1. School of Historical Studies, University of Newcastle upon Tyne.
2. School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Newcastle upon Tyne. Email: anvar.shukurov@ncl.ac.uk
3. Institute of Geography, University of St. Petersburg. Email: ArslanovKh@mail.ru
4. The State Hermitage Museum, Russia.
5. Institute for History of Material Culture, Russian Academy of Sciences.
This article outlines the results of one of the aspects of a multidisciplinary project currently conducted in the upper part of the basin of the Western Dvina River in North-Western Russia. The project was targeted at prehistoric lake dwelling sites in the valley of Serteya River, a small tributary of the Western Dvina, and aimed at the precise dating of the initial transition from hunting-gathering to agriculture in that area. The methods used included pollen, diatom and geochemical analyses under strict time control provided by radiocarbon dating. The initial settlement emerged at c. 6200 cal. BC, when the valley was filled by a fresh water lake with a relatively high lake-level. The initial indices of agriculture became perceptible in the deposits of Usvyatian Culture (4600-3400 cal. BC), featuring large-scale constructions of pile-dwellings. Indices of swidden type agriculture became apparent in the deposits of Zhizhitsian Culture, 2300-2200 cal. BC.
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