The key site of Veksa. 6000 years of cultural development from the 6th to the 1st millennium cal BC in the North-Eastern European forest zone

俄罗斯西北部的维克萨是考古研究的一个幸运案例。凭借其三米的地层和有机遗迹的良好保存，该遗址为东北欧六千年的史前文化和环境历史提供了一个参考年表。这里需要基础研究，因为与中欧相比，乌拉尔山脉和波罗的海、北冰洋和伏尔加盆地之间整个地区的史前史仍然知之甚少。韦克萨位于一个重要的河口，离欧洲主要的分水岭不远。由于这个原因，从中石器时代开始，该遗址一直是定居点的焦点。今天，这座独特的考古纪念碑正面临着被河岸侵蚀破坏的风险，而启动现代调查的时间已经不多了。由于位于河漫滩，维克萨堆积了丰富的、精细分层的文化层序列。其中包括中石器时代、新石器时代和青铜时代的陶器遗迹和铁器时代的遗迹。在考古结构中有房屋平面图，木桩的集中，以及各个时期的墓葬和工业遗址。自20世纪90年代以来，我们的合作伙伴N.沃洛格达国家博物馆的Nedomolkina一直在进行抢救性挖掘，尽管由于手段有限，该遗址的潜力没有得到适当利用。我们的德国-俄罗斯团队于2011年开始了广泛的初步工作，现在有机会通过严格的措施系统地回收新的分层材料。因此，在科学上迈出一大步所需的资源相对较少。该项目的主要目的是为该地区从公元前6世纪到公元前1世纪的文化序列编制一个参考年表。这也是第一次将考古和环境历史数据结合起来。关键方面包括从觅食经济向农业经济的转变、定居点的发展、早期陶器或冶金等技术创新的传播以及超区域文化联系的重建。2015年和2016年将与俄罗斯合作伙伴一起开展两次实地活动，在此期间，将在旧战壕旁边放置小型挖掘战壕，以通过现代方法调查地层。申请人具有必要的语言技能，并与当地俄罗斯同事和东北欧主要研究机构保持密切联系。因此，先决条件是完美的比较分析的结果从维克萨，并将其纳入更广泛的文化历史图片。

Veksa in North-Western Russia is a lucky case for archaeological research. With its three meters of stratigraphy and the exceptionally good preservation of organic remains that also enlables dendrochronology, the site poses the chance to create a reference chronology for prehistoric cultural and environmental history of North-Eastern Europe through six millennia. Basic research is needed here, because the prehistory of the entire region between Urals Mountains and Baltic Sea, Arctic Ocean and Volga basin is, in contrast to Central Europe, still poorly understood. Veksa is situated by an important river mouth and lies not far from the main European watershed. For this reason the site had been a focus of settlement from the Mesolithic onwards. Today this unique archaeological monument is at risk to be destroyed by erosion of the river bank, and time is running out to initiate modern investigations. Due to the location in a river floodplain, a find-rich, finely stratified sequence of cultural layers has accumulated at Veksa. In encompasses remains from the pottery Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age evidence and Iron Age relicts. Among the archaeological structures are house plans, concentrations of wooden piles, and burials and industrial sites of various periods. Since the 1990s, our cooperation partner Dr. N. Nedomolkina of Vologda State Museum has been conducting rescue excavations, although due to limited means the potential of the site has not been made use of appropriately. Extensive preliminary work by our German-Russian team has started in 2011 and now poses the chance to systematically retrieve fresh stratified material with well-confined measures. Thus, comparatively little resources are needed to take a major step forward scientifically. The main aim of the project is the development of a reference chronology for the cultural sequence in this region from the 6th to the 1st millennium cal BC. For the first time, this will also encompass the conjunction of archaeological and environment-historical data. Among the key aspects are the transition from foraging to a farming economy, the development of settlements, the dispersal of technological innovations such as early pottery or metallurgy, and the reconstruction of supra-regional cultural connections. Together with the Russian partners, two field campaigns will be conducted in 2015 and 2016 during which small excavation trenches will be placed next to old trenches to investigate the stratigraphy by modern methods. The applicant has the necessary language skills as well as close contacts to both the local Russian colleagues and the main research institutions in North-Eastern Europe. Thus, preconditions are perfect to comparatively analyse the results from Veksa and to incorporate them into the wider culture-historical picture.