CULTURAL CHANGE DURING THE LATE PREHISTORIC PERIOD IN SOUTHERN PRIMORYE

The paper is dedicated to the analysis of the origin and transformation of the Poltse and Krounovka archaeological cultures. The analysis is based on the archaeological materials from the multilayered site of Bulochka, a large settlement in the southern part of the Russian Maritime Region (Primorye) dating from the Early Iron Age (the last centuries BC - the fi rst centuries AD), as well as evidence from other sites. The Poltse culture originated in the Amur basin; the Krounovka culture was centered in the southern parts of Primorye. These two cultures developed synchronously and independently from one another. In the course of the southward migration of the Poltse people, they intermixed with the Krounovka people and a syncretic cultural community was formed. This paper highlights the issues of interrelationships between various features of the two cultures that merged to form a single unifi ed culture (dwellings, ceramics, labor tools, weaponry, household utensils, personal decorations, and others) as well as the links connecting this culture with those from neighboring regions.