Pre-Neolithic Components in the Evidence from the Central Kamchatka Sites

Abstract

This article analyzes the archaeological evidence from the Kozyrevsk and Doyarki sites, located in the Kamchatka River valley and traditionally associated with the Tarya and Old Itelmen cultures. After examination of archival sources, technological and comparative typological analysis of the collections from the sites, a pre-Neolithic component of blades and microblades, wedge-shaped cores, technical spalls for rejuvenating the flaking surfaces and platforms of microcores, as well as tanged points, combined burins, and other diagnostic varieties of tools was identified for the first time. The evidence from the Kozyrevsk site revealed a pronounced blade component similar to the Mesolithic assemblages of cultural layer IV at the Ushki sites and Domashnee Ozero settlement, as well as individual artifacts typical of the Late Ushki culture of the Final Upper Paleolithic. The evidence from the Doyarki site demonstrated the presence of a compact Final Paleolithic set which resulted from disturbance of the underlying earlier cultural horizons during the construction of a Late Neolithic pit dwelling. The results confirm the widespread processes of mixing the evidence from different periods in the boundaries of pit dwellings at ancient settlements in the Kamchatka River valley and indicate the need for further revision of archaeological collections previously associated with the Tarya and Old Itelmen cultures. This study significantly deepens our knowledge about the early stages of peopling of Kamchatka and of cultural dynamics in the region during the Final Pleistocene and Early Holocene.