TY - JOUR

T1 - New data on the chronology of the initial Neolithic Gromatukha culture, Western Amur region

AU - Derevianko, A. P.

AU - Derevianko, E. I.

AU - Nesterov, S. P.

AU - Tabarev, A. V.

AU - Uchida, Kazunori

AU - Kunikita, Dai

AU - Morisaki, Kazuki

AU - Matsuzaki, Hiroyuki

PY - 2017

Y1 - 2017

N2 - Since its discovery in the early 1960s, the chronology of the Neolithic Gromatukha culture in the Western Amur region has undergone radical changes. After the appearance of a series of carbon dates based on charcoal and organic remains in clay texture, its initial attribution to the Early and Middle Neolithic (second half of the 5th to 4th millennia BC) was replaced by a much earlier estimate (from 16-15 to 8 cal ka BP). As a result, Gromatukha became not only one of the most ancient Early Neolithic cultures in the Amur Region, but also one with the earliest pottery among forest and riverine hunter-gatherer cultures. To date, its absolute chronology is based on 34 dates, comprising 9 derived from charcoal, 8 from organic remains in clay texture, and 17 from samples of charred remains on pottery. The latter are analyzed in this article. Comparison of the chronological limits of Gromatukha culture demonstrates that the widest of them concern dates based on organic remains in clay texture (16,260-8010 cal BP); narrower limits relate to estimates based on charred remains on pottery (15,010-9550 cal BP); and the narrowest limits to those based on charcoal (14,820-11,200 cal BP). A new series of dates based on charred remains on pottery indicates a span of 5460 years, which is 2790 years less than that based on organic remains in clay texture, and 1840 years more than what the charcoal-derived estimates suggest.

AB - Since its discovery in the early 1960s, the chronology of the Neolithic Gromatukha culture in the Western Amur region has undergone radical changes. After the appearance of a series of carbon dates based on charcoal and organic remains in clay texture, its initial attribution to the Early and Middle Neolithic (second half of the 5th to 4th millennia BC) was replaced by a much earlier estimate (from 16-15 to 8 cal ka BP). As a result, Gromatukha became not only one of the most ancient Early Neolithic cultures in the Amur Region, but also one with the earliest pottery among forest and riverine hunter-gatherer cultures. To date, its absolute chronology is based on 34 dates, comprising 9 derived from charcoal, 8 from organic remains in clay texture, and 17 from samples of charred remains on pottery. The latter are analyzed in this article. Comparison of the chronological limits of Gromatukha culture demonstrates that the widest of them concern dates based on organic remains in clay texture (16,260-8010 cal BP); narrower limits relate to estimates based on charred remains on pottery (15,010-9550 cal BP); and the narrowest limits to those based on charcoal (14,820-11,200 cal BP). A new series of dates based on charred remains on pottery indicates a span of 5460 years, which is 2790 years less than that based on organic remains in clay texture, and 1840 years more than what the charcoal-derived estimates suggest.

KW - AMS carbon dating

KW - Gromatukha culture

KW - Initial Neolithic

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85040236670&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.17746/1563-0110.2017.45.4.003-012

DO - 10.17746/1563-0110.2017.45.4.003-012

M3 - Review article

AN - SCOPUS:85040236670

VL - 45

SP - 3

EP - 12

JO - Archaeology, Ethnology and Anthropology of Eurasia

JF - Archaeology, Ethnology and Anthropology of Eurasia

SN - 1563-0110

IS - 4

ER -