Materials of the Early Neolithic Culture of Site Dobroe 9 at the Upper Don

Abstract

In the vicinity of Site Dobroe on the right bank of the Voronezh River it was discovered an accumulation of the Neolithic monuments, on the three of which the Early Neolithic pottery of the Srednedonskaya culture of the VI millennium BC was received. At the Site Dobroe 9, a homogeneous lithological layer was revealed, containing only the materials of this culture: pottery, bones, stone products. At the moment, 99 sq.m. of the site were researched by the excavations. The date of the pottery collection of the site was established as the last quarter of the VI millennium BC. In author’s opinion the given ceramics has the transitional character from the early Srednedonskaya culture phase, featuring ceramics decorated mainly with triangular pins, to the late phase of this culture, where the comb imprint decoration becomes widespread. The use of geochemical methods allowed the authors to reconstruct the features of the paleoclimate. During the existence of the representatives of the Srednedonskaya Neolithic culture, cool climatic conditions are replaced by warming and humidity increases. There was an increase in anthropogenic activity. This lithologically homogeneous cultural layer is dated-6150±100 BP (5317-4839 calBC) SPb-2840. This stone industry is represented by the flake technique. In total 207 stone artifacts were discovered, and 65 from them were tools. Such a small number probably indicates a high level of the industries that replace them: bone-carving and woodworking. The analysis of the faunal collection suggests the dominant role of the hunting in the ancient population.

Keywords

• archaeology
• neolithic
• the srednedonskaya culture
• pottery
• flint
• stratigraphy
• geochemical indication
• radiocarbon analysis