New data on the cultural and chronological sequence at the Domashnee Ozero site in Central Kamchatka

This article presents the results of fieldwork done in 2022-2023 at Domashnee Ozero one of referential archaeological sites of the Tarya culture in the Kamchatka River valley. Field research was aimed at archaeological and geophysical monitoring of the site, clarifying its stratigraphy, chronology, and structure of archaeological complexes, and establishing technical, typological, and cultural features of the evidence. Excavations and stratigraphic analysis revealed at least two habitation stages at the site, separated by a chronological gap of about 4000-4500 uncal. years. This fact is fundamental for understanding cultural dynamics in the region. The earliest habitation event was associated with the assemblage of newly identified cultural horizon 2 located in the upper part of lithological layer 16 which was overcovered by Khangar tephra of6900 uncal. BP and underlain by a sterile layer of sandy loam with inclusions of lenses and tephra spots of the Shiveluch volcano of8300 uncal. BP. The complex contained the evidence of blade and microblade production from prismatic cores, including items manufactured by pressure technique. This technology appeared in Kamchatka in the InitialHolocene, its most complete and territorially close parallels are known from the Mesolithic Ushki tradition of7500-7800 uncal. BP. The later habitation at the Domashnee Ozero site was manifested by the deposits of layer 13 in cultural horizon 1 and was associated with the Late Neolithic Tarya culture. The finds correspond to the level of a Tarya settlement with sunken dwellings discovered by N.N. Dikov in the 1960s, and are underlain by the Shiveluch volcanic tephra of 2550 uncal. BP. These results show the need to revise the prevailing concepts about the Tarya complex of Domashnee Ozero, which had been possibly based on analysis of mixed deposits with admixture of ancient laminar component.