Stratification of Neolithic ceramic complexes in the Konda river basin

Purpose. Over the past 40 years, dozens of pit-houses, semi-dugouts, above-ground huts, hearth-like structures, and burial grounds have been investigated on the territory of the Konda River basin. Classification of cultural artifacts is based on stylistic attributes and distinctions of ceramics, while chronology rests on conventional 14C dating. At the present stage, one of the most important tasks is to develop the chronology and periodization of the Neolithic sites located in the Konda River basin. The starting point in the solution of this problem should be the multilayer stratified habitation sites. This paper presents the results of the investigation of Mulymya-3 settlement, which is one of such sites. Results. In 2019, early Neolithic stratified complexes were studied in Mulymya-3 settlement. The excavations of the early buildings revealed that among the predominant artifacts of flat-bottomed dishes, there also were layers of Shoushma and Sumpanya type pottery. The stroke-ornamented ware, i. e. flat-bottomed ceramic dishes with collars and rims, were classified as “Mulymya type pottery”. 14C dating of the soot from a flat-bottomed vessel suggested that the site was more or less continuously occupied between 6 690-6 500 cal. BC. Conclusion: The artifacts from Mulymya-3 settlement made it possible to shift the lower boundary of the Neolithic age in the Konda River basin to earlier dates. A typical feature of the earliest period (6 600 / 6 500 - 3 600 / 3 400 cal. BC) is Mulymya, Shoushma, and Umytinsky type pottery characterized by original traditions of ceramic production. The appearance of pottery in the second third of the 7th millennium BC did not affect the traditional economy of taiga societies. The stone-working technique was based on fracturing technologies (percussion flaking, pressure flaking, chipping, splintering), abrasive processing, and battering. In the 6th millennium BC, the people belonging to Shoushma and Umytinsky cultures started contacting with each other, which can be proved by dishes of both types found in the excavated pit-dwelling in similar stratigraphic conditions. Another proof is the appearance of mixed-looking pottery, in particular dishes of the Sumpanya type. From the end of the 6th millennium, the Shoushma pottery traditions were gradually degrading. From that time and until the turn of the 5th-4th millennia BC the Konda River basin was inhabited by the Umytinsky population. It is probable that those were the people who continued the tradition of making flat-bottomed dishes (Satyginsky / Boborykinsky type pottery).