Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology of Eurasia 34 (2) 2008

Annotation:  New Insights into the Archaeological Record at Chikhen Agui Rockshelter (Mongolia) A Paleolithic Bracelet from Denisova Cave Principal Excavation Techniques under Permafrost Conditions (Based on Zhokhov and Yana Sites, Northe Late Pleistocene Bison (Bison p. priscus Bojanis, 1827) from the Southeastern Part of Western Siberi Infant Burials in Dwellings at Chicha-1, in the Baraba Forest-Steppe: Results of DNA Analysis Burial Assemblages of Boisman-2 – a Stratifi ed Site in Southern Primorye The Burial Construction of Noin Ula Mound 20, Mongolia Ornamental Traditions of the Lower Amur Neolithic Horseman Image on an Ostrich Eggshell Fragment Gamma-shaped Artifacts from Western and Southern Siberia, the Urals, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia Destiny in the Traditional Beliefs of the Aginsk Buryats A Historical and Ethnological Analysis of Intellectual Play in the Japanese Art of Incense Blending: Gypsy Easter The Paleodemography of Western Siberia in the Middle and Late Bronze Age The Origins of the Koreans: Evidence of Physical Anthropology   

Ornamental Traditions of the Lower Amur Neolithic

I.V. Filatova.

This article addresses the issue of decorative patterns in Lower Amur Neolithic ceramics. Based on structural and functional analysis, features shared by the Malyshevo, Kondon, and Voznesenskoye ceramic traditions are revealed. Characteristic features of Malyshevo and Voznesenskoye pottery include comb and “gearwheel” imprints, various parts of the vessel being painted, rims decorated with straight and wavy rolls, designs based on meanders, spirals, “masks,” and concentric composition. In Malyshevo and Kondon ceramics, the designs are mostly applied with a comb, the most common motif being the “Amur herringbone.” The Kondon and Voznesenskoye ceramics share features of comb imprints and cannelures. The Malyshevo and Voznesenskoye complexes appear to represent a common tradition, while the Kondon ceramics belong to a separate tradition. The presence of invariant decorative motifs associated with water in all three cultures evidences common evolutionary tendencies and may point to the existence of a horizontal “riverine” model of the world among the carriers of these traditions.