The Neolithic Age
The Neolithic Age was a turning point in the development of mankind. People
learned to product food and all things necessary for life by domestication
of plants and animals. Thus, primitive productive economy appeared and the
first step towards the civilization was made. During the 6-5 millenia B.C.
complex hunting-fishing economy was formed in the Middle Volga - Low Kama
region. Long-term settlement with fundamental dwellings were built.
Considerable progress took place in lithic technology with the using of
boring, grinding, sawing and polishing. The appearance of the first clay
vessels was of great significance.
There are about 300 Neolithic settlements on the Tatarstan territory. This
sites used to be situated on the terrace remnants and dunes near lakes. The
most part of these sites is attributed to the Kamskaya. Neolithic culture
(sites of Lebedinskaya, Balakhchinskaya, Igimskaya, Russko-Azibeyskaya etc.).
Pottery of the Kamskaya culture is represented by big vessels with round
bottom and combed ornamentation.
Another decorative tradition is represented in the pricked pottery. This
tradition was characteristic feature of the Neolithic population of the Low
Kama basin as a result of two migration waves from the Low Dnieper and Don
basins. The first migration took place probably in the 5th millenium BC
(Scherbet'skaya and Tetyushskaya 2 sites) and the second - at the end of the
4th millenium B.C. (Nizhnemaryanovskaya and Tatarsko-Azibeevskaya). The
flat-bottom vessels with pricked decoration are supposed to be copied by
population of the Low Kama basin from the pottery of their southern neighbours.
The problems of origin, cultural attribution and chronology of the assemblages
with pricked pottery are still under discussion.
Another type of pottery to be connected with the Balakhninskaya culture,
is known in the Middle Volga basin. The round-bottom vessels with pit-comb
decoration are its basic feature. Population of the Balakhninskaya culture
came into our region from the West probably in the second half of the 3d
millenium BC.
Thus, the Middle Volga and Low Kama region during the Neolithic became
the contact zone for some peoples who had moved from the West, South and
South-West.
Madina Sh. Galimova
Institute of History of Tatarstan Academy of Sciences
9, Kremliovskaya St.
Kazan, Tatarstan
Russia, 420503
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The Palaeolithic Age (Old Stone Age) comprises a huge time interval (over
two million years) and embraces large part of last geologic period -
Quaternary. Alternation of cold and warm climatic conditions took place
during this epoch. The Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age) took its rise in the
last stage of Quaternary - Holocene which began about 10 thousand years ago.
The Neolithic (New Stone Age) and further archaeologic stages mankind passed
over for 7-8 millenia. During the Palaeolithic the most important changes in
human and society formation were in process. Primitive communities adapted to
the life in rigorose climate of glaciation.
The oldest Palaeolithic site investigated within the territory of Tatarstan
Republic is Krasnaya Glinka which was flooded in 1950th. It used to be
situated on the Volga river right bank. These stone artefacts - scrapers made
on massive flakes, pebble-choppers, amorphous cores - are supposed to have
mousterian age. Analogous rough massive stone tools were found on the
pebble-beaches in the Volga-Kama rivers interflew area. Unfortunately,
fragmentary character of this finds does not allow to solve the problem of
the first inhabitants of Tatarstan territory.
The assemblages of the Final Palaeolithic/Early Mesolithic age are more
informative than the Upper Palaeolithic ones. These are the collections of
stone artefacts from the sites of 
In the end of the Pleistocene important changes took place in the life of
human communities in periglacial zone of Europe. Dissappearance of glaciation
and animals of Mammoth fauna forced hunters to change their game. Small
human groops became more mobile and skillfull. Hunting with a dog and fishing
were developed to a great extent. Concerning the material culture, the
Mesolithic was characterised first of all by new technique of blade
production - pressure.
The Kamskaya mesolithic culture is represented in the Low Kama basin by
some sites (Tatarsky Azibei, Yurtovskaya, Komarovskaya etc). The lithic
technology and inventory of this complexes are characterized by mycroblade
production and typologically poor tool kit. The problem of the Kamskaya
culture genesis is still under discussion. Some archaeologists suppose its
origin from the South, another - from the West. It is interesting to note
the earliest interments with stone arrow-heads of western types which were
investigated in the Eastern part of Tatarstan Republic (Russky Shugan and
Minniyarovo). These finds are dated by the Later Mesolithic. Antropological
studies give the evidence of European image of people buried here.