Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology of Eurasia 45 (3) 2017   DOI: 10.17746/1563-0110.2017.45.3.017-028

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A Comprehensive Study of Neolithic Stone Tools from Dwelling D
on Suchu Island, the Lower Amur (1974, Excavation Area I)

V.E. Medvedev¹ and I.V. Filatova^{1, 2}

¹Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pr. Akademika Lavrentieva 17, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia

²Amur State University for Humanities and Pedagogy, Kirova 17, bldg. 2, Komsomolsk-on-Amur, 681000, Russia

We have analyzed stone tools unearthed in 1974 from the Neolithic dwelling D (excavation area I) on Suchu Island, the Lower Amur. The assemblage includes 1518 artifacts attributed to the Malyshevo, Kondon, and Voznesenovskoye cultures, to the Belkachi complex, and to the Final Neolithic. To identify the raw material, a microscopically guided petrographic analysis was carried out. The most frequently used rocks were sedimentary (siltstone, mudstone, and sandstone) and siliceous (flint, quartzite, chalcedony, and jasper). Also, typological and functional analyses were conducted. The distribution of artifacts on the floor of the dwelling was evaluated by planigraphic analysis, and the functional analysis has allowed us to reconstruct household activities relating to the procurement, processing, and consumption of food resources. A database concerning subsistence activities was generated in order to reconstruct various aspects of the prehistoric economy of the region.

Keywords: Amur Basin, Neolithic, Suchu Island, stone tools, petrographic analysis, typology, planigraphy, usewear analysis.