Archaeological and tephrochronological studies near the area of the Klyuchevskaya volcano group (Kamchatka, Russia)

The paper describes main achievements and areas of future archaeologicalexcavations on the Kamchatka Peninsula. It provides results of site excavations nearthe Klyuchevskaya Volcano Group. It has been established that the Klyuchi 1 andKlyuchi 2 sites were occupied in these areas in the interval of 14C 5000-3000 BP andceased to exist at the same time, probably, because of natural disaster. After a longperiod this area was reoccupied in the early 2nd mill. BC. It is suggested that colonizationadvanced from the Sea of Okhotsk along the Elovka River valley. The sites excavatedon Lake Naksha are associated with a historical personality, i. e. Itelmes KasheiKhobinov.