The problem of cultural attribution of ceramics with pricks of the Middle Volga region, the Kama region and adjacent regions

The ceramic complexes of the regions indicated in the name of the work in the early and/or developed Neolithic are represented by vessels decorated with pricks of various shapes. Sometimes this system of ornamentation coexists with the tradition of making impressions of a comb stamp, nail-like notches and unornamented dishes, but it always forms an essential part of the collection of a particular site. In this article, we tried to consider whether the presence of a ringed ornament is a sufficient criterion for attributing materials to a single culture. Previously, we carried out direct work with ceramic collections of most of the main sites of the Middle Volga region, Kama region, Kamsko-Vyatka and Sursko-Moksha interfluves. Their grouping was carried out on the basis of typological, formal classification and statistical methods, and the results were published. We used the results to calculate the coefficient of similarity between the monuments. An analysis of compliance and the main components was also carried out. The data obtained during the application of these three approaches do not contradict each other. They allow us to substantiate the possibility of dividing the studied monuments into two cultural traditions: the Volga-Kama forest and the Middle Volga forest-steppe. It is also acceptable to raise the issue of distinguishing local variants within the framework of the designated definitions: in the Volga-Kama (Mari, Nizhnekamsk and Kama-Vyatka), as well as two within the boundaries of the Middle Volga culture (Volga and Sursko-Moksha). At the same time, their name, content and exact areas should be clarified in the course of further study. The proposed conclusions will help resolve terminological contradictions that arise when working with Neolithic ceramic complexes of the Volga region, the Kama region and some adjacent regions.