Vertebrate Animal Remains from Prehistoric and Medieval Settlements in Primorye (Russian Far East)

Abstract

A review of zooarchaeological research is presented for one of the best-studied areas of the Russian Far East, Primorye (Maritime) Province. The faunal remains, including mammals, birds and fish, were derived from archaeological contexts ranging from the Upper Palaeolithic, ca. 33 000 years ago, to the Middle Ages, twelfth to thirteenth centuries AD. Among the wild species, hoofed animals, wild boar, and bears are the most common. Domesticated animals are represented mostly by pig and dog. At the Pleistocene-Holocene boundary, ca. 10 000- 12 000 years ago, some species, such as mammoth, woolly rhinoceros and bison, became extinct. Since the Middle Holocene, ca. 7000 years ago, the faunal complexes became of modern composition. The finding of bones of domesticated animals in the Bronze Age, dated ca. 2800-3200 years ago, allows the correlation of the emergence of livestock in Primorye with cultural influences from northern China. # 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Int. J. Osteoarchaeol., 7: 172-180 (1997) No. of Figures: 2. No. of Tables: 3. No. of