Published in: L.Larsson (ed.) The Earliest Settlement of Scandinavia. Acta Archaeologica Lundensia. 1996:85, pp 273-284.
Mikhail G. Zhilin
The western part of Russia in the Late Palaeolithic - Early Mesolithic
Abstract
During the Late Palaeolithic natural conditions in western part of Russia were much similar to those in Northern Germany, Poland, the Baltic countries, Southern Scandinavia, Belorussia and the Northern Ukraine. This niformity led to spread of similar cultural groups of reindeer hunters over vast territories. Sites of the Federmesser cultural unity are known on the Upper Volga and near Moscow, whereas eastern Ahrensburgian sites were excavated on the Upper Dnieper and Upper Volga, Swiderian sites were discovered in the Pskov region and Upper Volga.
Beginning of the Mesolithic in western Russia coincides with transition from the Pleistocene to the Holocene. The formation of Mesolithic cultures of hunters, fishers and gatherers of the forest zone took place against a background of environmental changes. The mixture of final Federmesser and Ahrensburgian groups gave birth to the Ienevo and Pesochny Rov cultures. Most of western Russia was occupied during the Mesolithic by descendants of the final Swiderian culture, among them the Butovo, Kunda, Veretye cultures have been studied better, than others. Several smaller groups of other traditions are known.
This article is available on request by e-mail: mizhilin@yandex.ru