Artifacts of the paleometal age from the Ust-Ulma III site in Amur region

Three sites of Ust-Ulma I-III were explored in the 1980s in the Mazanovsky District of Amur Region, at the mouth of the Ulma River which flows into the Selemdzha River, on its left side. Essentially, the evidence from these sites represents the Late Paleolithic Selemdzha culture. However, the upper cultural layer at these sites contained the evidence both from the Neolithic (Ust-Ulma I) and the Paleometal Age. Most of the artifacts, including pottery fragments of different periods, bronze objects, and stone tools come from the Ust-Ulma III site. Their study has shown that they belonged to two periods of the Paleometal Age. Fragments of vessel rims of the Uril and Talakan cultures of the Early Iron Age, as well as Mikhailovka culture of the Early Middle Ages have been unambiguously identified. There were a few finds of the Uril pottery, but a bronze knife of distinctive shape belonging to this culture was discovered at the nearby Ust-Ulma I site. The largest number of pottery fragments, one bronze adornment, and one stone polished tool of distinctive shape are definitely associated with the Talakan culture. Different pottery fragments of the Mikhailovka culture have revealed that they belonged to about ten vessels; however, there were not many fragments belonging to this culture at the excavated site. Introduction of this small pottery collection into scholarly use has made it possible to place one more location of the Uril, Talakan and Mikhailovka cultures on the archaeological map of Amur Region. In addition, the evidence of the Late Neolithic Osinoozersk culture was present at the nearby Ust-Ulma I site.