Radiocarbon in Vegetation of coastal Zone of Finnish Bay (Russia)

AbstractRadiocarbon is a radioactive isotope of carbon, which is forming in the nature constantly by interaction of cosmic fast neutrons and nitrogen nuclei at the low atmospheric layers. Another source of radiocarbon in the environment is pollution in processes of Nuclear Power Plant exploitation. The expanding construction of nuclear industrial plants and nuclear power stations on the shores of the Baltic Sea is creating a real possibility for the introduction of radioactive wastes into environment of Finnish Bay basin. The activity of radiocarbon in the plant of coastal zone was determined by a system of Sample Oxidizer 307 and low-level liquid scintillation system Quantulus 1220 (Wallace, Turku, Finland) The Radiocarbon analysis is a sensitive tool for the registration of pollution. The variations of radiocarbon concentration in the one-years grasses can be used as an indicator of carbon dioxide pollution of the urban environment. The variation of radiocarbon in tree-rings reflects the local and global radioactive contaminations

On the Origin of the Caspian Culture

Introduction. The territory of Lower Volga occupies a special place in studying the cultural genesis of Eastern Europe. Prominent cultures of the Eneolithic and Early Bronze Age were formed there and played an important role in the formation of the Volga-Ural hearth of cultural genesis. Equally important is the problem of the origin of the Caspian culture, with which researchers associate the beginning of the spread of cattle breeding and the emergence of the first copper products in the Volga steppe. Methods and discussion. The researchers expressed quite similar views on this issue. The process of Caspian culture origin in the Lower Volga region was considered as autochthonous with the participation of northern components. The substrate basis was the Oryol culture, and the superstrate was the societies of the Volga region forest-steppe. The comprehensive analysis of Volga steppe materials allows offering an alternative view of the Caspian culture genesis. The appearance of several features (collar-like thickening, a combed stamp, the technique of increased spin, producing economy, the dominance of quartzite raw materials for the manufacture of tools, the technique of forced squeezing in the receipt of logs, the emergence of producing farming in the form of cattle breeding, etc.) is associated not with the northern foreststeppe and forest-steppe, but with western components. The comparative analysis of radiocarbon dates of the forest-steppe and steppe Volga, Northern Caspian Sea and Don area supports this version. The chronological priority is fixed for materials of the Don area and Azov region. It is in these areas that the leading features characteristic of the Caspian culture appeared earlier. Results. The earlier complexes of the Caspian culture were formed in the Northern Caspian about 5700 BC. Later its penetration into the Lower and forest-steppe Volga Basin was recorded

The 8200 calBP climate event and the spread of the Neolithic in Eastern Europe

At 8200 calBP, the beginning of the Atlantic period, there was a drastic change from warm and humid climatic conditions to cold conditions. The abrupt cooling at 8200 calBP has been documented in different parts of Europe. In western, and some parts of southern, Europe, this event was a trigger for new forms of economy and migrations of groups of Neolithic farmers. This paper considers the different ways in which ceramic traditions developed in eastern Europe in the steppe,steppe-forest and forest zones as a result of the rapid climate changes at about 8200 calBP.V času okoli 8200 calBP, to je na začetku obdobja atlantika, je prišlo do korenite spremembe klime, od toplih in vlažnih pogojev do ohladitev. Nenadna ohladitev v času 8200 calBP je dokumentirana v različnih delih Evrope. V zahodni in v delu južne Evrope je dogodek sprožil nove oblike gospodarstev in preseljevanje skupin neolitskih poljedelcev. V članku razpravljamo o različnih oblikah razvoja keramičnih tradicij na stepskih, gozdno-stepskih in gozdnih območjih v vzhodni Evropi kot posledico te hitre klimatske spremembe v času 8200 calBP

On the chronological aspect of productive economy origin in the lower Volga region

Peer reviewe

Nove interdisciplinarne raziskave neolitskih in eneolitskih najdišč na območju Spodnje Volge

The Neolithic and Eneolithic sites in the Low Volga River region have been poorly investigated in comparison with other territories due to a small number of excavated sites. On the Algay site and the Oroshaemoe I settlement there is evidence of the earliest appearance of Neolithic pottery and the first sign of domestication in the Eneolithic period within the Volgo-Ural territory. Archaeological, lithological, grain-size analyses, mineralogical-geochemical methods and radiocarbon dating of cultural deposits have been applied to reconstruct the palaeoenvironment in the Holocene in this area. The results show that the landscape-climatic conditions in the steppe area of the Lower Volga basin strongly affected the development and adaptation of ancient societies.Neolitska in eneolitska najdišča na območju Spodnje Volge so bila v preteklosti zaradi maloštevilnih izkopavanj slabše raziskana v primerjavi z drugimi regijami. Na najdiščih Algay in Oroshaemoe I smo odkrili najstarejši pojav neolitske lončenine in prve znake domestikacije v obdobju eneolitika na območju Volge in Urala. Za rekonstruiranje holocenskega paleookolja na tem območju smo uporabili arheološke, litološke metode, analize velikosti zrn, mineraloško-geokemične metode in radiokarbonsko datiranje kulturnih ostalin. Rezultati kažejo, da so okoljski in klimatski pogoji na območju stepe ob Spodnji Volgi močno vplivali na razvoj in prilagoditve preteklih družb

Periodization and Chronology of the Eneolithic in the Upper and Middle Kama Regions

The territory of the Upper and Middle Kama regions is important for study on account of the Turbino sites that have been open there. Artifacts of this type have also been found in Finland. Subsequently, there have been several topics of discussion. Some archaeologists considered the Garino cultural complexes to be from an earlier period, while others supposed that they had appeared simultaneously with the Bor cultural type. The single radiocarbon dates were only obtained for the Garino culture. Therefore, the periodization and chronology of the Eneolithic in the Kama region have not been developed. In recent years, new archaeological sites have been excavated and a series of radiocarbon dates have been obtained for both types of cultures. This allowed us to work out the periodization and chronology of the Eneolithic of the Upper and Middle Kama regions in more detail. The chronological framework of the Garino culture was determined from 4500 BP to 3500 BP (ca. 3500-1600 calBC). The sites of the Bor cultural type were occupied from 4200 BP to 3900 BP (ca. 3000-2200 calBC). Thus, the chronological priority of the Garino culture is established. According to the typological and chronological framework, two stages in the development of the Garino culture were elaborated. The coexistence of the Garino and Bor complexes had a place at the end of the early stage of the Garino culture

The Development of Early Pottery in the Forest Zone of the Middle Volga Region (Eastern Europe)

The article is devoted to the Neolithisation in the forest zone of the Middle Volga River basin. The different conceptions of the process are considered. The archaeological materials from different sites located on this territory and neighbouring regions have been compared. The question was raised regarding animal domestication and its attributes in the forest zone of the Volga region in the Neolithic period. The hypothesis that pottery spread in the forest zone of the Middle Volga region under the influence of cultures from a forest-steppe zone of the Volga region was examined, and the chronological frame of this process was determined. However, the process has been essentially one of migration and was not autochthonous. The mobile lifestyle of early Neolithic hunters played a major part in their movements and did not connect with a productive economy (i.e. domestication). An indicator of these changes is pottery style. For the forest zone of the Middle Volga region, the earliest Neolithic vessels are characterized by rare ornamental patterns that appeared earlier than other types

The Neolithic evolution and cultural transformations in the Povolzhye region (Eastern Europe)

The article is devoted to the analysis of Neolithic cultures in the Povolzhye region. Several synchronic archaeological complexes were compared. New data about the development and cultural changes of Neolithic communities were obtained. The processes of transition in the development of Neolithic cultures of the Povolzhye region were considered

New Data on the Chronology and Development of Cattle Breading During the Eneolithic and Early Bronze Age in the Southern Ural Region

Introduction. The article considers the features of cattle breeding and consumption of meat products in the Eneolithic cultures (the Samara culture) and the Early Bronze Age cultures (the Repin stage of the Pit Grave culture) on the territory of the Southern Urals (the Samara Trans-Volga region). The paper specifies the chronology of these cultures on the base of radiocarbon dating. The main site for the study was Turganik settlement located in the Southern Ural region (Orenburg region). Methods. More than 800 m2 of the settlement area was excavated. There were six paleosoil layers. Four upper layers were empty, without artifacts. The sixth layer contained Eneolithic finds. The fifth layer contained finds of the Early Bronze Age. The archaeozoological collection was analyzed in accordance with the methodological scheme developed by E.E. Antipina. For radiocarbon dating collagen was treated from bone samples on the base of the standard procedure and radiocarbon activity was measured by Quantulus 1220 low background scintillation counter. Analysis and Results. As a result 32 radiocarbon dates were obtained on animal bones and on organics from pottery of different types from different cultural layers of Turganik settlement. The Eneolithic complex includes ceramics, flint and bone tools. The paper specifies the finds of developed and later stages of the Samara culture. The artifacts of the second stage of the Samara culture were dated to 4900–4500 cal BC. The artifacts of the later stage belong to the period of 4300–3800 cal BC. We suggest that from the Early Eneolithic local people practiced cattle breeding without agriculture. Hunting played a secondary role and fishing was poorly developed. Beef was the main food in the people’s diet during the Eneolithic period. The Early Bronze Age assemblage includes ceramics of the Repin stage of the Pit Grave culture, stone macro-tools, flint arrowheads, items made of bones and copper, slags and scarps of copper ore. The technological analysis supported that ceramics belong to the Pit Grave culture. The layer age is from 3800 to 3300 cal BC. During the Repin stage the role of sheep breeding was increased and consumption of sheep meat prevailed in comparison with the Eneolithic period. This is an evidence of the transition to the nomadic form of stock breeding