Radiocarbon Chronology of the Shigir and Gorbunovo Archaeological Bog Sites, Middle Urals, Russia

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Two well-known archaeological sites, the peat bogs of Shigir and Gorbunovo (Middle Urals, Russia), have been radiocarbon dated (61 conventional and accelerator mass spectrometry [AMS] dates from various natural and artifact samples). For the first time, a detailed chronology of Early to Late Mesolithic and Early Neolithic occupation for this region has been obtained, and a paleoenvironmental history reconstructed. Based on these results, we propose that the Mesolithic settlement of the Middle Urals region started in the early Holocene, at the same time as in central and eastern Europe.

Chronology of the perishables: first AMS 14C dates of wooden artefacts from Aeneolithic–Bronze Age waterlogged sites in the Trans-Urals, Russia

“…The mean value of these 14 C dates is c. 8680+ − 45 BP, which corresponds to the calibrated age of 7820-7590 cal BC (at + − 2σ ). This large figurine, which has a surviving height of 2.5m (see Chairkina 2010a: 87) and could have been up to 5.3m high, may now be considered of Mesolithic age as was suggested earlier (see Serikov 2000: 129), and conforms to the general date of Mesolithic complexes in the Trans-Urals of c. 7800 cal BC (Zaretskaya et al 2012).…”

“…The new dates may be placed in the chronological sequence now developing for the Trans-Urals (e.g. Chairkina 2010a; Zaretskaya et al 2012). Among the earliest dated objects is the wooden 'Big Shigirsky Idol' which has given three 14 C dates (all by conventional 14 C method): 8680+ − 140 BP (GIN-9467/1) and 8750+ − 60 BP (GIN-9467/2) (for the same…”

Another Way of Early Pottery Distribution in Eastern Europe? Case Study of the Pezmog 4 Site, European Far Northeast

“…Most of the samples were dated conventionally at the Geological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow (laboratory code GIN), using standard pretreatment procedures (Zaretskaya 2005;Zaretskaya et al 2005Zaretskaya et al , 2012. Cultural-bearing deposits (silty peat) along with peat and charcoal samples were pretreated and dated according to the routine acid-alkali-acid (AAA) procedure: after cleansing of the sample in hot 5% HCl dilution, it was washed with distilled water, then boiled for 20 min in 2% dilution of NaOH.…”

Early Mesolithic bone projectile points of the Urals

“…BP (9600-8400 cal. BC; Khotinskiĭ 1977;Zaretskaya et al 2012;. Only a few of them were actually excavated, but they include sites with bone projectile points used during these periods.…”