The new archaeological complex of the early Neolithic in the south of Kamchatka

Cultural processes in the first half of the Holocene are an essential aspect of archaeological research in Kamchatka. During this period, Final Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Early and Late Neolithic cultures successively replaced each other on the peninsula. The preconditions and mechanisms of these cultural transformations, the nature of the continuity and interconnections of archaeological traditions are the subject of discussion. In the context of such discussions, along with the Ushki I-V complexes, the Avacha site takes a significant place. The assemblages of this settlement make it possible to study the dynamics of cultural development in the Holocene of Kamchatka. During the revision of the Avacha collections, we revealed a series of stone artifacts, which sharply contrasts with the well-known complexes of the Tarya culture of the site. The results of the study allow us to consider this collection as an independent complex, which could be a new cultural component of the Avacha site. The lithic industry of the site has a strict focus on obtaining large blades and bladelets with a regular prismatic faceting and a high elongation index. New Avacha component has similarities with the Early Neolithic technical complex of Kamchatka, distinguished by a developed prismatic technology, mass production of tools from blades, including stemmed projectile points. While the most of the previously identified sites of this complex were discovered in the continental part of the Kamchatka, the Early Neolithic Avacha complex may indicate one of the most ancient episodes of the Neolithic hunters reaching the Pacific coast.