Environment and Economic Activity of the Pestretsy 2 Site Inhabitants on the Mesha River

Abstract

Preliminary results of integrated archaeological and paleo-ecological research in the multilayer site Pestretsy 2 on the Mesha river (Middle Volga region) are discussed in the article. As a result of geology and geomorphology studies, it was found that cultural layers of the Bronze and Early Iron Ages occurred in the buried soil complex, which was coated by river fresh deposits formed in 19th–20th centuries. According paleo-geography data, the site was situated on elevated plot in the lake-marsh basin, the basin, which radiocarbon age is about 4 thousand years ago. The site seems to be the remnants of the Late Bronze long-term settlement (at least in excavated part) belonging to so called Zaymishche cultural type as shown by stratigraphy, planigraphy and stone artifacts data. The shouldered arrowhead with barbs and triangular stem of the Seyma type found in this layer allows us to refer it to the 18th–16thth centuries. As for the subsequent Ananyino and Azelino cultural layers, they were apparently short-term camps. Numerous faunal remains studied using archaeo-zoological methods, demonstrated animal husbandry practice houses adjoining (so called “forest”) type combined with highly developed hunting and seasonal fishing. Use-wear analysis of stone inventory confirms the authors conclusion.

Keywords

• archaeology
• zoology
• paleo-ecology
• Bronze Age
• stone tools
• animal remains
• Middle Volga region