‘Neolithisation’ in the NE Sea of Azov region: one step forward, two steps back?

Abstract

In this paper we present the migratory nature of an initial Neolithisation in the Sea of Azov area on the basis of an analysis of comparatively new and a revision of old materials from the Early Neolithic period. As the ‘ancestral land’ of elements of the Neolithic package, the region of Zagros Mountains is considered, from where communication with Lower Don across the Caucasian coast of the Black Sea and Sea of Azov or by sea took place in the PPNB period. It seems that infiltration did not lead to a strong Neolithic transformation as seen in other regions ‘secondary Neolithisation’, e.g., in Europe. The choice of a place for repeated occupation, the organisation of the living area, way of life, subsistence, and perception of the world, for a long time remained typical of the foragers of river valleys, lake, and coastal areas of Europe. This pattern probably continued until the large-scale human movements of the Copper Age.