Kamskaya Neolithic culture in northeastern Europe

The author summarizes and systematizes the data on the Kamskaya Neolithic culture in the northeast of Europe (the territory of the modern Komi Republic, Arkhangelsk Oblast and the northern part of the Perm kray). At present 18 sites belonged to this culture have been identified in the basins of the rivers Vychegda, Pinega and Vishera. They represent its northern province of distribution, the length of which in the region is more than 1000 km (from southeast to northwest). The data of geochronometry and comparison of analogies from the territories of the East European and West Siberian plains determine that the most probable time of existence of this culture in the region was the VI millennium BC. A stable feature of the Kamskaya culture is ceramic ware made of clay with an admixture of chamotte and decorated with comb ornament. Its peculiarities in the basin of the Vychegda River are a small number of pots in complexes (from 1 to 5) and typological homogeneity. It indicates the short-term duration of this tradition and the lack of links with the population of other cultures. Ceramics in the basin of the Vyshera River are characterized by a great variety of decoration and provide an evidence of the connections between the population of different cultures. Flint knapping is situational and selective. The special and most stable feature of toolkit is the bifacial diamond-shaped or leaf-shaped arrowheads of short proportions. The tools made of other rocks are relatively well represented with chopping tools, abrasives, and fishing weights. In the assemblages of the Vishera river basin the signs of correction of traditions of stone processing to the peculiarities of raw materials of the region are revealed. It can indicate their more significant metamorphoses as they moved away from the original territory of culture. The complex data such as topography of monuments, qualitative and quantitative characteristics of stone tools, indicate a significant role of fishing in the Kamskaya culture’s economy. As a result of the research the peculiarities of this culture in the northeast of Europe and possible transformations of its elements in different habitats of the Vychegda and Vishera rivers basin were revealed. The main factors that influenced this difference were natural and climatic conditions and different population densities.