Title
The twilight of Paleolithic Siberia: Humans and their environments east of Lake Baikal at the late-glacial/Holocene transition
Document Type
Article
Department or Administrative Unit
Anthropology and Museum Studies
Publication Date
10-15-2011
Abstract
Numerous archaeological sites in Eastern Siberia and the Russian Far East are assigned to the Younger Dryas that testify to human occupation of the area despite a re-advance of steppe biota beginning around 11,000 14C BP (ca. 12,850 cal BP). Archaeological sites are primarily associated with low-energy alluvial landforms where preservation is excellent, but some are heavily disturbed by cryogenic processes. Fish bones and other direct evidence of aquatic resource exploitation appeared while terrestrial hunting persisted. Technologically there was continuation of microblades, bifaces, and burins, but also harpoons, composite tools, and even pottery emerged in some areas. The Younger Dryas in Eastern Siberia and the Russian Far East was in many ways a watershed between Upper Paleolithic lifeways of the late Pleistocene and more settled Mesolithic traditions of the early Holocene.
Recommended Citation
Buvit, I., & Terry, K. (2011). The twilight of Paleolithic Siberia: Humans and their environments east of Lake Baikal at the late-glacial/Holocene transition. Quaternary International, 242(2), 379–400. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2011.05.003
Journal
Quaternary International
Rights
Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved.
Comments
This article was originally published in Quaternary International. The full-text article from the publisher can be found here.
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