Stone Artefacts with Holes from the Early Neolithic from the Novopetrovka III Site in Western Amur.
https://doi.org/10.25205/1818-7919-2025-24-7-65-74
Abstract
Purpose. The article examines the problem of the appearance of artefacts in this region using the example of artifacts with holes from the settlement of Novopetrovka 3 (9.5–9.0 thousand years ago) of the Novopetrovka culture of Western Amur Region. Results. Descriptions and reconstructions of a fluted stone mace and a button with holes are presented. These items are original products of the Early Neolithic cultures of the Far Eastern region. The fluted mace is a difficult object to manufacture, so its use as a fishing sinker is questionable. Most likely, it was a universal tool, including a weapon. The presence of a defective tile with a hole in the collection indicates local production of drilled objects. It allowed us to reconstruct the process of making round weights. Conclusion. The bearers of the Novopetrovka culture, who lived on the banks of the Amur River in the south-eastern region of the modern Amur Region, already at the early stage of the Neolithic knew how to make complex items with drilled through holes of various diameters. These are stone objects, as well as wooden, bone, and horn objects with indirect evidence: fishing weights, anchors, universal maces, weights for digging sticks, buttons for fastening or decorating clothes.
Keywords
Western Amur region,
Amur River,
Novopetrovka culture,
products with drilled holes,
mace,
stone button
Supporting agencies: The article was prepared under the research project “General and specific features in the development trajectories of ancient cultures of the East and South-East of Eurasia from the Stone Age to the Middle Ages” (FWZG-2025-0002).
About the Author
S. P. Nesterov
Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Sergei P. Nesterov, Doctor of Sciences (History)
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13.
Review
For citations:
Nesterov S.P. Stone Artefacts with Holes from the Early Neolithic from the Novopetrovka III Site in Western Amur. Vestnik NSU. Series: History and Philology. 2025;24(7):65-74. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.25205/1818-7919-2025-24-7-65-74
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