Traces types in the deposits: case study of V–II millennium BC sites in the far northeast of Europe
The author publishes data on the main types of traces of human activity, revealed in the deposits of the sites with sub-terrain dwellings of the Neolithic and Eneolithic, modern territories of the Komi Republic and the eastern part of the Arkhangelsk Region. The description, expertise, analysis and interpretation of such evidences are an argumentative basis for further reconstruction of specific archaeological situations. The sequence of their development project creation use abandonment taphonomy determined the range of methods; the involved facts and the structure of the study. The author uses planigraphic and stratigraphic observations collected by researchers in the region; geomorphology; pedology; chemical and mineral composition of soils. These methods made it possible to determine the creation and the appearance of traces, as well as to identify problematic situations for which the data are still insufficient. The sediments are classified into four groups: original soil; sediments modified by mechanical and geochemical influences; and soils formed after the abandonment of the sites, including modern soil. As a result, it is determined that for research in archaeology, the entire complex of deposits, including modern soil, is of significance as evidences. The author therefore proposes to go beyond universal definitions of cultural layer, cultural or culture-bearing deposits, and to study and describe specific contexts of traces and remains under research. The available experience is predominantly the results of purely archaeological research with occasional use of science data. It is obvious that the traces of prehistoric life were created under complex conditions with the influence of physical, chemical and biological processes. Therefore, to further accumulate the evidence base of archaeological research, experiments in systematic comprehensive analysis of deposits of sites, buried in the ground are necessary.