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The task of our research is to find the
elements of maritime adaptation in the pottery of the Northern Far East of
Russia in the Neolithic-Paleometal epoch. The first stage of pottery is the
gathering of clay and making the paste with connection to sea products. These
were clays that formed in the coastal area. Types of tempers in clay mixture
included the use of sea sand, whalebone, seawater, and the blood of sea
mammals. Tools used for gathering ceramic raw materials were made from the
products of sea hunting – the bones of whale and walrus tusk.
The second step of making pottery was the
shaping of vessels. It was connected with maritime adaptation too. People used
internal organs of sea animals and instruments made of walrus tusks and bones
of whales. Using these tools for shaping was very easy and a quick way to make
pottery in conditions of short and cold summer periods. During the surface
treatment of vessels, sea products had their role too. People used blood and
oil of sea mammals as additives in covering. During the firing of vessels stage
they used very dry wood from the seaside.
All in all, adaptation to maritime conditions by
hunter-gatherers and the stability of the maritime economy supported an
increase in the number of ceramic vessels in the life of the population. All
cycles in the production of pottery was amazingly adapted for conditions of
existence on the coasts of the North Sea.
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