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Copyright of Documenta Praehistorica is the property of Documenta Praehistorica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The paper presents the results of a palaeoecological study of Neolithic archaeological layers from a wetland, multilayer site, Serteya II (Western Russia). It contains, domestic structures, rich organic artefacts, skeletons, and ecofacts preserved within lacustrine deposits that are extremely important on a European scale. We employed a set of specialised palaeoecological analyses and accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dating to identify the principal environmental conditions which attracted Neolithic hunter‐fisher‐gatherer communities from 4300 to 1600 cal. BC. The distinct impact of communities using a nonproductive economy on the ecology of the palaeolake shore zone was recorded. Also, palaeolake water level changes influenced the palaeoeconomic activity of local Neolithic societies, such as gathering of plants (for the medicinal use or serving as dietary components), fishing activities, and possible funeral practices. In addition, the identified phases of high‐water level changes, which were responses to climatic oscillations, were correlated with supraregional climatic events, especially ca. 6.2, 5.9, and 4.2 ka cal. BP. Thus, our results allowed for the reconstruction of environment transformations and conditions of Neolithic communities' activity, as well as for a better understanding of the relationships between local Neolithic communities' way of life and neolithisation processes in Eastern Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Documenta Praehistorica is the property of Documenta Praehistorica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The multilayer settlement Rakushechny Yar situated in the lower Don River (Rostov region, Russia) is one of the oldest early Neolithic sites in this region, dated to the 7th and 6th millennia BC. Recent investigations have shown a particular importance of this site in the study of the spread of the Near Eastern "Neolithic package" and the neolithisation of Eastern Europe. Long-term study has provided unique evidence of lives of ancient communities. New 14C dates contribute to refining the chronology of the recently excavated to dating the development of cultural traditions more precisely. The excellent preservation state of organic materials led to uncovering a rich assemblage of faunal and fish remains, household constructions, hunting and fishing tools, as well as pottery. The subsistence strategies and the life cycle of these communities were reconstructed through multiple proxies, which describe a particular system of resource management determined by specific economic, environmental and cultural conditions. Rich fish remains, shell middens, site location, specific toolkit with restricted categories, and incomplete context of tool production testify all that it was a specialized site for aquatic resource procurement. Faunal remains indicated the use of resources from other ecological niches as well. Finds of bones of domesticated animals in the same Early Neolithic layers may suggest even a more complicated organization of this ancient community and may indicate the northern limit of the Neolithic package distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Documenta Praehistorica is the property of Documenta Praehistorica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Documenta Praehistorica is the property of Documenta Praehistorica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

[Display omitted] • A multi-proxy study on the paleolake from the Late Weichselian (LW) to Modern Times. • A Postglacial origin water body with glaciolacustrine deposition at the LW. • At the Holocene five stages of lake ecosystem development were identified. • The palaeolake's ecosystem was primarily driven by climate and hydrological changes. • The human impact from the Neolithic to Modern Times remarks in the upper core layers. East European lake-river systems have hydrological regimes typical for continental climate zones. The Postglacial development of the basins and regional palaeoclimatic pattern in the Holocene implied a specific succession of biota communities passing through lakes' subsequent stages in the water level, trophic state and habitat availability. The Great Serteya Palaeolake Basin is the largest palaeolake within the Serteyka lake-river system, which has been functioning since the Late Weichselian (Vistulian). Presented below is a multi-proxy study on the sequence from the paleolake within the present-day valley. During the Late Weichselian, it formed an astatic, and later a permanent, water body of Postglacial origin. The associated melting, flooding and aeolian processes acted as sources of various Late Weichselian sediments. Summer mean air temperature drove the lake ecosystem development. The Holocene Thermal Optimum in 8.5–7.7 kyr cal BP was followed by subsequent lower temperature. There is weak evidence of coole oscillations at 8.2 kyr cal BP, 7.0–6.8 kyr cal BP and 5.8–5.9 kyr cal BP and the Little Ice Age (480–395 yr cal BP), until modern time (−65 yr cal BP). Five stages of lake ecosystem development were identified based on the biota: 1) an initial stage during the Late Weichselian with glaciolacustrine and later lacustrine accumulation of inorganic deposits, 2) the stage with Cladocera as a leading indicators of mesotrophic water body with a well-developed pelagic zone supplied by early spring floods of the Serteyka River, carrying melting snow and ice floes to the lake basin, 3) the stage dominated by Chironomidae and diatoms typical to high trophic states reflecting widespread open bottom sediment and macrophyte habitats 4) a stage with distinct Neolithic community impact reflected by macrofossils remain after pile-dwelling settlement, fish and aquatic plants consumption 5) a final stage dominated by diatoms typical to shallow, semi-permanent, eutrophic bulrush swamp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]