Pages: 181-208

During the early Mesolithic in the Preboreal period, a well developed bone industry emerged in the forest zone of the Eastern Urals area. All main methods of working bone and antler were employed for artifact production. The tool set was rather diverse. Worthy of note is the high degree of continuity in the forms of bone articles from the Early Mesolithic through the Early Neolithic. The uniformity of the technology of manufacture of bone and antler tools during the whole Mesolithic is observed, while some local variants with specific features can be distinguished too. The main functional groups of tools emerged during the early Mesolithic and existed during the whole of Mesolithic and Early Neolithic. Many morphological tool types were in use during several phases of the Mesolithic. In this article, the dynamic development of bone industry in the forest zone of Eastern Urals is presented, following the emergence of new categories and morphological types of tools at each period of its existence.

Keywords: Urals, Mesolithic; bone industry, continuity, traditions, innovations, technical and morphological analysis

Information about author:

Svetlana Savchenko (Ekaterinburg, Russia). The State Institution of Culture Sverdlovsk Regional Museum. Malyshev St., 46, Ekaterinburg, 620151, Russia
E-mail: [email protected]