Смольянинов Р.В., Ранний неолит Верхнего Дона

_________ Смольянинов Р.В. Ранний неолит Верхнего Дона ________ A.N. Bessudnova, I.A. Kozmirchuk, I.E. Biryukova, P.Ya. Du­ brovsky, A.M. Oblomsky, N.A. Tropina, M.V. Ivashova, V.A. Chivileva, T.V. Naumova, R.V. Sinolyaninova, A.A. Sviridova, A.V. Surkova, A.M. Skorobogatova, and A.A. Kulichkova, the fol­ lowing Neolithic sites were excavated: Monastyrshchina II and ПА; Kurino 1; settlements 1 and 2 at the mouth o f the River Izlegoshchi; Pervomayskoye Lesnichcstvo; Perekhval'skoye Go- rodishche 1; a settlement near the village o f Pisarevo; ancient set­ tlements «Bol'shoy Lipyag» and «Malyy Lipyag»; settlements Za- myatino 10, Mukhino 2, Karamyshevo 1, 5, 9, & 19; Ksizovo 6 & 17-19; Vasil'yevskiy Kordon 1, 3, 5, 7, 17, & 27; Yamnoye, Stupino, Ivnitsa; Dobroye 7, Dobroye 9. On the Upper Don, we distinguish five monuments o f Yel- shan culture; Lipetskoye Ozero, the mouth o f the Izlegoshchi 2 River, Yarlukovskaya Protoka (point 222), Universitctskaya 3, and Ivnitsa. A sixth settlement - Gorodok 1, - is located several kilome­ ters north o f the upper Don River, but already lying in the Volga basin on the Ranova River. These Upper Don ceramic complexes have almost complete analogies in the materials o f the second stage o f Elshanskaya cul­ ture, which A.A. Vybornov dated to the second ha lf o f the 7th mil­ lennium BC. We suggest that the skill o f making ceramics has de­ veloped in the Upper Don as a result o f direct contact with the El­ shanskaya culture population, who came to the Don already famil­ iar witli ceramics. The development by the Elshanskaya culture population o f the territories west o f the Volga River, according to radiocarbon determinations obtained from the monuments o f Middle Posuria, Primokshan, and Pochochya, dates from the last quarter o f the VII to the beginning o f the VI millennium BC. The Upper Don collec­ tions o f the western variant o f Elshanskaya culture date back to the same time. It is possible to date them by analogy with the above- described Early Neolithic rock-shaped and unordered ceramics from site Gorodok 1 on the Ranove River (basin o f the Oka River). The following date was obtained for the ceramics decorated mainly with pins: BP 7200+150 (6400-5750 BC) (SPb-588); the undeco­ rated ceramics were associated with dates BP 6760+90 (5930-5610 BC) (Ki 14075) and BP 6870±100 (5810-5510 BC) (Ki 14114). For ceramics from the Ivnitsa site, the date BP 6940+40 (5900- 5720 BC) (Poz-42054) was obtained, which may well date the res- 182