Field research at the Olskaya site (Northern Sea of Okhotsk region) in 2023

This article presents the results of excavations at the Olskaya settlement located on the northern coast of the Sea of Okhotsk in 2023. This is a referential site for the Tokarev archaeological culture, which dates back to the 5th century BC 4th century AD. The 12 sq. m excavation resulted in extensive faunal collection of over 9000 bone fragments belonging to animals, fish, and birds, and over 900 new artifacts in the archaeological collection. Stone artifacts included spearheads, arrowheads, knives, scrapers, adzes, chisels, etc. The bone toolkit contained harpoon heads andfish spearheads, arrowheads, needles, needle cases, perforators, polishers, adzes, hoes, etc. with direct parallels among the evidence from the sites on Zavyalova and Spafaryeva Islands. Particularly interesting were decorated bone objects, such as combs and harpoon heads. The material evidence from the site was generally typical of the Northern Okhotsk Tokarev culture. The discovery of a wood slab reinforces previous evidence of woodworking skills used for architectural purposes in the Tokarev culture. The discovery of dog bones indicates that dog breeding was widespread among the inhabitants of the Olskaya site, and a fragment of a woven mat illustrates the skills of making household items from plant materials. The study significantly expands our knowledge of cultural and economic practices among the Olskaya dwellers and contributes to better understanding of culture and life among the ancient inhabitants of the northern coast of Sea of Okhotsk in the first millennium BC-first half of the first millennium AD.