Chronology of Neolithic-Early Metal Age Sites at the Okhta River Mouth (Saint Petersburg, Russia)

Abstract

The unique archaeological monument of Okhta 1 (Neolithic-Early Metal Age) was excavated in 2008 in central Saint Petersburg (Russia). Radiocarbon and wiggle-match dating of organic materials and artifacts (charcoal wood samples and ceramic food crusts) from lithological and cultural layers helped to determine the main stages of cultural-historical processes and paleogeographical events in the coastal zone of the Baltic Sea bay during the Holocene. Humans occupied the Okhta Cape from 4200–3600 cal BC, after the Littorina Sea regression. Prehistoric people of the Middle-Late Neolithic, identified by their characteristic Pit Combed Ware ceramics, used this territory for fishing and hunting. The wood pile constructions used for fishing in 3500 cal BC were built on the coast and in river channels. From 3200–3000 cal BC, settlements and burials appeared of the Late Neolithic-Early Metal Age. The strategic geographical position of this territory was favorable for trade activity, fishing, and hunting, and shaped important interactions for different cultural groups.