Stone Ornaments within the Structure of the Habitation Area of Cultural Layer VII at the Ushki I Site, Kamchatka.
https://doi.org/10.25205/1818-7919-2025-24-7-50-64
Abstract
Purpose. This article presents research results on the spatial aspects of human activities related to the making and use of stone personal ornaments in cultural layer VII at the Ushki I settlement in Kamchatka. Results. We have established that the entire production cycle for specific personal ornament types – primarily chlorite beads and pendants – occurred directly on site. The combination of raw materials, knapped products, blanks, semifinished items, unfinished products, and finished items indicates localized production within constructions. These dwellings were situated in the northeast and southwest parts of the site. We have reconstructed the process of bead and pendant production in detail for dwelling number 2. Here, near the fireplace, was identified a specialized workshop. The discovery of intact and fragmented beads and pendants on the floor or within the hearths of specific structures is likely to indicate loss due to daily wear. Conclusion. The spatial distribution of personal ornaments from the Early Ushki culture matches patterns observed at other important Upper Paleolithic sites in extreme northeast Asia.
Supporting agencies: Acknowledgements The study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation, project no. 24-28-01294 “Burial Practices and Symbolic Activities of the Upper Paleolithic Population of Northeast Asia”, https://rscf.ru/project/24-28-01294/
About the Author
A. Yu. Fedorchenko
Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Alexander Yu. Fedorchenko
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Review
For citations:
Fedorchenko A.Yu. Stone Ornaments within the Structure of the Habitation Area of Cultural Layer VII at the Ushki I Site, Kamchatka. Vestnik NSU. Series: History and Philology. 2025;24(7):50-64. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.25205/1818-7919-2025-24-7-50-64
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