The preagricultural human occupation of primorye (russian far east)

Abstract

Primorye, the Maritime Region of the Russian Far East, is one of the least-known archaeological subregions of the Russian Federation. An integral part of surrounding areas both geographically and culturally, Primorye’s importance with respect to understanding greater Northeast Asian prehistory has yet to be fully realized. In this region, the transition from Pleistocene Paleolithic foraging economies to those based upon agricultural subsistence systems in the Holocene included a long period of diverse pre- or nonagricultural adaptations that are nonetheless traditionally classified by Russian scholars as Neolithic due to the presence of ceramic technology in this pre-Metal Age context. An interdisciplinary and international approach will undoubtedly lead to enhanced understanding of this unique region’s role in the development of fully fledged agricultural adaptations along the northwestern Pacific coast later in the Holocene.