Oriental Studies (Apr 2023)
Kryazh II — a Newly Discovered Stone Age Workshop Site in the Forest-Steppe Volga Region
Abstract
Introduction. The article outlines the results of excavations at Kryazh II workshop site located in the forest-steppe Volga region. The site is unique and contains an impressive collection of flint products and manufacturing wastes. Goals. The work aims to introduce materials from the excavations of 2017–2019 into scientific circulation. To facilitate this, the study shall describe and characterize the archaeological complexes, determine their cultural and chronological affiliations, and clarify the natural and climatic contexts to have witnessed the formation of the occupation layer. Materials. During three field seasons (2017–2019), an area of 192 m2 was studied. The total collection of artifacts numbers 5,989, of which ca. 250 items are ceramics and over 5,700 items are flint products — flakes and tools estimated at 6 % and less than 1.5 %, respectively. The majority of the finds over the entire area of the excavation lay in a thin layer (15–20 cm) of dark brown loam and in the upper part of brown loam. The performed palynological analysis makes it possible to identify three spore-pollen spectra in the section of the occupation layer. The paper also reveals six radiocarbon dates marking the time when the site was active. Results. The uniqueness of the flint complex at Kryazh II is determined by an increased concentration of flint artifacts per square meter of the studied area, an absolute predominance of manufacturing wastes, and a high percentage of products with indurated nodules, which makes it possible to interpret the site as a workshop. From a typological point of view, most of the ceramic items and flint inventory reveal similarities with materials of the Middle Volga culture from the Late Neolithic. At the same time, individual flint items and several fragments of ceramics are close enough to Eneolithic antiquities of the region in a number of aspects. The formation period of the site’s occupation layer dates to the mid-6th – mid-5th millennia BC characterized by the existence of forest-steppe landscapes close to modern ones. Conclusions. The study of Kryazh II workshop site has provided a collection of stone products — unique for the forest-steppe Volga region and dating mainly to the Late Neolithic era.
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