Muzeum Archeologiczne w Poznaniu [Hrsg.]: Fontes Archaeologici Posnanienses: Annales Musei Archaeologici Posnaniensis (48.2012)

Font es Archaeologici Posnanienses
Vol. 48 Poznań 2012

The oldest pottery and Neolithisation
of Eastern Europę

Andrey Mazurkeyich1, Ekaterina Dolbunoya2

Najstarsza ceramika i neolityzacja Europy Wschodniej

Site Rakushechny Yar situated in the south of
Eastern Europę on the river Don (Fig. 1) is one of
the oldest early Neolithic sites of the region. Inyesti-
gations of last years showed a particular importance
of these materials in the discussion of the ąuestion
of Near Eastern “Neolithic package” diffusion and
Neolithisation of Eastern Europę. The beginning
of Rakushechnoyarskaya culture can be conflated
with radiocarbon dates obtained on the basis of
carbonised materiał conserved on the vessels walls
from layer 20 - 7290±50 BP (Ua-37097), 7930±140
BP (Ki-6476); 7860±130 BP (Ki-6477); 7690±110
BP (Ki-6475); layer 15 - 7040±100 BP (Ki-6480);
6930E100 BP (Ki-100); 6950±100 BP (Ki-6479);
layer 8 - 6070±100 BP (Bln-704).

This site was excavated (approx. 1000 sq. m) by
expedition of Leningrad University under the direc-
tion of T. D. Belanovskaya in the 1960s (Belanovskaya
1995:9-12). Cultural layer of the site Rakushechny Yar
consists of several isolated outcrops of different sizes
often rather distant from each other where excava-
tions II, III, IV, V were madę. Excavation I was madę
in the central part of the site. A very precise lithology
of the site allowed Belanovskaya to divide it into 6
horizons (several layers were distinguished inside the
sixth). Ali of them were named as cultural layers that
were separated by sterile interlayers. Layers 9-23 were
attributed to early Neolithic. D. Y. Telegin suggested a
generalized stratigraphical scheme attributing mate-

riał from Iow layers to early Neolithic (Telegin 1981).
Detailed stratigraphy developed by Belanovskaya is
supposed to be morę precise and morę prospective.

Investigation of pottery from the excavations of
Belanovskaya housed in The State Hermitage Mu-
seum allowed us to gain new insight into the earliest
pottery of Eastern Europę. Pottery from layers 23-
14 was chosen for this research. It consists of 816
fragments of vessels walls and rims, 69 fragments of
bases from approx 216 vessels (Fig. 2; 3; 4; 5; 6).

Methods of inyestigation

Pottery analysis was regarded as a system that
was analyzed through seyeral subsystems - morpho-
logical, decorative and technology of pottery making
(Shepard 1956; Bobrinskii 1978; Rye 1981; Rice 1987;
Gosselain 2002; Shapova 1994). Such system analysis
in combination with natural-scientific, ethnographi-
cal and experimental data allowed us to create a pre-
cise model of ancient ceramic production. Ceramic
traditions appeared to be one of the elements of this
model which are characterized by a rangę of definite
repeated technological operations formed during the
lifetime of seyeral generations that makes them a cul-
ture determinant feature. Thus, they are supposed to
be markers of cultural-historical processes that oc-
curred in the past. Description of ceramic traditions
allows understanding of mechanisms and character
of “Neolithic package” diffusion.

Andrey Mazurkevich, State Hermitage Museum, Department of Archaeology of Eastern Europę and Siberia, Dvortsovaya Naberezhnaya
34, St Petersburg 190000, Russia, e-mail: [e-mail].

Ekaterina Dolbunova, State Hermitage Museum, Department of Archaeology of Eastern Europę and Siberia, Dvortsovaya Naberezhnaya
34, St Petersburg 190000, Russia, e-mail: [e-mail].