New Look at the Early Holocene Complexes of the Lake Baikal Coast: a Revision of the Stratigraphic Analysis and Radiocarbon Dating of the Sagan-Nouge Site

A. G. Novikov; O. I. Goriunova

List of issues > «Geoarchaeology, Ethnology, and Anthropology Series». 2017. Vol. 19

New Look at the Early Holocene Complexes of the Lake Baikal Coast: a Revision of the Stratigraphic Analysis and Radiocarbon Dating of the Sagan-Nouge Site

Full text (russian)

Author(s)

A. G. Novikov, O. I. Goriunova

Abstract

For the first time, the publication of archaeological materials of Early Holocene complexes (XI–VI layers) of the multilayered site Sagan-Nouge is given in full size. This site is located in the same named bay of the Mukhor Gulf (Little Sea of Lake Baikal). A clear stratigraphic situation and sufficiently informative archaeological materials make it possible to consider this object as a reference in the study of ancient cultures of the Early Holocene of the region. Determination of the age of cultural layers is based on the analysis of stratigraphy of sediments, their radiocarbon dating, comparison of morphological features of archaeological materials and analogies with synchronous complexes of Cis-Olkhon region objects. New AMS-dates from the Sagan-Nouge site, obtained from the bones of a hoofed mammal, have shown the need of revising and refining the cultural-chronological schemes of the Mesolithic of Cis-Olkhon region, which were developed earlier, mainly on the basis of dates from soil samples. At present, complexes of XI–X layers are referred to the Late Preboreal (11.0–10.2 cal ka BP). Complexes of the IX and VIII layers are compared with the Boreal (10.2–8.4 cal ka BP). The soil layers containing VII–VI cultural layers dates in the period 8.4–8.2 cal ka BP. For the Late Preboreal the typical tools are from prismatic blades (inserts with marginal retouch, longitudinal burin, cutting tools, notched tools). The new tools are the median-single burin and many-faceted burin. The present materials are not sufficient to characterize complexes of boreal time. The most representative collection was noted in complexes comparable to the early phases of the Atlantic period (VII–VI layers). They are dominated by prismatic blades, that were the main source for the most instruments. There are polyhedral burin, core burin and polished tools. It is established that archaeological materials in the Mesolithic layers are located in separate clusters, with the predominance of the household complexes. The X layer was marked by the production area.

Keywords

Lake Baikal, Cis-Olkhon region, Early Holocene, Mesolithic, geoarcheological object, multilayered site, stratigraphy, radiocarbon dating

UDC

903(571.53)"627"

References

Baruzdin Yu. D., Gorbunova N. G, Pshenitsyna M. N. Poselenie i mogilniki bukhty Sagan-Nuge [Settlement and cemeteries of the Sagan-Nuge bay]. Drevnosti Baikala [Antiquities of Baikal]. Irkutsk, 1992, pp. 56–59. (In Russ.)

Goriunova O. I. Raskopki poseleniya Sagan-Nuge na Baikale [Excavations of the settlement Sagan-Nuge on the Lake Baikal]. Arkheologicheskie otkrytiya 1983 goda [Archaeological Discoveries of 1983]. Moscow, 1985, pp. 197–198. (In Russ.)

Goriunova O. I. Mnogosloinaya stoyanka Sagan-Nuge [Multilayer settlement Sagan-Nuge]. Stratigrafiya, paleogeografiya i arkheologiya yuga Srednei Sibiri: K XIII Kongressu INKVA [Stratigraphy, Paleogeography and Archaeology of the South of Central Siberia: To the XIII Congress SNCR]. Irkutsk, 1990, pp. 133–137, fig. 78–81. (In Russ.)

Goriunova O. I. Mezoliticheskie pamyatniki Olkhonskogo raiona (k arkheologicheskoi karte Irkutskoi oblasti) [Mesolithic sites of the Cis-Olkhon region (to the archaeological map of the Irkutsk region)]. Paleoetnologicheskie issledovaniya na yuge Srednei Sibiri [Paleoethnological research in the South of Central Siberia]. Irkutsk, 1991, pp. 62–70, 200–204. (In Russ.)

Goriunova O. I., Novikov A. G. Beskeramicheskie kompleksy Priolhoniya (oz. Baikal) [The ceramicless complexes of the Cis-Olkhon region (Lake Baikal)]. Arhaicheskie i tradicionnye kultury Severo-Vostochnoi Azii. Problemy proishozhdeniya i transkontinentalnykh svyazei [Archaic and traditional culture of the North-East Asia. Problems of origin and transcontinental connections]. Irkutsk, 2000, pp. 51–57. (In Russ.)

Goriunova O. I., Svinin V. V. Olkhonskii raion: Materialy k Svodu pamyatnikov istorii i kultury Irkutskoi oblasti [Olkhon region: Materials to the list of historical and cultural sites of Irkutsk region]. Irkutsk, Arkom Publ., 1996, Part 2: Mainland area from Cape Elokhin to Cape Ulan, 213 p. (In Russ.)

Goriunova O. I., Vorobieva G. A. Osobennosti prirodnoi obstanovki i materialnaya kultura Priolkhoniya v golotsene [Characteristics of the natural environment and material culture of the Cis-Olkhon region during the Holocene]. Paleoekonomika Sibiri [Paleoeconomy of Siberia]. Novosibirsk, 1986, pp. 40–54. (In Russ.)

Goriunova O. I., Vorobieva G. A. Arkheologicheskie kompleksy i prirodnaya obstanovka rannego golotsena Priolkhoniya (ozero Baikal) [Archaeological complexes and the natural conditions of the Early Holocene of the Cis-Olkhon region (Lake Baikal)]. Problemy istorii i kultury kochevykh tsivilizatsii Tsentralnoi Azii [The problems of the history and culture of nomadic civilizations in Central Asia]. Ulan-Ude, 2000, Vol. 1: Archaeology. Ethnology, pp. 50–55. (In Russ.)

Goriunova O. I., Vorobieva G. A., Orlova L. A. Novye dannye po chronologii mnog-osloinyh poselenii Priolhoniya [New data on the chronology of multilayer sites of the Cis-Olkhon region]. Noveishie arheologicheskie i etnograficheskie otkrytiya v Sibiri [Recent archaeological and ethnographic discoveries in Siberia]. Novosibirsk, 1996, pp. 57–59. (In Russ.)

Goriunova O. I., Nomokonova T. Yu., Losey R. J., Novikov A. G., Weber A. W. Ra-diouglerodnoe datirovanie neoliticheskikh kompleksov Priolkhoniya (po materialam mnogosloinogo poseleniya Sagan-Zaba II) [Radiocarbon dating of the Neolithic complexes of the Cis-Olkhon region (based on the materials of the multilayered settlement Sagan-Zaba II)]. Trudy IV (XX) Vserossiiskogo arkheologicheskogo sezda v Kazani [Proceedings of the IV (XX) All-Russian Archaeological Congress in Kazan]. Kazan, 2014, Vol. 1, pp. 237–240. (In Russ.)

Khoroshikh P. P. Issledovaniya kamennogo i zheleznogo veka Irkutskogo kraya: (ostrov Olkhon) [Research of the Stone and Iron Age of the Irkutsk Region: (Olkhon Island)]. Izvestiya Biologo-geograficheskogo nauchno-issledovatelskogo instituta pri IGU [The Bulletin of the Biological and Geographical Research Institute at the ISU]. Irkutsk, 1924, Vol. 1, Is. 1, 50 p. (In Russ.)

Kind N. V. Geokhronologiya pozdnego antropogena po izotopnym dannym [The Geochronology of the Late Anthropogen from isotopic data]. Moscow, Nauka Publ., 1974, 255 p. (In Russ.)

Losey R. J., Nomokonova T. Yu., Saveliev N. A. Radiouglerodnoe datirovanie i fauna mnogosloinoi stoyanki Buguldeika II na Baikale (po materialam raskopok 2006–2008 godov) [Radiocarbon dating and fauna of the multilayered site Buguldeika II at the Lake Baikal (based on excavations from 2006–2008)]. Izvestiya Irkutskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Seriya Geoarheologiya. Etnologiya. Antropologiya [The Bulletin of Irkutsk State University. Series Geoarheology. Ethnology. Anthropology]. 2014, Vol. 7, pp. 18–36. (In Russ.)

Nomokonova T. Yu., Goriunova O. I. Faunisticheskie ostatki iz mnogosloinogo poseleniya Sagan-Nuge (oz. Baikal) [Faunal remains from the multilayered settlement Sagan-Nuge (Lake Baikal)]. Problemy arheologii, etnographii, antropologii Sibiri i sopredelnyh territorii [Problems of Archaeology, Ethnography, Anthropology of Siberia and Neighboring Territories]. 2012, Vol. 18, pp. 123–127. (In Russ.)

Nomokonova T., Losey R. J., Goriunova O. I., Weber A. W. A freshwater old carbon offset in Lake Baikal, Siberia and problems with the radiocarbon dating of archaeological sediments: Evidence from the Sagan-Zaba II site. Quaternary International. 2013, № 290–291, pp. 110–125.

Novikov A. G., Nomokonova T. Yu. Mnogosloinoe poselenie Kulara III: arheologicheskie kompleksy i datirovka [Multilayer site Kulara III: archaeological complexes and dating]. Izvestia Irkutskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Seria Geoarheologiya. Etnologiya. Antropologiya [The Bulletin of Irkutsk State University. Series Geoarheology. Ethnology. Anthropology]. 2015, Vol. 11, pp. 39–54. (In Russ.)

Petri B. E. Neoliticheskie nakhodki na beregu Baikala (predvaritelnoe soobshchenie o raskopkakh stoyanki Ulan-Khada) [Neolithic finds on the shore of Lake Baikal (preliminary report about the excavation of the site Ulan-Khada)]. Sbornik Muzeya arkheologii i etnografii [Collection of the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography], 1916, Part 3, pp. 113–132. (In Russ.)

Reimer P. J., Bard E., Bayliss A., Beck J. W., Blackwell P. G., Ramsey C. B., Buck C. E., Cheng H., Edwards R. L., Friedrich M., Grootes P. M., Guilderson T. P., Haflidison H., Hajdas I., Hatté C., Heaton T., Hoffmann D. L., Hogg A., Hughen K. A., Kaiser K., Kromer B., Manning S. W., Niu M., Reimer R., Richards D. A., Scott E. M., Southon J. R., Staff R. A., Turney C., Plicht J. IntCal13 AND Marine13 radiocarbon age calibration curves 0–50,000 years cal BP. Radiocarbon. 2013, № 55, pp. 1869–1887.

Vorobieva G. A. Golotsen Priolkhoniya [Holocene of the Cis-Olkhon region]. Stratigrafiya, paleogeografiya i arheologiya yuga Srednei Sibiri: K XIII Kongressu INKVA [Stratigraphy, Paleogeography and Archaeology of the South of Central Siberia: To the XIII Congress SNCR]. Irkutsk, 1990, pp. 121–126, fig. 64, 79. (In Russ.)

Vorobieva G. A. Pochva kak letopis prirodnykh sobytii Pribaikaliya: problemy evolyutsii i klassifikatsii pochv [Soil as a record of natural events Baikal region: problems of evolution and classification of soils]. Irkutsk, ISU Publ., 2010, 205 p. (In Russ.)

Vorobieva G. A., Goriunova O. I. Rannii – srednii golotsen Priolkhoniya (v svete no-vykh dannykh) [Early – Middle Holocene of the Cis-Olkhon region (according to new data)]. Problemy arheologii, etnographii, antropologii Sibiri i sopredelnyh territorii [Problems of Archaeology, Ethnography, Anthropology of Siberia and Neighboring Territories]. 1997, Vol. 3, pp. 179–183. (In Russ.)

Vorobieva G. A., Medvedev G. I. Pleistotsen-golotsenovye otlozheniya yuga Srednei Sibiri i arkheologicheskie ostatki v geologicheskikh sloyakh. Chast 2: golotsen [Pleistocene-Holocene sediments of the South of Central Siberia and archaeological remains in the geologic layers. Is. 2: Holocene]. Irkutsk, ISU Publ., 1984, 44 p. (In Russ.)

Vorobieva G. A., Goriunova O. I., Novikov A. G. Kulturno-сhronologicheskaya periodizaciya i paleoekologicheskaya obstanovka rannego golocena Priolhoniya [Cultural and chronological periodization and paleogeological situation of the Early Holocene of the Cis-Olkhon region (Lake Baikal)]. Sovremennye problemy arheologii Rossii [Modern problems of Russian Archaeology]. Novosibirsk, 2006, Vol. 1, pp. 189–191. (In Russ.)

Wagner G. A. Nauchnye metody datirovaniya v geologii, arheologii i istorii [Scientific methods of dating in Geology, Archaeology and History]. Moscow, Technosphera, 2006, 576 p. (In Russ.)