Abstract
Purpose
. The article presents the results of a study of four closed accumulations of stone artifacts – caches – identified in Layer VI of the multilayered Ushki I site in Kamchatka. The research is based on the systematization of published and archival materials, as well as on technological, typological, and spatial analyses of the artifacts identified in the archaeological collection.
Results
. It has been established that the caches demonstrate variability in composition and functional purpose: production-related (sets of standardized preforms of microcores, technological kits for knapping), hunting tools (arrowheads, knives, abrasives), and mixed variants. A comparison of the caches with the “hunting bags” from the burials of Layer VI revealed their typological similarity, confirming the practice of depositing personal and production equipment. The interpretation of the largest cache (no. 1) is complicated by the state of the sources; however, the presence of hematite broadens the range of possible meanings of this practice.
Conclusion
. It has been determined that the depositions of lithic inventory of the Late Ushki culture reflect a complex system of landscape storage of resources which is the characteristic of highly mobile hunter-gatherer groups, and their concentration at the Ushki I settlement indicates its key role in the seasonal migrations of the ancient population of Kamchatka