Early Agriculture in Primorye, Russian Far East: New Radiocarbon and Pollen Data from Late Neolithic Sites

Abstract

Russian Far East as a part of Northeast Asia is one of the centres of early plant domestication, particularly with respect to millet. New radiocarbon AMS dates associated with the pollen of cultivated cereals (Cerealia) from Late Neolithic layers on the Boisman 2 and Novoselische 4 sites allow estimates of the beginning of foxtail millet (Setaria italica(L.) Beauv.) cultivation about 4200-3700BP(2900–2000 cal-BC), and possibly up to 4900BP(4100 cal-BC) in Primorye (southern Russian Far East).