[Special section on volcanic glass] LATE PLEISTOCENE AND EARLY HOLOCENE USES OF BASALTIC GLASS IN PRIMORYE, FAR EAST RUSSIA: A NEW PERSPECTIVE BASED ON SITES NEAR THE SOURCES

Authors

  • Nikolay A. Kluyev Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnography, Russian Academy of Sciences, 89 Pushkinskaya St., Vladivostok, 690950, Russia
  • Igor Y. Sleptsov Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnography, Russian Academy of Sciences, 89 Pushkinskaya St., Vladivostok, 690950, Russia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7152/bippa.v27i0.11984

Abstract

Basaltic glass artefacts are common at many sites dating from the Late Pleistocene-Early Holocene in the Primorye region of Far East Russia. Sourcing by various geochemical techniques indicates that the vast majority are derived from outcrops in the nearby Shkotovo Plateau. This raises the problem of where and how the large quantities of basaltic glass were acquired: e.g. through trade, embedded procurement, or direct access to outcrops. A recent survey has located 10 new sites (Tigrovy 1-10) on river terraces near these basaltic glass sources. Study of the material can provide information about which form of procurement was used in the past. Some of the sites are proposed as primary `quarries,' whereas others are hypothesised as temporary camps or longer term base camps. Our preliminary conclusion is that the sites located near the sources are linked to distant settlement sites, possibly as part of seasonal movements between the forest and the river valleys.

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Published

2007-09-07