ACADEMIC JOURNAL
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ISSN 2542-1077 (Print) ISSN 1994-5973 (Online) |
Popov, E. V., Karmanov, V. N., Zaretskaya, N. E. FLOODPLAIN SITES OF THE VYCHEGDA RIVER BASIN AND THEIR INFORMATIVE POTENTIAL. Proceedings of Petrozavodsk State University. 2026;48(4):18–26. DOI: 10.15393/uchz.art.2026.1315
Archeology |
FLOODPLAIN SITES OF THE VYCHEGDA RIVER BASIN AND THEIR INFORMATIVE POTENTIAL
| Popov E. V. | Komi Science Centre of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences |
| Karmanov V. N. | Komi Science Centre of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences |
| Zaretskaya N. E. | Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences |
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Keywords: floodplain sites northeastern Europe Vychegda River basin Mesolithic Neolithic Iron Age habitats |
Summary: This article is the first publication of the current data on 18 archaeological sites in the Vychegda River
basin, with cultural layers confined to the floodplain. The aim of the study was to assess the informative potential of
those sites and the prospects for their study. The importance of this work is due to the need to generalize and systematize
data on habitats in the floodplain – rare types of archaeological sites in the taiga zone of northeastern Europe. The main
localities of floodplain sites have been identified based upon the rate of various components of the riverine landscape:
swales and inter-swale hollows; areas adjacent and opposite to the floodplain terrace; islands. It has been established
that the sites in the Vychegda River basin show a global trend in people’s wish to occupy positive but not excessively
high landforms and areas where streams (river and creek) or streams and basins (river and oxbow lake) converge. There
has also been established a connection between artefacts from floodplain sites and nearby habitats on terraces above the
floodplain. This may indicate the seasonal nature of the economy or different functional zones within the settlements. The study of floodplain sites broadens our understanding of the lifestyle of ancient and medieval communities, but the informative value of such sites in the Vychegda River basin is limited by lateral erosion, the short duration of habitation in the region, the mineral composition of the culture-bearing sediments, and the small number of collections. However, their informative potential could be increased by further excavations. |
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Displays: 33; |
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