New results of research into the Tokarev culture of northern Sea of Okhotsk region

The article presents new results of interdisciplinary research into the Tokarev culture conducted in 2019. Paleogenetic analysis has shown that the ancestors of the carriers of the Tokarev culture belonged to haplogroup G1b of mtDNA and haplogroup Q-B143 of Y-DNA, and lived in the Kolyma River basin at the turn of the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene. The ancient inhabitants of the Olskaya site belonged to mtDNA haplogroups D2a1, and turned out to be close relatives of an individual from the Paleoeskimo Saqqaq culture (Greenland). Technical and technological analysis of pottery fragments from the ancient sites of the Northern Sea of Okhotsk region was performed. The presence of chamotte (crushed ceramics) mineral additives has been found for the first time in this region, which fosters further research and correlation studies of ancient pottery found in the region. A new date obtained from charcoal sample from the filling of a large flat-bottomed vessel from the Spafaryev site shows that this type of pottery spread at the late stages of the Tokarev culture and was probably associated with the migration of the ancient Amur tribes to the north. For the first time, technological and experimental-trace analysis of stone pendants of the Tokarev culture has been carried out. The identified production sequence of personal adornments at the Spafaryev site included several stages, such as selection and transportation of raw materials to the site, processing by grinding, making holes for hanging, and drawing ornamental decoration or stylized image. The data shows the uniqueness and complexity of the emergence and development of the Tokarev culture, which was based on several different genetic and cultural components: the Paleoeskimo and Paleo-Aleut component, inland Kolyma component, and the Lower Amur component in the later stages of its existence.