People and environment in the Russian far east from Paleolithic to Middle Ages: Chronology,palaeogeography, interaction

The Late Paleolithic sites existed in cold and dry climat (Ustinovka I, 10–25 ky ago; Ust-Ulma, 19, 360 ± 65 BP) with warmer stages (Suvorovo IV, 15,300 ± 140 BP) and on the Pleistocene/Holocene transition, near 10,000 BP (Suvorovo III). The Final Paleolithic sites existed in Late Glacial time, 10,000–12,000 BP (Gorbatka III, lower level) and in Boreal period, 8,000–9,000 BP (Ilistaya I, 7, 840 ± 60 BP; Timofeevka I). The Developed Neolithic sites existed during the warm and humid Middle-Late Atlantic period, 6,000–8,000 BP; the Late Neolithic sites — 3,000–5,000 BP. The human impact in the Paleolithic-Neolithic was restricted to burning and trampling the vegetation near the sites; the bases of paleoeconomy were hunting, fishing, gathering. The presence of pastoral anthropogenic indicators in pollen spectra of the Neolithic sites may reflect the beginning of cattle breeding.The Bronze Age (end of the 4th-2nd millenia BC) provides the first reliable evidence of cultivated plants (foxtail and Japanese millet) and domestic animals (pig, dog). In the paleoeconomy agriculture and cattle breeding appeared; the first stage of human impact increased (4,000–4,500 BP, ie 2550–3230 cal. BC) is reflected in pollen spectra from cultural layers. From the Early Iron Age to the Middle Ages (end of 2nd millenium BC-13th century AD) agriculture and cattle breeding were the base of paleoeconomy. From the 8th to the 10th centures AD, due to the development of ploughing (arable), the human impact intensified.Paper was presented on the 27th International Geographical Congress, Washington, DC, USA, August 9–14, 1992 (section Human Induced Environmental Change, the Ancient Past)