Поволжская археология

Archive » The Volga River Region Archaeology Vol.3 (45) 2023

Early Neolithic of the Middle Don in the Light of Current Research (based on materials from the Cherkasskaya-5 site)

Skorobogatov A.M. (Voronezh, Russian Federation), Dolbunova E.V. (Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation), Roslyakova N.V. (Samara, Russian Federation), Gasilin V.V. (Ekaterinburg, Russian Federation)

UDC 902/904, 902.652

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24852/pa2023.3.45.38.45

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The article deals with the latest overview of the Early Neolithic site Cherkasskaya-5, located in the Middle Don, southern part of the forest-steppe zone, Voronezh Oblast. The site is characterized by particular preservation of organic remains and a range of materials available for dating, which is rare for sites of the Don forest-steppe area. The first radiocarbon dates, along with particular early Neolithic flint assemblage, allowed attributing the complex to the early Neolithic. First archaeozoological analysis suggested the presence of bones of domesticated species. However recent re-examination of the faunal collection did not allow identifying any domesticated species. New AMS-radiocarbon dates made on organic crust and animal bones confirmed the Early Neolithic age of the site. Direct dating of the organic wrapping of a Cretaceous sinker allowed refining the age of the early Neolithic period to the first quarter of the 6^th mill BC. Excavations conducted in 2014–2015 allowed obtaining a ceramic collection, which does not have any analogies within the surrounding Neolithic sites of the Middle and Upper Don region, and finds more similarities with Lower Volga ceramic tradition. It allows us to put a new glance at the process of Neolithisation of the region.

Keywords

archaeologyNeolithicMiddle Donsitepotteryfoodcrustanimal bonesabsolute datingNeolithizationLower Volga region

About the author(s)

Skorobogatov Andrei M. Candidate of Historical Sciences. SPC “Voronezh Archaeological Society”. Pilot Kolesnichenko Street, 23, Voronezh, 394052, Russian Federation; a.m.skorobogatov@mail.ru ORCID 0000-0003-1960-9855

Dolbunova Ekaterina V. Candidate of Historical Sciences. State Hermitage. Dvortsovaya Naberezhnaya (Embankment), 34, Saint Petersburg, 190 000, Russian Federation; katjer@mail.ru ORCID 0000-0003-1843-9620

Roslyakova Natalia V. Candidate of Historical Sciences. Samara State University of Social Sciences and Education. M. Gorkogo St., 65/67, Samara, 443099, Russian Federation; roslyakova_n@mail.ru

Gasilin Vyacheslav V. Candidate of Biological Sciences. Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. St. March 8, 202, Ekaterinburg, 620144, Russian Federation; gasilinv@yandex.ru