Pottery from the Sites at Cape Vankarem (Chukotka Peninsula): a technical and technological analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24852/2587-6112.2025.4.8.19Keywords:
archaeology, Chukotka, pottery, Neo-Eskimo cultures, technical and technological analysis, Old Bering Sea culture, Birnirk, PunukAbstract
This paper deals with the results of the technical and technological analysis of pottery from the sites of different periods at Cape Vankarem (Chukotka). Fragments of pottery from pithouses and graves related to the Neo-Eskimo cultures of Birnirk and Punuk (end of the 1st – beginning of the 2nd millennium AD) were studied. It was found that iron-bearing clays of two sub-types – a light sandy clay and a medium sandy clay – were used for the production of pottery. Eight recipes for paste were identified, including inclusions of grit, sand, wool, organic solution, including various combinations. The vessels were made on a mould base by beating, smoothing and polishing. Burning was carried out at temperatures above the vitrification point of the clay. Spatial analysis revealed local differences in the traditions of mould composition between groups of dugouts and burials. Changes in traditions over time were traced: in the late phase of the settlement (4th group of dugouts) an increase in the proportion of organic additives in multi-component recipes combined with mineral additives was noted. At the same time, compared to the Old Bering Sea culture, the role of organic additives as independent additives decreased in the materials from Cape Vankarem. The presence of mixed recipes in some objects indicates processes of interaction between bearers of different pottery traditions. A certain similarity in technology with the pottery of the earlier Old Bering Sea culture (light and medium sandy clays, a similar set of additives, construction on a mould base with beating) was revealed. At the same time, changes and local specificity of traditions during the development of the Birnirk and Punuk cultures were noted.
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