Sokolny VII – a New Site of the Early Neolite of the Republic of Mari El

Abstract

The article presents the results of a study of the Sokolny XVII camp-site (Republic of Mari El). The physical and geographical characteristics of the location of the site are given and a brief history of the study is given. Information about the stratigraphy and planographic distribution of finds is presented. The authors publish data on palynological analysis. A ceramic complex consisting of 52 vessels is characterized. A study of ceramics manufacturing technology was carried out based on a historical and cultural approach. An analysis of the elements and motifs of the ornament is carried out. The ceramic and flint complex of the Sokolny XVII site typologically and technologically finds the closest analogies in the materials of the Early Neolithic of the Mari Volga region. At the same time, the collection contains some local features. In ancient times, at the site of the site there were mixed broadleaved and coniferous forests with a predominance of pine; linden and oak also played an important role in the composition of the forests. Data on the technical and technological analysis of ceramics indicate the existence of several types of initial plastic raw materials with uniformity in the formulation of the molding mass. The obtained radiocarbon dates, as well as existing analogies, help determine the time of existence of the monument in the second half of the 6th millennium BC.