Ancient Cultures and Migrations in Northeastern Siberia

Abstract

This chapter presents a brief overview of archeological research into Northeastern Siberia in the Stone and Paleometal Ages. Based on the previous studies and recent discoveries, we offer a comprehensive view of the main problems of the genesis of ancient cultures and migrations in Northeastern Siberia. Special attention is given to the genomic perspective on the Late Pleistocene and Holocene population history of Northeast Asia. Active exploration of the Siberian Arctic by tribes of hunters of large mammals took place in the Early Upper Paleolithic; evidence of their culture appears among the materials of the Yana group of sites. In the period 15,000–10,000 cal. BP, two traditions of the Upper Paleolithic coexisted in the region: the non-microblade tradition and the Beringian microblade tradition. The Beringian tradition’s wide distribution was likely associated with the Ancient Paleosiberian population, who were gradually replaced by genetically different groups of Neosiberian population between 10,000 and 3,000 cal. BP. The spread of the Neosiberian population, distinguished by genetics, may have been associated with the Early and Late Holocene Stone Age sequence in Northeastern Siberia – Sumnagin, Syalakh, Belkachi and Ymyyakhtakh cultures. The available evidence makes it possible to distinguish at least two large waves of a back migration from North America to Northeastern Siberia. The migration of the Paleoeskimo and related groups starting from ca. 3,500 cal. BP was manifested in the emergence of the Paleoeskimo tradition in Chukotka and the Tokarev culture on the Northern Priokhotye. Starting from ca. 2,200 cal. BP, we can observe the beginning of the Eskoaleut migration to the Bering, strait, which was manifested in the emergence of the Neoeskimo tradition.