko, and V.E. Medvedev Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Akademika Lavrentieva 17, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia E-mail: [email protected] [email protected] LATE PLEISTOCENE TO MIDDLE HOLOCENE FORAGING STRATEGIES IN THE MIDDLE AND LOWER AMUR BASIN* Introduction warm period (27 – 25 ka BP). The lower culture-bearing horizon has been recognized within a thin soil layer that In this paper, we reconstruct the economy practiced by was formed during the fi nal Karga warm period or else people associated with various archaeological cultures immediately on the erosion surface. that existed in the Amur River basin in the Late Pleistocene Artifacts of the Selemja culture from all the cultural and Early Holocene (a period covering nearly 15 thousand horizons demonstrate a common tradition of primary years). The high level of soil acidity in the Russian Far reduction, as well as similar morphological tool types and East has resulted in a paucity of biological remains from manufacturing technology. Apparently, over the course Upper Paleolithic and early Neolithic sites. Accordingly, of 15 thousand years early tool types developed and new use-wear analyses of lithic artifacts are especially tools appeared as a result of changes of the environment important for reconstructing economic activities of and adaptation strategies. Functional analyses of the ancient populations of the Amur River basin. A scarcity stone toolkit allow us to recognize developmental trends of data complicates interpretations of the archaeological occurring in the paleoeconomy. materials and makes some of the inferences inconclusive. The artifact collection from the lowermost culture- However, the available archaeological evidence suggests bearing horizon is dominated by two major types of that cultures of the region developed continually over a wedge-shaped cores: cores on bifaces and on pebbles. considerably long period without any signifi cant impacts Micro-blades were mostly detached from such cores. from the outside. Comparative analyses have been carried Large blade cores are mostly represented by cores with out on the lithic artifacts of the Selemdja, Gromatukha, one fl aking surface and one striking platform fashioned Osipovka, and Malyshevo cultures. on large and thick pebbles. A few cores with two striking The Selemdja culture is one of the best-studied Upper platforms and a broad fl aking surface have also been Paleolithic cultures in Northern Asia. Sites attributable noted. to the Selemdja culture have been studied in the Collections from the overlying horizons have yielded Selemdja and middle Amur basins. Four culture-bearing cores of the same types, yet narrow wedge-shaped cores horizons dating to 27 (26) – 12 ka have been recognized are replaced by blade cores with broad fl aking surfaces. In (Derevianko, Zenin, 1995; Derevianko, Volkov, Lee these collections, single platform cores with two fl aking Heonjong, 1998). In the Selemdja basin, ten sites have surfaces emerge. The collection from the uppermost been located. They are situated on erosion terraces (II – horizon is dominated by sub-prismatic cores with two IV), at which sedimentation began at the end of the Karga fl aking surfaces and prismatic nuclei. The toolkit comprises bifaces of various modifi cations, * The research has been carried out with fi nancial support adze-scraper-like tools, various end-scrapers, burins, provided by the Russian Foundation for the Humanities retouched blades and micro-blades, side-scrapers on fl akes (Projects 04-01-00530а, 03-01-00754а, 04-01-00048а). and large blades, notched tools on fl akes, hammerstones, Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology of Eurasia 3 (27) 2006 E-mail: [email protected] © 2006, P.V. Volkov, A.P. Derevianko, and V.E. Medvedev 2 3 push-planes, drills, borers, and others. Percentages of bearing horizons revealed hearths and utility pits. Lithic the various tool types have not been calculated because artifacts were mostly concentrated around such features. of two reasons: excavation areas vary across sites and These facts allow us to infer that people lived in portable central and periphery living zones established at different tent-like dwellings. layers within a single site do not always correspond to The Osipovka culture has been primarily localized one another. in the lower Amur basin. Formerly, the origin of the The uppermost culture-bearing horizon yielded a few Gromatukha culture was linked with the Osipovka (Ibid.). arrowheads and ceramics. A date of 12,590 ± 80 BP (AA- However, upon the discovery of the Selemdja culture, it 20935) exists for the pottery. The uppermost culture- was regarded as the common basis for both the Osipovka bearing horizon at the sites of the Selemdja culture has and Gromatukha cultures, which were practiced by been attributed to the Early Neolithic and corresponds to populations of common ethnic background inhabiting the the initial period of the Gromatukha culture. Amur basin 13 – 8 ka ago. Sites attributable to the Gromatukha culture have been About 20 sites attributable to the Osipovka culture located within the upper and middle Amur and in the Zeya have been found in the lower Amur basin. Many sites are basins. The best studied site is situated at the confl uence multilayered. Among others, the sites in vicinity of the of the Gromatukha and Zeya rivers (Okladnikov, village of Sikachi-Alian, Khabarovsk, and the village of Derevianko, 1977). Three culture-bearing horizons have Hummi are the best explored. The Osipovka population been recognized. The lowermost horizon yielded several as with the Gromatukha were nomads or semi-sedentary dates: on charcoal, 11,580 ± 190 BP (SOAN-5762), and lived in portable tent-like dwellings. The dates on 12,340 ± 70 BP (MTS-05936), 12,380 ± 70 BP (MTS- charcoal (13,260 ± 100 BP and 10,345 ± 110 BP) and on 05937), 12,300 70 BP (MTS-05938); and on pottery, ceramics (11,915 ± 80 BP) have been obtained for the 12,830 ± 120 BP (AZ-20939) and 11,500 ± 90 BP (AZ- Hummi site. 20940). Lithic artifacts recovered from this horizon are Osipovka tools were mostly made of dark grey and very similar to the Selemdja uppermost cultural horizon, dark aleurolites, chalcedony, hornfels, and sandstone. including primary reduction, core types, and major tool Primary reduction strategy is illustrated by wedge-shaped, types. Apparently, the origin of the Gromatukha culture, narrow-face and sub-prismatic cores, from which mostly one of the earliest Neolithic cultures in Northern, Eastern microblades and small knife-like blades were detached. and Central Asia, is linked with the Late Selemdja period. Such blades were used as blanks for manufacturing Available radiocarbon dates suggest that the Gromatukha scrapers, burins, in-laid parts for composite tools and culture was practiced in the upper and middle Amur basin arrowheads. The proportion of bifacially worked tools throughout 7000 years. including heads for arrows, javelins and spears, carving Archaeological materials from all three Gromatukha tools and knives-daggers is considerable. Also, numerous horizons demonstrate continuous development of primary scrapers of various modifi cations, knives, burins, borers, reduction of the cores and secondary tool working, as awls, side-scrapers, push-planes, and combination tools well as economic development. Tools were mostly made have been found. Stone tools of the Gromatukha and of siliceous and volcanic rocks and chalcedony. The Osipovka cultures are typologically similar. major strategies of primary reduction are illustrated by The Malyshevo culture replaced the Osipovka culture wedge-shaped, narrow-face, sub-prismatic, and prismatic in the lower Amur basin. It has been attributed to the cores. Knife-like blades detached from such cores were Middle Neolithic.