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The geochemical compositions for obsidian from two of the most important sources on the Japanese island of Hokkaido, Shirataki and Oketo, are presented. This work represents the first systematic study of obsidian geochemistry on Hokkaido from the view of modern methodological standards. The study was performed with the help of neutron activation analysis to determine the concentrations for 28 elements. The results obtained allow us to subdivide both sources into two geochemical groups (Shirataki-A and -B; and Oketo-A and -B), with each representing an individual sub-source. Obsidian from both Shirataki and Oketo sources is identified at archaeological sites located on Hokkaido, on the neighbouring Sakhalin Island and Kurile Islands, and in the lower course of the Amur River basin. The distance of obsidian transport during the Upper Palaeolithic was up to ∼250 km, and in the following Neolithic and Palaeometal periods up to ∼1200 km. This testifies to the wide distribution of Hokkaido obsidian to archaeological complexes in North-East Asia and its active transport/exchange in prehistory. The data presented here should be used as a reference for the obsidian geochemistry of Shirataki and Oketo sources from now on.

The palaeontological data on mammal remains from two Middle Palaeolithic (ca. 125 000 years ago – 27 200 BP) and 34 (ca. 34 000–12 000 BP) Upper Palaeolithic cultural complexes in the upper part of the Yenisei River basin (southern Siberia) are considered. General features of the faunal assemblages are established. Several issues are discussed, including (a) changes in species composition through time and palaeoenvironmental implications of the zooarchaeological records; (b) patterns of human exploitation (hunting) of mammals; (c) issue of mammoth hunting and (d) possibility of domestication of dog in the late Upper Palaeolithic in the Yenisei River basin. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Kuzmin, Y. V. 2009: Extinction of the woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) and woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis) in Eurasia: Review of chronological and environmental issues. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502-3885.2009.00122.x. ISSN 0300-9483. The current evidence for date and environmental preferences of the extinction of two middle–late Pleistocene megafaunal species, the woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius Blum.) and woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis Blum.), is presented in this review. It is suggested that extinction of these large herbivores in Eurasia was closely related to landscape changes near the Pleistocene–Holocene boundary (c. 12 000–9000 uncalibrated radiocarbon years ago, yr BP), mainly involving the widespread forest formations in the temperate and arctic regions of northern Eurasia and the loss of grasslands crucial to the existence of woolly mammoth and rhinoceros. However, some woolly mammoth populations survived well into the Holocene (up to c. 3700 yr BP), showing that the process of final extinction was fairly complex, with delays in some regions of up to several millennia. The possible role of Palaeolithic humans in the extinction of Late Pleistocene megafauna is also considered.

Geochemical studies of volcanic glasses (obsidians and perlites) from geological outcrops (N = 80) and archaeological collections (N = 110) were performed in order to determine source provenance in Primorye (Russian Far East), using neutron activation analysis and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. Three major sources of archaeological volcanic glass were identified, two relatively local and one more remote. Several minor sources detected in the archaeological assemblage have not been located. This study suggests that long-distance obsidian exchange between Primorye and adjacent North-East Asia has existed since c. 10 000 bp.

The geoarchaeology of Diring Yuriakh, perhaps the oldest firmly documented archaeological site in Siberia, at more than 260,000 years old, is important for modeling the peopling of Northern Asia and North America. This article focuses on some important details about the stratigraphy of the Diring site, which have previously only been published in Russian. There are two major geoarchaeological problems at Diring. First, the stratigraphic position of the layer containing the supposed pebble tools (relative to Middle Pleistocene sediments at the site) is not well defined. Second, there remains doubt as to the nature of the association between the majority of the Diring artifacts and the sediments dated to between ca. 267,000 and 366,000 years ago. Until these problems are resolved, the proposed Lower Paleolithic dating for the Diring site must be considered as provisional. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

A review of zooarchaeological research is presented for one of the best-studied areas of the Russian Far East, Primorye (Maritime) Province. The faunal remains, including mammals, birds and fish, were derived from archaeological contexts ranging from the Upper Palaeolithic, ca. 33 000 years ago, to the Middle Ages, twelfth to thirteenth centuries AD. Among the wild species, hoofed animals, wild boar, and bears are the most common. Domesticated animals are represented mostly by pig and dog. At the Pleistocene-Holocene boundary, ca. 10 000- 12 000 years ago, some species, such as mammoth, woolly rhinoceros and bison, became extinct. Since the Middle Holocene, ca. 7000 years ago, the faunal complexes became of modern composition. The finding of bones of domesticated animals in the Bronze Age, dated ca. 2800-3200 years ago, allows the correlation of the emergence of livestock in Primorye with cultural influences from northern China. # 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Int. J. Osteoarchaeol., 7: 172-180 (1997) No. of Figures: 2. No. of Tables: 3. No. of References: 37.

This chapter introduces the archaeological evidence for migrations in prehistoric Siberia and the adjacent regions of northern Asia. As such, it dovetails with chapters 22 and 24. Most movement can be detected from south to north or along latitudes, rather than from north to south. Keywords: archaeology; Asia; Holocene

Geoarchaeological studies using geomorphological, lithological, cryolithological, palynological, paleomagnetic, thermoluminescent, and plant macrofossil analyses have been conducted on the Diring site, eastern Siberia. Mochanov (1988a, 1988b) assumed that the sediments which overlay the Diring cultural layer are synchronous with the Tabaga terrace of the Lena River (Upper Pliocene) and dated the cultural layer 1.8–3.2 My ago. Alekseev et al. (1990b) concluded that the cultural layer could not have dated earlier than the Late Eopleistocene, i.e., 0.8–1.8 My ago. Ranov and Tseitlin (1991) assumed that the cultural layer is of Middle Pleistocene age, 250–300 Ky ago. Based on a review of the geoarcheological analyses and new examination of the site in 1990, it is concluded that the cultural layer at Diring is of Late Pleistocene age. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.